H.R. 812 — MAKERS Act

This section states congressional findings on the prevalence of maker communities nationwide and the benefits of making, informal education, and makerspaces in engaging participants in STEM disciplines, developing employer-desired skills (e.g., technical, problem-solving, teamwork, analytical, collaboration), and supporting underrepresented populations' success in out-of-school STEM programs.

This section declares the purpose of the Act to encourage the formation and study of makerspaces to (1) engage populations within community colleges and community environments in STEM programs; (2) develop desirable STEM technical and other skills, including collaboration; and (3) build a STEM-capable workforce.

This section establishes definitions for use in this Act, including (1) historically Black college or university, meaning a part B institution under section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061) (i.e., an institution established prior to 1964 whose principal mission was and is the education of Black Americans); (2) makerspace, as a community space providing access to tools, technology, and knowledge that supports prototyping of physical goods, interdisciplinary learning, educational innovation, personal growth, workforce training, and early-stage business ventures; (3) minority-serving institution, as an institution listed in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)); (4) rural community, meaning a rural area under section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490); (5) STEM, meaning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and (6) workforce development component, meaning an economic development board or corporation, internship or certificate program, employers or industry partnership, community-based organization, or other program acceptable to the National Science Foundation Director.

This section establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Director of the National Science Foundation to award grants to institutions of higher education or consortia thereof for research and development of makerspaces (i.e., collaborative workspaces equipped for hands-on STEM prototyping, fabrication, and innovation) to support a STEM-capable workforce. Grants may fund (1) research on makerspace effectiveness in STEM engagement and best practices dissemination; (2) related equipment; and (3) other activities deemed appropriate by the Director. In selecting recipients, the Director must prioritize applicants that partner with or consist of workforce development entities, high-need local educational agencies, independent nonprofit or academic makerspaces, community colleges, historically Black colleges or universities or other minority-serving institutions, or rural entities; funds may not support physical construction unless necessary for safety or equipment use; and the Director may provide technical assistance to grant recipients or applicants.