Fundamental Needs provides communities with the resources necessary to become their own solution.
Fundamental Needs is designed to go into communities with questions, not solutions. Instead of coming with a one size fits all solution, we ask the community what it is that they need most and start to develop our plans from there.
Our Projects
The Oasis Project
The Oasis Project builds off-grid water systems on the Navajo Reservation, via an after school work program where we teach, train, and hire high school students to do the work. Local youth gain hands-on experience while helping bring long-term infrastructure to their own communities.
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The Cortez Makerspace
The Cortez Makerspace is an innovation hub offering access to creative tools and technology. We support students, entrepreneurs, artists, and community members through hands-on learning and workforce skill development.
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Live
Updates
This year, Fundamental Needs continues expanding our impact across water access, workforce development, and community-driven opportunity:
Oasis Project
We have now installed 220+ off-grid water systems across the Navajo Nation, providing clean water and solar power to families in Rock Point, Sweetwater, Red Mesa, Mexican Water, Dennehotso, Lok'ahjigaii, Teec Nos Pos, Round Rock, Upper Fruitland, Shiprock, Farmington, Kirtland, Waterflow, and Kayenta.
Through our teach/train/hire model, local students gain hands-on experience in plumbing, solar installation, and system maintenance while helping bring long-term infrastructure to their own communities.
The Cortez Makerspace
The Cortez Makerspace is now active at 209 W. Main St., Cortez, CO, creating a hub for workforce training, entrepreneurship, and creative development.
With tools and programming in digital design, fabrication, and hands-on making, the Makerspace is helping expand access to skills, certifications, and community-based innovation.
In just six months since our January grand opening, we've grown to over 200 members and hosted more than 30 workshops. And we're just getting started! New equipment is added to the space every month, keeping our tool library fresh and expanding what our members can create and learn.
Our newest additions include two ceramics pottery wheels and the xTool MetalFab, a 4-in-1 system combining a high-powered fiber laser welder, laser cleaner, engraver, and CNC laser cutter, bringing professional-grade fabrication capabilities right here to Cortez.
Youth Entrepreneurship Program
Our Youth Entrepreneurship Program equips young people across our community with practical skills in business planning, financial literacy, market research, and problem-solving. Through hands-on projects and pitch-based learning, students develop ideas that respond to real community needs — and build the confidence to turn those ideas into action.
One of our flagship efforts is the I.D.E.A. Lab at Southwest Open School — a project-based entrepreneurship class where students earn economics credits while building real business concepts. We're proud to have just wrapped our 5th semester!
One of our flagship efforts is the I.D.E.A. Lab at Southwest Open School, a project-based entrepreneurship class where students earn economics credits while building real business concepts. We just wrapped our 5th semester.
This semester included the LEGO Economics Challenge, High School Leadership Programming with Leadership Montezuma, and the launch of the Circular Economy SWOS Roadmap as part of our LiftUp Cortez campaign. Students pitched ventures ranging from a community fun center and nonprofit apparel company to an airsoft field and a veterinary shelter — capping the semester with a field trip to the local Makerspace. When asked what they took away, students said it simply: they learned how the world works and what it really takes to build something in it.
New Solutions. Everyday.
We are continuing to scale our programs, strengthen partnerships, and build pathways that help communities become their own solutions.
Don't Miss What's Being Built
From the shop floor to the classroom, a lot is happening at Fundamental Needs.
Subscribe to the Makerspace Monthly for updates about everything happening at Cortez Makerspace, plus news from the Oasis Project, the Youth Entrepreneurship Program, and the broader Fundamental Needs community.
About us
At Fundamental Needs, we partner with underserved communities to bridge critical gaps in clean water, electricity, education, and economic opportunities. Through hands-on training, workforce development, and entrepreneurship programs, we empower individuals to overcome systemic barriers and build a sustainable future.
Our Impact
🔹 Oasis Project – Installing off-grid water and solar systems on the Navajo Nation while training and employing high school students in renewable energy and plumbing.
🔹 Cortez Makerspace (Coming 2025) – A hub for workforce development, providing training in trades, technology, and entrepreneurship to support local industries.
🔹 Youth Entrepreneurship Program – Equipping students at Southwest Open School with business skills, mentorship, and real-world opportunities to create ventures that solve community challenges.
We are building solutions by the community, for the community—ensuring lasting impact through education, innovation, and economic empowerment.
Learn more about our mission → About Us page
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