Nesta and Nominet Trust, with partners Autodesk, are delighted to announce the seven projects we’ve selected to receive funding from the Digital Makers Fund. The fund is part of our pledge to the Make Things Do Stuff campaign which aims to significantly increase the number of young people who participate in digital making.

We take a broad view of digital making that encompasses 3D printing and physical computing, as well as coding and programming. We want digital making to go mainstream.  We want making with technology to become as accessible an activity as making music or making food. Whilst ubiquity is a long way off, we are delighted to be supporting another seven initiatives that can take us closer to that goal.

Our previous awardees include Code Club, CoderDojo Scotland, Technocamps, Printcraft, Technology Will Save Us, Our Lady’s Catholic High School – Alan O’Donohoe

The seven projects selected will receive a share of the £260,000 fund - upto £50,000 each - to develop thier projects and reach more young people. 

Black Country Atelier

Black Country Atelier (BCA) run 3D digital design and manufacture classes across the country. Through training, courses, and high profile events BCA help young people engage with and build knowledge of 3D printing and digital tools essential to workplaces of tomorrow. BCA will use the funding to develop three large scales 3D printing events in entertainment and retail spaces. It is anticipated that these events have the capacity to engage up to 10,000 young people.

Codasign

Codasign specialises in delivering creative technology workshops for adults and children using open source tools. They will be partnering with 10 cultural institutions outside of London and developing new workshops for children and young people together with free online tutorials.

Devon County Council - #FabLabDevon

Devon County Council is working with partners to create #FabLabDevon, a network of complementary space, equipment and outreach activity that will bring low cost digital making and fabrication to young people and the wider community across rural Devon. Key physical spaces will initially be located in Exeter library which will host a high profile FabLab on the ground floor and Totnes (KEVICC school). The funding will be used to support the development of the FabLabDevon and deliver outreach activities for young people.  

Makervisity

Makerversity is a making and learning space in the heart of London, providing affordable and accessible spaces for maker businesses. The funds will be used to develop Makerversity’s learning methodolodies and provision including digital apprenticeships, immersive digital learning programmes and open access learning for the wider public.

Sheffield City Council

Sheffield City Council run a very successful citywide ‘Made in Sheffield’ Ambassadors programme with 45 computer science ambassadors. Building on this programme, they will use the funding to train 135 young ambassadors in digital making activities such as app design, robotics, 3D printing. Young ambassadors will then deliver 4 technology workshops with their local primary school engaging over 1000 young people.

Princes Trust in partnership with Technology will Save Us

The Prince's Trust will work in partnership with Technology Will Save Us to reach out to disadvantaged young people aged 13-25 through 18 Prince’s Trust centres across the UK. They will train Prince’s Trust staff to deliver digital making workshops using the DIY Gamer Kit – teaching young people how to build a handheld games console, then introduce them to Arduino and our custom software to code and invent their own games and animations.

Kide

Kide is an educational project that uses new technologies to empower children (age 6 and up) to express their creativity by using computers and 3D printers to design and make their own toys. Kide will use the funding to test different products and services with users to inform future developments.

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