Pitch Competition + Access Awards
A cash-and-access grant for West Michigan makers, artists, and small manufacturers. Bring an idea — early-stage or already running — and pitch it for real funding and real shop time.
Capital and a place to build it
The competition combines direct cash support with meaningful access to the Makerspace, so strong ideas have both funding and somewhere to keep developing. It's built to put seed capital directly into local creative and maker projects, expand access to tools and community, and surface work with lasting artistic, community, manufacturing, or business impact — through a program simple enough to document clearly for our funding and administrative partners.
What winners receive
+ 12-month membership
Cash grant plus a full year of individual Makerspace membership, with the option to be featured in Makerspace storytelling, photo, or video content.
Membership access
Awarded to the remaining selected finalists who don't receive a Grand Prize. If fewer than 10 qualified finalists are selected, fewer Access Awards may be issued.
Membership awards are individual and non-transferable — teams or businesses designate one recipient — and begin after onboarding; standard tool certifications, safety requirements, and separately priced classes and materials still apply. Cash awards are grants, not loans or investments: Grand River Makerspace takes no equity, royalty, or ownership stake in a winning project or business. GR Makerspace makes no claim on entry rights but may photograph or record any part of an entry to promote the space or competition.
Who can apply
Intentionally broad — you're eligible if all of the following are true:
You're 18 or older, or have guardian consent.
You're an individual artist/maker, an informal team, or a registered business working in arts, craft, design, media, fabrication, industrial design, small-batch production, or a related maker field.
You're based in Greater Grand Rapids or clearly connected to the West Michigan maker community — priority to Kent, Ottawa, Ionia, Allegan, and Muskegon counties.
Your project can be an early-stage idea or an existing project you're ready to grow.
If selected as a finalist, you can attend the live Pitch Finals in person on September 22, 2026.
One entry per applicant; teams designate a single primary contact.
Conflict of interest: anyone paid to administer, screen, score, or approve this competition, and any Grand River Makerspace board member or their immediate family, may not apply in this cycle. A personal or business relationship with a judge doesn't automatically disqualify an entry — that judge discloses the conflict and may recuse from scoring it.
Stage 1: written application
Submitted online — no fee, no pitch deck required. The form asks for:
- Contact information — name, project/business name, email, phone, city, ZIP, county.
- Track — Arts & Craft; Manufacturing & Maker; or Both / Intersection.
- Stage — early-stage idea, or existing / operating project.
- Project description (500 words or fewer) — what you make or do, and what you'd do with the award.
- Use of funds — a simple breakdown of how $5,000 would be used. No formal budget attachment needed.
- Community connection (250 words or fewer) — how the project benefits the Grand Rapids-area maker community.
- Makerspace access plan (150 words or fewer) — how you'd use membership access as a finalist.
- Work samples (optional, encouraged) — up to 5 links to images, a portfolio, site, social, or one video.
- Certification — confirming accuracy and eligibility.
Key dates
All dates are Eastern Time. Any necessary changes will be posted publicly and emailed to applicants.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 1, 2026 | Applications open / public call announced |
| Mon, Sep 14, 2026 · 11:59 PM ET | Application deadline — no late submissions |
| Thu, Sep 17, 2026 | Up to 10 finalists notified and announced |
| Tue, Sep 22, 2026 | Live Pitch Finals — Grand Prize winners announced |
How entries are scored
Stage 1 — Written screening. Eligible applications are scored independently by the judging panel; the highest-scoring qualified applications advance. Grand River Makerspace may select up to 10 finalists based on application quality and the live event's practical capacity.
Stage 2 — Live Pitch Finals. Each finalist gets up to 5 minutes to pitch and up to 3 minutes for judge questions, adding a Live Pitch Presentation score for a final total.
| Criterion | What judges look for | Points | Scored at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept & Originality | Clear communication of how the concept will be achieved; creative, distinct, responsive to a real opportunity or gap in the local landscape. | 15 | Stage 1 & 2 |
| Feasibility & Plan of Action | A clear, realistic plan that shows the need for the funding, with consideration for how the concept might be sustained. | 15 | Stage 1 & 2 |
| Growth Potential | Likely impact that outlasts the grant — new skills, revenue, output, collaboration, or opportunity. | 15 | Stage 1 & 2 |
| Impact & Mission Fit | Meaningful benefit to the Grand Rapids-area creative/maker community and alignment with accessible creation and learning. | 10 | Stage 1 & 2 |
| Live Pitch Presentation | Clarity, confidence, persuasiveness, and quality of answers to judge questions. | 10 | Stage 2 only |
In the event of a tie affecting a Grand Prize placement, the judging panel re-reviews the tied entries and votes to break the tie. Judging decisions are final.
After you win
- Grand Prize winners complete a Form W-9 and short award agreement before funds are released.
- Cash awards are intended for the project described in the application; discuss material changes with Grand River Makerspace.
- Awardees agree to one brief follow-up roughly 6–12 months after the award.
- Grand River Makerspace may request reasonable documentation for grant reporting, as described in the award agreement.
- Recipients are responsible for any applicable taxes on cash awards.
- Pitch Finals may be photographed or recorded; Grand Prize winners may be invited to a professionally produced spotlight under separate release terms.
Grand River Makerspace may adjust the timeline or number of awards if required by budget, compliance, applicant quality, or other material circumstances.
Read the full guidelines
Complete rules, the judging panel process, and stewardship terms — as a downloadable PDF.