We closed our physical office and started working remotely on March 12, 2020. For a small team used to being together every day, this was an intense and abrupt shift to a new…everything.

We had been preparing to separate from the Tides Center, our fiscal sponsor for over a year, and were scheduled to launch as our own 501(c)(3) on April 1, 2020. It’s hard to remember all the details of those first few months of 2020 - everything was dynamic and changing very quickly, but we focused on a few core areas: taking care of our team; being responsive to the needs emerging from COVID shutdowns and the pivot to 100% online work and school; and creating a 501(c)(3) aligned with our values of joy, community, agency, learning, and equity. While Maker Ed has not wavered from this focus over the past two years, it has been full of change and transition.

This is our first annual report as our own non-profit and two years later, we are still making it!

I hope you see in the timeline, quotes, and statistics of our work, a team that has grown and dreamed together in powerful and transformative ways.

We are continuously trying new ways of being, communicating and working. We have further developed our collective practice as anti-racist, anti-oppression practitioners, and are committed to continue learning. We supported educators and our partners through painful and upsetting years, and we have built it to be sustainable.

We navigated internal transition and external change as gracefully as possible, knowing change is inevitable. We worked to build a culture where our team can shine and rest, and know that that journey is ongoing. We held steadfast in our belief that another way, another world, is possible, and that now is the time to make it so. 

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It is a pivotal moment in education as we see educators leave the profession at alarming rates. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is banned in seven states, with 16 more bans in progress. While CRT is not part of any K-12 curriculum, these legislative actions prevent educators from teaching the truth about race and racism in this country. 2021 was the worst year in recent history for anti-LGBTQ legislative attacks, with an unprecedented number of states enacting anti-LGTBQ measures into law, and at least seven states proposing anti-trans bills in the first week of 2022. Books are being banned in nearly half of all 50 states. Education is on the precipice. Maker Ed’s response to this is to double down on our commitment to BIPOC educators and youth, to trans and queer educators and youth, to educators and youth with disabilities, and to anyone committed to co-creating a future where everyone is seen, respected, heard and validated for their brilliance. A world where everyone has access to a life of choice, voice, and freedom. We believe this can be true and we work to make it so. We hope you will see and celebrate our accomplishments of the past two years, and that you will join us as we reimagine and build an inclusive and joyful future. 

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With endless hope and in solidarity,