At a recent worksession, several of us got together to work on our plans for forming a new cooperative to own and manage the MakerSpace. We drafted a mission statement and an initial set of purposes (see below) for forming the new company. We then recruited a temporary set of directors and drafted our Articles Of Incorporation which we filed on Dec 19, 2016 to officially incorporate Greenbelt Makerspace Cooperative, Inc. as a Maryland tax-exempt nonstock corporation. Since then we have opened a bank account at NASA Federal Credit Union, and we’ve filed form 1023-EZ with the IRS to request 501(c)3 tax exempt status.
The mission of the Greenbelt MakerSpace Cooperative is to provide safe and convenient facilities, equipped with tools and resources, where we offer education and training using the hands-on approach of the maker movement.
We challenge people of all ages to imagine, discover and explore new methods of learning science, technology, and art while developing new skills to design, engineer, and craft great work that contributes to the improved well-being of self, family, and community.
The stated purposes for which the corporation was formed are as follows:
- To develop and support educational programs, for children, teens, and adults in science, technology, engineering, math, arts, and crafts.
- To promote community development by encouraging collaborative activities and business ventures on the part of members.
- To educate the community on the principles and methods of cooperative enterprise.
- To cooperate with other cooperative organizations which have compatible goals.
- To establish and operate facilities to support the mission of the corporation.
- To engage in any other lawful activity for which non-profit corporations may be incorporated in this state.
What’s next? We will be working over the winter break to draft the corporation bylaws, the document that states how the Cooperative legally operates. Early next month we will host work sessions and public information meetings, file the initial bylaws, recruit members to join, and hold our first official meeting of the members on Sunday, Jan 29. Watch for the announcement of the full schedule of meetings, and we hope to see you join us!
