In April, 2024, the Fab Foundation hosted its first annual Fab Month, a celebration of the people, places, and projects at the heart of the international Fab Lab Network. Over the course of the month, hundreds of community members from more than 50 countries came together for a series of nine online sessions celebrating the network’s ongoing accomplishments and exploring the breadth of its global programs and initiatives.

The following programs represent nearly a quarter-century of commitment to the mission of democratizing access to digital fabrication technologies, providing the means for anyone anywhere to make (almost) anything.

2001

THE FAB ECOSYSTEM

In 2001, Professor Neil Gershenfeld and his colleagues at MIT opened the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA), introducing the world to the concept of a Fab Lab—a digital fabrication facility that could allow anyone to make (almost) anything. As the idea took hold, the Fab Lab Network quickly grew into a global phenomenon, and the Fab Foundation was established to guide the network’s continued development. With more than 2,700 Fab Labs in over 150 countries today, the Fab Ecosystem is thriving, offering diverse opportunities for innovation, education, career development, community engagement, social impact, and much more.

2009

THE FAB FOUNDATION

Founded in 2009, the Fab Foundation is dedicated to regional capacity-building and growth of the international Fab Lab Network. Emphasizing the necessity of collaboration, resource-sharing, and leveraging technology, the Foundation acts as steward to the distributed network, supporting community-engagement and humanitarian efforts, working with industry partners to advance corporate social responsibility efforts, developing STEM education programs, and deploying new Fab Labs around the world.

ACADEMANY

Academany, the Academy of (Almost) Anything, is a comprehensive education ecosystem that offers a diverse range of programs for learners of all backgrounds. This global distributed education portfolio grew out of a need, identified in 2009, for Fab Lab practitioners to go further and deeper with the available technology. Since its start as an individual hybrid course called Fab Academy—an expansion of the ‘How to Make (Almost) Anything’ course taught by Professor Gershenfeld at MIT—the Academany has expanded to cover such topics as innovative textile production, biotechnology, advanced research, teacher professional development, education outreach, social impact, and 21st-century vocational training.
2011
FAB CRAFTS

Since 2011, the Fab Crafts initiative has been exploring the potential of digital fabrication to create new pathways toward economic independence for women, indigenous artisans, and rural communities, thoughtfully deploying modern technology to address historic societal challenges. Through community-building efforts, higher education programs, and the spread of new Fab Labs across Latin America, leaders have used digital art, crafted machines, and 3D fashion design to overcome language barriers across regions, preserve cultural artifacts and heritage, advance sustainability efforts, and weave cherished traditions into 21st-century innovation. The initiative’s success clearly demonstrates the essential role of community in driving progress.

2014

THE FAB CITY GLOBAL INITIATIVE
The Fab City Global Initiative began in 2014 with a mission to relocalize production around the world by empowering communities with the technology to build their own sustainable, innovative, and regenerative urban futures. Their long-term vision is to help cities produce (almost) everything they consume by 2054. Since the initial Fab City Pledge in Barcelona 10 years ago, nearly 50 cities, regions, and nations across the globe have joined the movement. And a new city will “press the button” this summer at the Fab City Summit Yucatán 2024.

2017

GLOBAL KIDS

Global Kids provides opportunities for young minds to innovate, collaborate, and make a difference in their community and beyond. Using technology to promote cultural exchange through educational workshops hosted by Fab Labs around the world, the initiative plays a vital role in nurturing the next generation of innovators and change-makers. The program’s success depends upon the collaboration and support of the global community, and it is centered on the joy of connecting children with their international peers, breaking down geographic, linguistic, and cultural barriers through human-centered, innovative digital fabrication projects.

SCOPES-DF

SCOPES-DF (scaling a community of practice for education in STEM, through digital fabrication) was developed—thanks to funding and support from Chevron and the GE Foundation—to catalyze STEM learning in K-12 environments and support teachers looking to bring innovative digital fabrication practices into their classrooms. It has become a plentiful resource hub, featuring over 400 STEM lessons, and a growing community of practice for K-12 educators around the world working in both formal and informal education settings. In 2023, SCOPES-DF began partnering with Fab Learning Academy, a globally distributed education platform committed to certifying K-12 educators to teach with digital fabrication technologies.

FAB LABS AND SDGS

Since 2017, Pieter van der Hijden and his colleagues have been working to increase awareness, alignment, and accountability for Fab Labs worldwide developing solutions for their communities through the lens of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The group demonstrates how impact-by-design can drive meaningful change and create sustainable outcomes for Fab Labs and the global community, offering practical insights and guidance for leveraging technology to address the SDGs.

2021

FABCARE

Started in 2021 by OpenDot Fab Lab with FabLab Kamp-Lintfort, FabCare is an initiative dedicated to leveraging digital fabrication for improved healthcare and community well-being. Now a global network of Fab Labs, its members aspire to make health and care more inclusive and innovative by co-designing and developing solutions with the people whose lives will be impacted by them—patients, caregivers, and medical experts. In a short time, the initiative has done much to improve care in remote areas, localize production of essential healthcare items around the world, and find new ways to work within the strict regulations of the medical field.

To learn more about the organization's offerings, read the full press release here: https://fabfoundation.org/media/fab_month_2024