Projects Supported

The Culture of Repair Project helped secure funding for the projects below.
See the Grants page for Grant Program criteria, process and timing.
Sign up for the Newsletter for Request for Proposal announcements.

Spring 2024

Fix-It Fest and Makerspace Classes
Berkeley, California

The Berkeley Unified School District Climate Literacy Initiative and Middle School Makerspace Program will collaborate to teach week-long repair units in the district's three middle school Makerspaces. The in-school work will culminate with community repair events - Fix-It Fests! - at each middle school in the 2024/2025 school year (September 28, November 16 and February 8).

Through hands-on experience with repairing items, including their own, this project will educate students and families on repair's role in environmental sustainability; teach strategies for approaching broken objects; and cultivate a sense of capacity to take care of our material world.

Mend Like a Scientist
New York, New York

Columbia University / Barnard College’s STEAM in the City program will develop the “Mend Like a Scientist Initiative” for K–8 science teachers in New York City schools.

In a pop-up workshop, participants will utilize the scientific method to experiment with adhesion between different materials. The workshops serve a dual purpose: to mend damaged items at schools to divert waste from landfills, and to imbue learners with a scientific understanding of why unique properties of adhesives impact their ability to repair materials.

The initiative includes the dissemination of “FixKits” with binding agents, as well as an open-source curriculum on scientific method experiments in adhesive repair, published in their library of Teaching Resources.

Sustainable Fashion Design
San Francisco, California

SCRAP will expand its new Sustainable Fashion Design program, which looks at fashion design through the lens of sustainability.

Geared to students ages 12-18 in under-resourced communities, the interdisciplinary fashion curriculum offers students a deep understanding of how the fashion industry impacts the environment. Students will be equipped with the vision and skills to mend, repair and construct garments, extending the useful life of their clothing as long as possible, while developing their creative expression.

The project is a collaboration with community organizations serving youth, including the YMCA and San Francisco Unified School District.

Fix Forward
Rensselaer, New York

The Rensselaer Repair Café is partnering with the Robert C. Parker School and the Woodland Hill Montessori School to foster a repair mindset in K-8 schools through developing students’ interests, skills and confidence relative to repair. Grantee teachers are long-time Repair Café fixers and sponsor Repair Clubs in their schools.

The project will prototype mobile repair platforms — Fix-it-Carts — that are equipped with child-friendly, age-appropriate tools and materials, organized to meet the needs of children, and functional in a school setting. Grantees plan to create and publish detailed and practical lesson plans, examples and ideas for repair projects, and Fix-it-Cart building plans and supply lists. In this way, Fix Forward will design opportunities for children to develop their interests, skills, and confidence as they become the repair champions of the next generation.

Garment Repair and Upcycling Workshops for Teens
Los Angeles, California

Rediscover Center aims to bring fashion-forward upcycling and mending into libraries and similar public settings serving teens. In collaboration with the Los Angeles Public Library, Rediscover Center will develop workshop curriculum for garment repair, upcycling, and personalization.

Their materials will support creating teen-centered workshops in libraries and makerspaces, and will be published to Rediscover Center’s excellent catalogue of online teaching resources.

Fix-It Shop
San Francisco, California

Repair in educational settings will have wide visibility in the Bay Area when the Randall Museum leverages their fantastic Woodshop, "Garage", and deep pool of maker-faculty to host a series of hands-on workshops on-site and at the Bayview Waterfront Park.

With the theme “Don’t trash it! Fix it!” and publicity primarily targeting youth, every Friday will be "Fix-It Friday" during five weeks of this summer's Randall on the Road off-site program. Workshop participants will be encouraged to see how they can apply creativity, basic skills, and on-line research to fix and renew a wide variety of household items.

Fall 2023

ReGenerational Repair Certificate Seed Program
New York, New York

With an objective of sharing vanishing couture repair and alteration skills, the High School of Fashion Industries and Repair Shop will collaborate to develop a multi-generational after-school program between fashion-focused high school students and NYC’s fashion industry experts and Garment District workers. The project will also serve as research for extending HSFI's sustainability program into a Repair Certificate. The initiative includes developing a training and toolkit for designing and facilitating accessible hands-on repair workshops.

Final Report: Please see this page for information about this terrific program, as well as access to invaluable materials.

Radical Mending
Chicago, Illinois

The WasteShed will develop a youth-and-child centered version of its established Radical Mending program, which teaches textile repair skills and garment-based problem-solving on Chicago's West Side. The project includes developing and publishing a Curriculum Guide for incorporating Radical Mending into the classroom.

Stitching Stuffed Animals
Weaverville, North Carolina

In alliance with RepairCafeNC,
WNC Repair Cafe will develop a lesson plan for teaching 2nd-4th graders. The intention is to make abstract environmental issues concrete to students by connecting them with hands-on repair of their own stuffed animals. The project involves a series of workshops where sewing specialists guide young children through mending their stuffed animals. The objective is to create a successful program that can be easily replicated, using the materials the project develops and publishes.

Final Report: See the Stitching Stuffies final report HERE.

Riot Refurb
South Portland, Maine

“Riot Refurb”, a program at South Portland High School, will train students in repairing and repurposing computers for distribution in the under-resourced community. A Toolkit will be published online, along with curriculum resources to support other educators’ replicating the program.

Final Report: See the Riot Refurb final report HERE.

Computer Club
Waterville, Maine

Alfond Youth & Community Center will expand its program for 3rd to 7th grade students and create teaching materials. The class teaches upcycling used computers, and learning about repair, self-sufficiency and environmental sustainability. Once repaired, computers will belong to the youth and their families in this under-resourced community. The initiative will create, document and publish a replicable model. As a combined YMCA and Boys and Girls Club, there's terrific promise for broad distribution across its network.
Final Report: See the AYCC Computer Club final report HERE.

Spring 2023

Spreading Repair Culture
Portland, Oregon

Repair PDX is collaborating with Environmental Promoters in developing an after-school high school program with a culturally inclusive curriculum. Environmental Promoters is an organization local to the school which is committed to repair, recycling and waste prevention. The project is a partnership with POIC/Rosemary Anderson, an alternative high school in an under-resourced, urban neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Materials will be posted online.

Inspiring Communities to Transform Local “Waste” Into Sustainable Resources
Leavenworth, Washington

Waste Loop will collaborate with the Cascade School District to develop an after-school pilot program in this small, rural community.

Final Report: See this page page for an outline of this highly successful project!

Repair:  Bring a Second Life to Objects

CRP supported travel expenses for a workshop exploring repair as a part of the 6Rs — Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle — based on the Cultivating a Repair Mindset Toolkit. Offered by Aaron Vanderwerff and Erin Riley at FabLearn 2023. 

Long Term Projects

Cultivating a Repair Mindset Toolkit
Oakland, California USA

Agency by Design Oakland and MakerEd researched and created the Cultivating a Repair Mindset Toolkit. CRP supported the project, as well as the publication and distribution of materials. Created by educators for educators, the Toolkit builds on Maker-Centered Learning teaching and learning strategies, tools, and classroom materials (Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero). The Toolkit was designed to support students in developing a repair mindset: a way of approaching, thinking about and ultimately repairing what’s broken, including physical objects, relationships, and systems.

Cultivating a Repair Mindset Workshops
Oakland, California USA

CRP supported Agency by Design Oakland professional development workshops for teachers. The approach uses repairing objects as a gateway for examining social systems and power structures, identifying levers for change, and developing personal and communal agency to set things right. (See Toolkit description above.)

Fear Less Build More
Berkeley, California USA

CRP supported Girls Garage design and construction workshops and programs for girls and gender-expansive youth. From the “Girls Garage” book: “An indispensable guide to building things, fixing things, and being a better, bolder version of yourself.”

Make Something!
Oakland, California USA

CRP supported The Crucible’s youth bicycle repair and bicycle hacking/building programs, as well as welding programs for Oakland International High School students and Girls Inc. Alameda County.