First recipient of the MakerBot Grants programme named

UltiMaker, a global leader in 3-D printing solutions for manufacturing, defence, and education, has announced Kimberly Mawhiney as the first recipent of its recently launched MakerBot Grants in North and South America. Designed to help teachers bring 3-D printing into the classroom, the programme reflect UltiMaker’s continued commitment to making 3-D printing tools and resources more accessible to educators and students everywhere.

Kimberly Mawhiney is the director of STEM and grants at Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies (NEAAAT) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. As part of the programme, she will receive a full MakerBot 3-D printing bundle, valued at over $4,000. Kimberly said: “This 3-D printer grant is a game-changer for our middle schoolers. It means their ideas will leap from imagination into tangible creations, building critical STEM skills. It is truly empowering them to design and innovate their futures.”

NEAAT is an innovative regional public charter STEM school in the USA. The learning environment emphasises work and accountability in small teams, hands-on construction of real products and prototypes, and pervasive use of technologies to support learning both within the school and flexibly anywhere.

Each MakerBot Grant includes a MakerBot Sketch Sprint 3-D printer, 20 spools of PLA filament,
one copy of the MakerBot Educators’ Guidebook, classroom certification (seats for one teacher and 30 students) and a three-year UltiMakerCare service plan for the 3-D printer.

Cross-disciplinary learning
Integrating 3-D printing into the classroom supports cross-disciplinary learning in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, as well as other subjects. It helps students develop critical skills — such as problem-solving, creativity, design thinking, and collaboration — while engaging them in active, project-based learning.

The MakerBot Grants programme is part of the MakerBot Gives Back Initiative, a pledge to provide $500,000 in 3-D printing equipment and resources to schools in underserved communities. This initiative expands UltiMaker’s mission to give more educators the resources to introduce 3-D printing and bring STEM into their everyday teaching. Since launch in January 2025, MakerBot Gives Back has so far donated over $136,000 to schools, STEM organisations, and ‘maker spaces’ around the USA and Canada.

Andrea Zermeño, Ultimaker’s MakerBot education manager, said: “Launching the MakerBot Gives Back Grant Program with such a passionate educator sets the tone for everything we hope to accomplish — putting powerful tools into the hands of those who are driving meaningful impact in the classroom. This is more than a donation — it is an investment in the future of design thinking, STEM learning, and student innovation.”