Fundamental Needs

09/02/2026

We're hiring: Pathways & Partnerships Lead!

Fundamental Needs just landed a two-year grant from The Colorado Health Foundation to build a straight line from a curious kid in Cortez to a paid trade, a real credential, or a business of their own. We need the person who builds it.

You would stand up a certification testing center inside the Cortez Makerspace and put 40 or more industry credentials in people's hands across solar, the trades, IT, design, and business. You would run a 50-seat VR trade simulation lab, launch pathway cohorts, place youth in paid internships, hand seed capital to youth-run ventures, and work with colleges to turn our entrepreneurship credential into transferable college credit.

Full-time, in person in Cortez. $30/hour. Paid sick and vacation time. Start as soon as possible.

Resume and cover letter to [email protected].

08/22/2026

Makers, we're saving you a table. 🍂

The Fall Maker Market is coming October 24th, and we're looking for local makers, vendors, and artisans to fill it. Potters, bakers, woodworkers, jewelers, candle people, the person who crochets things nobody else thinks to crochet — you all belong here.

It's a volunteer-led community fundraiser supporting the Cortez Makerspace, which means every table helps keep the tools running and the doors open for the whole Four Corners.

🎨 Crafts
🎶 Live music
🌮 Food

Scan the QR code on the flyer to sign up as a vendor, or reach out to Michelle at [email protected] with questions.

📅 Saturday, October 24, 2026
📍 209 W. Main St., Cortez, CO
🌐 fundamentalneeds.net

Bring what you make. We'll bring the crowd. 🍁

08/21/2026

Hey meow! 🐈 We want your old Halloween costumes! 🎃

That inflatable T-Rex has been slumped in your closet since 2021. The wig you wore once. The cape. The mysterious tail nobody claims. It's time. Set them free.

We're collecting costumes and accessories through October to stock our Costume Pop-Up Shop, opening in September. New, gently used, gloriously homemade, bring it all. Then some kid in Cortez gets to be a dinosaur this year, and your closet gets its dignity back. Everybody wins!

One small ask: clean and in good condition, please. 🧼 We love a haunted look, but we'd rather it not be the smell. Give it a wash, sew the arm back on, and it's ready for round two.

All proceeds benefit Fundamental Needs, a local 501(c)(3).

🧺 Drop off Tuesday–Saturday at the Makerspace
🗓️ Now through October
📍 209 W. Main St., Cortez, CO
🌐 fundamentalneeds.net

Don't let that costume die a slow death in your closet. 👻 We'll be here, lurking...

08/19/2026

Something big is coming this fall...And WE NEED YOU to help build it. 🙌✨

Fall Maker Fest 2026 is our first-ever volunteer-led fall fundraiser, running all October long, and we're assembling the committee that will make it happen.

Cortez Makerspace is bursting at the seams with youth programs, workshops, school field trips, and open studio! And none of it grows without a community behind it. This is your chance to be part of something that matters. 🤎

We're looking for people to fill roles in:
🎪 Market Coordination
🔨 Workshop Leading
🎭 Costume Shop
📣 Promotions
🤝 Sponsor Outreach
📋 Day-of Volunteering

Participation is flexible. We meet twice a month in person or virtually. Come to the first meeting just to learn more. No commitment required. 💛

📅 First Meeting: Tuesday, August 11th
⏰ 5:30 PM
📍 209 W. Main St., Cortez, CO (virtual option available)
📧 [email protected]
🌐 fundamentalneeds.net

08/19/2026

Some kids ran a lemonade stand this summer. These kids ran a business! 🐾

Meet the Hero Makers. This summer, kids ages 8–13 came to the Cortez Makerspace through the Pinon Project and built an actual business from the ground up. They studied business models, set their own prices, developed a brand, and pitched their ideas out loud to a room.

Then they made everything themselves. They ran laser engravers, designed buckles in Tinkercad, printed them in 3D, and hand braided paracord stitch by stitch. When something came out wrong, they made it again.

What they made:
🐾 Leather Collars — laser engraved with original student designs
🪢 Paracord Collars — hand braided, stitch by stitch
🔒 3D Printed Buckles — designed in Tinkercad by the students
🏷️ Custom Acrylic ID Tags — designed in graphic design software
🎨 Stickers & 💌 Note Cards — original artwork by the team

Every dollar goes straight to the Cortez Animal Shelter. You can pick them up at the Makers Market inside the Makerspace.

But the collars aren't really the point. Over eight weeks these kids practiced resilience when things didn't work, confidence to speak up, empathy for their community, and the grit to start a project over from scratch. They laughed, they competed, they failed, they improved, and they showed up every single week ready to try again.

A huge thank you to the Pinon Project. This program simply doesn't exist without them and their commitment to empowering youth in Southwest Colorado with the skills, confidence, and creativity to become the next generation of community leaders and innovators. Learn more about their work at pinonproject.org 💛

These aren't just products. They're proof of what young people can do when someone believes in them.

📍 209 W. Main St., Cortez, CO
🌐 fundamentalneeds.net

08/09/2026

Makers and creators living within 150 miles of the Four Corners are invited to submit original projects in a competition hosted by Fundamental Needs. The Cortez Makerspace Innovation Challenge will have a $5,000 prize for the top project, according to a news release. ➡️ Read more in the comments. bit.ly/4g2n39C

08/08/2026

Plus: Native Roots’ stores have new owners, SteadyFlow’s water tech attracts state funding, AG joins latest tariff lawsuit.

08/07/2026

Hello Cortez!
Cortez Makerspace is building something really special this fall and we need YOU at the table.
Join our volunteer planning committee and help make Fall Maker Fest, October 2026 happen for our community.
First meeting is Tuesday, August 11th at 5:30 PM —209 W Main Street- virtual option available.
Drop us an email at [email protected] and we'll send you everything you need. Or just show up!
No commitment required, just come curious. Time commitments will be flexible based on availability. We appreciate and value the time of our amazing volunteers!
We are seeking people who are inspired by the work we're doing at the Cortez Makerspace, people who are passionate about creating a fun fall event, and people who want to see our community thrive!
Share this with your crazy HALLOWEEN and PUMPKIN SPICE friend! We all have one..

Hello Cortez!

Cortez Makerspace is building something really special this fall and we need YOU at the table.

Join our volunteer planning committee and help make Fall Maker Fest, October 2026 happen for our community.

First meeting is Tuesday, August 11th at 5:30 PM —209 W Main Street- virtual option available.

Drop us an email at [email protected] and we'll send you everything you need. Or just show up!

No commitment required, just come curious. Time commitments will be flexible based on availability. We appreciate and value the time of our amazing volunteers!

We are seeking people who are inspired by the work we're doing at the Cortez Makerspace, people who are passionate about creating a fun fall event, and people who want to see our community thrive!

Share this with your crazy HALLOWEEN and PUMPKIN SPICE friend! We all have one...

07/28/2026