Membership

Eligibility

Stateline Makerspace is a private facility and is not open to the general public except during certain events. All memberships are provisional and subject to review by Stateline Makerspace leadership. We reserve the right to deny membership to anyone for any reason.

We require all of our Full Members to be of at least 18 years of age, and Youth Members to be at least 13 years of age. We welcome family and children of our full members; however, anyone under the age of 18 must have a signed parental liability waiver on file and be accompanied by a Full Member, and anyone under the age of 16 must also have a signed parental liability waiver on file, be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and be accompanied by a Full Member (who may also be the parent or guardian).

Start as a Guest

  • Visit the ‘space during Open Hours (see our Calendar page) or as a guest of a current member.
  • Attend public meetings and events.
  • Visit and use tools anytime a member can host you.
  • Sign a WAIVER.

Become a Member

  • Visit the ‘space at least twice before joining. Get to know us!
  • Complete the Member Application (either online or downloaded and printed).
  • Read through the Member Handbook and the Rules and Regulations.
  • Meet with a Board Member or Operations Committee member to complete the sign-up process.
  • Pay your first full month’s dues.
  • Verify that you have been added to members-only communications channels, and send a “Hi I’m… ” message to the members list telling us about yourself.
  • Complete a short probationary period.

Membership Application

There is a two-step process to join Stateline Makerspace. To begin, fill out a membership application (either online or downloaded and printed) and pay the first full month’s membership fee (and a prorated fee if joining mid-month). Once your application has been completed and your application fee is processed, you will become a Probationary Member.

Probationary Membership

The probationary period typically lasts for one calendar month. During this period, Probationary Members are encouraged to attend Stateline Makerspace meetups and events. We want Probationary Members to be diligent in coming to meetings and to make a good attempt to get to know our current members – speak up, introduce yourself, and get involved! Once a Probationary Member has attended at least two (2) regular meetings he/she will become eligible for Active Membership.

Members will be given the opportunity to voice any concerns regarding Probationary Members during the probationary period. If no issues are raised, the Probationary Member will be promoted to Active Membership. If any issues are raised with the Probationary Member, the Operations Committee must either agree upon terms to resolve those issues and provide the terms of resolution to the Probationary Member or the Operations Committee may deny the Probationary Member an Active Membership and refund their first month’s fee. Once all issues are resolved to the Operation Committee’s satisfaction, the Probationary Member will be promoted to an Active Member.

Youth Membership Policy

In accordance with the educational aspect of our mission, we not only accept, but encourage young people to learn and make with us by becoming members. Any member under the age of 18 is considered a “Youth Member” and special restrictions apply.

  • Persons aged 13 thru 18 are eligible to join as Youth Members.
  • Persons aged 16 thru 18 must have a parental liability waiver signed and must have an adult Member willing to host them present while at the makerspace.
  • Persons aged 13 thru 15 must have a parental liability waiver signed and must have a parent/legal guardian AND an adult Member (may be same person) willing to host them present while at the makerspace.

Membership Rates

We offer a tiered rate structure, ranging in cost from $35 to $60 per month. Here are the rates and benefits of each tier:

Visitor

Guest

Full Maker

  • All benefits of Guest/Visitor
  • Access to all tools, including (after training) member-only “red” tools
  • Discount (usually 50%) on workshops and classes
  • Key fob for 24/7 access
  • Ability to host up to 2 guests
  • One shelf in Member Storage area (upon request and subject to availability)
  • $35 per month (discount available, see Discounted Rates), below

Power Maker

  • All benefits of Full Maker
  • $35/month credit toward resource use fees
  • $60 per month (discount available, see Discounted Rates), below

Plus One Maker

  • All benefits of Full Maker
  • Must be member of same household
  • Limit of one Plus One Maker per Full/Power Maker
  • $20 per month (discount available, see Discounted Rates), below

Youth Maker

  • All benefits of Full Maker except for hosting guests
  • Ages 16-17: must be hosted by a member and have a signed parental liability waiver on file
  • Ages 13-15: must be hosted by a member, must have a signed parental liability waiver on file, must have a parent/legal guardian present and must have an adult member (which may also be the parent or legal guardian) willing to host them present while at the makerspace.
  • $10 per month

Prorated Fees

In order to simplify our fee structure and billing for those who join during the month, we have established the following prorated fee schedule for the first partial month:

Joined (Day of Month) Full Maker Power Maker Plus One Maker Youth Maker
1 through 10 $ 35 $ 60 $ 20 $ 10
11 through 20 $ 20 $ 40 $10 $ 5
21 through 31 $ 15 $ 25 $ 5 $ 5

Discounted Rates

Growth Credits

In an effort to encourage member participation in the operation and growth of Stateline Makerspace, participating in any of the following events will qualify Full members, Power Maker members and Plus-One members to receive a $10 rebate (“Growth Credit”) on that month’s membership dues. Many of these events require participation by multiple members so we expect ample opportunity for most, if not all, members to participate. Other events will be added as they become available. Some events may require signing up in advance for scheduling, and those sign-ups will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Acceptance of your participation is at the discretion of the Operations Committee.

  • Outreach Events – Including, but not limited to, maker faires, STEMfest, Discover Engineering Day at The Discovery Center, Stroll on State, Rockford City Market, Art Scene
  • In-house Events – Including, but not limited to, presenting classes (successfully), assisting with classes (where required), staffing open houses, giving tours, etc.
  • Facilities Support – Including, but not limited to, housekeeping duties, pre-approved facility or equipment maintenance or upgrades, etc.

Referral Bonus

Any member that refers a new member (or a former member whose membership has been inactive for at least one full year) is eligible to receive a referral bonus credit equal to the new member’s first full month’s rate once that new member has completed three full months of membership.

Special Discounts

Our membership prices cover only the cost of maintaining our space and its utilities, and do not extend to supplies, special workshops, or events. If you have a special financial circumstance or are unable to pay dues for any reason, please contact the Operations Committee (operations@statelinemakerspace.com) as soon as possible. We will do our best to accommodate your situation.

Commercial Memberships

Please contact us for more information about memberships allowing commercial use of the ‘space.

Corporate Memberships

Please contact us for more information about providing MakerSpace memberships as a benefit for your employees.

Handling Fees

We charge a one-time, non-refundable fee of $5 for each key fob or card issued, charged at the time of issuance.

There are no recurring or other handling fees at this time.