Miami Beach Maker Cities opens applications for 2027 cohort
The six-month program plans 20 places, hands-on manufacturing instruction and a $5,000 stipend for selected participants.
Key Takeaways
- •Applications are due Nov. 4 at 11:59 p.m.; the page does not state a time zone.
- •The 2027 cohort is scheduled for Jan. 12 through June 3, with 20 places.
- •The program page describes a $5,000 stipend and in-person training at 1661 Pennsylvania Ave.
Miami-area adults interested in digital fabrication and entrepreneurship have until Nov. 4 at 11:59 p.m. to apply for the first 2027 Maker Cities cohort. The program, led by Moonlighter FabLab, describes 20 places in a six-month, in-person studio course beginning Jan. 12 and running through June 3. The deadline page does not state a time zone. The program’s application page is the source for current dates, eligibility and stipend details.
The course combines advanced manufacturing with design and business instruction. The organizer lists computer-aided design and manufacturing, 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC equipment, design thinking and entrepreneurship among the program’s areas. Participants are also expected to work on a civic placemaking project connected to historic Lincoln Road. These are the program’s planned components; the page does not document completed projects or guarantee business results.
Maker Cities says the initiative is funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Moonlighter FabLab. The group describes a $5,000 stipend for participants and a cohort of 20. Applicants do not need a STEM degree, and the program is aimed at adult learners with limited or no prior STEM education. The six-month schedule is in person, with sessions listed Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Moonlighter FabLab, 1661 Pennsylvania Ave. in Miami Beach.
The mix of shop-floor tools and civic design offers a local route into making and prototyping for adults who may not have followed a traditional engineering path. The organizer says the curriculum moves from digital design and fabrication toward an applied Lincoln Road project. Applicants should read the page carefully to understand its time commitment and participation requirements; the public description does not promise a job, a business launch or a particular final installation.
Applications are due Nov. 4 at 11:59 p.m. The organizer lists application interviews for Nov. 16–20 and waitlist and applicant announcements for Dec. 7–11. The page does not specify the deadline’s time zone.
The organizer’s description makes the program notable for combining stipends, access to fabrication equipment and a real-world civic brief in one local course. Its stated schedule requires participants to attend twice weekly for six months. That makes time availability as important as interest in the subject, particularly for people balancing work or caregiving.
For Miami Beach’s workforce and small-business community, the cohort is an opportunity to learn practical design and manufacturing tools while testing an idea in a public-realm context. The next deadline is Nov. 4 at 11:59 p.m.; the listed program site is on Pennsylvania Avenue, a short walk from Lincoln Road.
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