Sacramento’s MADE Studio fosters creative equity and accessibility

By Marie-Elena Schembri | Solving Sacramento Gina Lujan is the CEO of MADE Studio in Oak Park, which prioritizes equity and access for BIPOC and women. Janine Mapurunga, Solving Sacramento Paige McCafferty, a woodworker and owner of craft business Awkwood Things, became a member at MADE Studio in Sacramento as part of the MAKEHERS cohort in March 2023. McCafferty, who is also a young single mom, applied for the women-owned small business accelerator program after seeing her friend complete it and successfully scale up her business. McCafferty credits the program with giving her “access to tools to be able to grow my business, to have totally different clients, and making much bigger things. The space here has allowed me to see ways that I could grow that I wouldn’t have seen on my own,” she said. MADE Studio, owned by HackerLab, is a nonprofit maker space in Oak Park that prioritizes equity and access for women, creators and makers of color . Of the studio’s roughly 90 members, 20 receive a subsidized or free membership. MAKEHERS is fully funded through sponsorships, and in prior years, has offered seed-grant funds to help women start or invest in their businesses. Gina Lujan,...