I'm a former president and board member of a makerspace in Ohio (hive13). We thrived on donations (a lot of donations from members who had extra to give to hel

I'm a former president and board member of a makerspace in Ohio (hive13). We thrived on donations (a lot of donations from members who had extra to give to help support the space and help students or those who couldn't afford our membership), and didn't receive much local help. A few years ago the hive grew to the point where we couldn't expand it any more, and we moved locations. We're still going strong. We spend money by voting on project, and even when projects aren't funded, the community finds a way to make it happen anyway. We didn't try to run it for profit: memberships are $50/month or $100/month (if you can afford it) or $13.37 (if you're a student or can't afford it). The hive is still on great footing, financially speaking, and it competes with maker spaces from the Cincinnati Public Library as well as a commercial makerspace in Sharonville. Maker spaces do work, but, it takes a lot of time, effort, and quite literally blood to make them work well.