Our team primarily gains money by contacting various companies and sponsors and applying for grants. Without grants and sponsorships, we would not have, A ROBOT, a place to work, equipment, merch, experience, or a successful team.
Grants:
Grants consist of preexisting amounts of money that companies allocate for distribution. These grants can be specific to FIRST Robotics or available to any nonprofit organization. To acquire grants, we diligently navigate through an application process tailored to each grant opportunity rather than directly reaching out to individual companies.
How to find grants?
The FIRST website always offers some grants on their website covering build/registration costs. Google is always your friend; google FRC specific grants or general nonprofit grants, and always make sure to pay attention to eligibility and deadlines. We don’t want to put in a bunch of work and effort for nothing </3
How to apply?
Make sure you read about the grant, and then put the name of the grant in the designated spreadsheet for that year. Create a Google Doc in the Business folder in the team Google Drive with the grant’s application questions so that everyone can work together to complete them! Additionally, link the Google Doc in their respective row in our latest grants spreadsheet!
2024-2025 Grants Spreadsheet
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16bHW6GjZl2Ttj1eQRSklTJ-ttlYTRkYlawBsguwCPbM/edit?usp=sharing
Sponsorships:
While grants significantly support our endeavors, we also explore another avenue for funding our team: sponsorships. Unlike grants, we directly reach out to companies, whether that be through calling or emailing. Another big difference is that sponsorships don’t necessarily have to come in the form of money. They can also come in the form of supplies, mentorship, room space, machines/equipment access, and other services!
How to find sponsorships?
Start out by contacting local companies, they’re especially useful for finding spaces to work. Parent companies are another great option!! PLEASE ask your parents if the organization or company they work for would be interested in being a sponsor. And once again, Google is always your friend. This is how we find most of our sponsors. Many companies have sponsorships dedicated to FRC teams like Apple and NASA, but we also like to target engineering/robotics-related companies. Make sure to research these companies and understand what they do so you can best talk to them.
Contacting Sponsors:
Calling: