FRC Sponsorship Letter Template (Free, Copy-Paste) + 3 Examples

Copy the fill-in-the-blank template below, swap in your team number, contact, and ask amount, and you have a ready-to-send FRC sponsorship letter in about ten minutes. Under the template you'll find a strong ask paragraph, a sponsor-tier table, three worked examples (cold local business, returning sponsor, in-kind materials), and the tax language most teams get wrong.

First: know your team's tax status

This is the one part you can't fake, and it's where most letters lose credibility. The large majority of FRC teams are not their own 501(c)(3) nonprofit — and they don't need to be. Most operate under one of three structures:

• A public school or district. A public school is a governmental unit, so gifts to it for an educational purpose are generally tax-deductible to the donor. Checks usually run through the school or district.
• A parent booster club or educational foundation that already holds 501(c)(3) status and acts as the team's parent organization.
• A fiscal sponsor — an existing 501(c)(3) that agrees, in writing, to receive tax-deductible donations on your behalf and pass them through to the team.

Before you send anything, find out which one applies to your team and get the exact legal name and EIN (tax ID) of the entity that receives checks. Then say only what's true: if gifts are deductible, name that organization and offer a receipt; if you're not sure, say a gift "may be tax-deductible — please consult the school/booster club" instead of promising it. Do not tell donors a gift is deductible when you can't back it up, and don't feel you must form your own nonprofit — that's optional, not required to raise money.

The FRC sponsorship letter template

Paste this into a document, replace every [BRACKET], and delete the guidance in parentheses. Keep it to one page.

[Team Letterhead / Logo]
[Date]

[Sponsor Contact Name]
[Business Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP]

Dear [Mr./Ms./Contact Name or "Friends at [Business Name]"],

We are FIRST Robotics Competition Team [####], [Team Name], a team of
[##] high-school students at [School / City, State]. Each year we design,
build, wire, and program a competition robot from scratch and compete
against teams from around the [region/state/world] in FIRST — a nonprofit
STEM program that reaches tens of thousands of students annually.

[ASK PARAGRAPH — see the strong version below.]

Sponsoring Team [####] is an investment in local students who go on to
study and work in engineering, software, and the skilled trades — often
right here in [City/region]. Your support is recognized through the
benefits below, and we'd be glad to tailor a package to what matters to
your business.

[Insert 2–4 sponsorship tiers, or reference the enclosed one-pager.]

Donations are made to [Legal Name of School / Booster Club / Fiscal
Sponsor], [EIN if applicable], and [are / may be] tax-deductible to the
extent allowed by law. We are happy to provide a receipt.

Thank you for considering an investment in Team [####]. I'd welcome the
chance to stop by, answer questions, or bring the team and robot to you.
Please reach me at [phone] or [email].

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Role — e.g., Team Captain / Business Lead / Lead Mentor]
FRC Team [####], [Team Name]
[Team website] · [Team email]

The strong ask paragraph

A weak ask says "any amount helps." A strong ask is specific about cost, specific about the amount, and specific about what the money does. Drop this into the template:

Team [####], [Team Name], is a group of [##] students who build a competition robot during an intense multi-week build season and compete in FIRST. It costs roughly $[total budget] to field our team each season — registration alone is about $6,500 — and we're funded almost entirely by sponsors like you. A gift of $[amount] would [concrete outcome: cover our regional entry fee / buy the aluminum, motors, and electronics for this year's drivetrain / send [##] students to the [event name]]. In return, [name the recognition]. Every dollar goes straight to giving these students real engineering experience — and to the talent pipeline businesses like yours hire from.

Why it works: it names a real number ($6,500 registration is FIRST's published team fee), ties the ask to a tangible result, and connects the gift to the sponsor's own interest.

Sponsor tiers you can drop in

Tiers aren't an official FIRST rule — they're a convention teams use to make giving easy and to ladder up benefits. Adjust the amounts to your community; a rural rookie team and a big suburban team will set very different numbers. A common structure:

Keep the benefit ladder honest and deliverable — if you promise a logo on the robot, make sure it fits and survives a season of matches.

3 worked examples

1. Cold outreach to a local business

Short, warm, community-first, and a modest, concrete ask. Best sent to a local machine shop, restaurant, or family business with no prior tie to the team.

Dear Ms. Alvarez,

I'm Priya, a junior at Lincoln High and business lead for FRC Team 4131, the Lincoln Robotics team here in Millbrook. Twenty-eight of us design and build a competition robot each winter and compete in FIRST, a national STEM program.

We're building our sponsor team for this season, and I'm reaching out to businesses that are part of Millbrook. A gift of $500 would cover the aluminum stock and hardware for this year's robot, and we'd add Alvarez Machine to our team shirts and website as a Bronze sponsor. Donations run through Millbrook USD and are tax-deductible.

Could I stop by for ten minutes to introduce the team? I'm at priya@team4131.org or (555) 010-4131. Thank you for considering it.

2. Returning sponsor (renewal)

Lead with gratitude and results, then invite them to renew or step up. This is your highest-yield letter — write it first.

Dear Mr. Okafor,

Thank you. Your $2,500 Gold sponsorship last season put Delta Fabrication's logo on our robot as we reached the regional playoffs and grew the team from 19 to 31 students — nine of them first-year girls in engineering.

We'd be honored to have Delta back this season. Renewing at the Gold tier keeps your logo on the robot and shirts; moving up to Title ($5,000) would make Delta our lead sponsor, with top billing on our banner and a visit from the team and robot to your shop. Either way, we'll get you an updated logo proof before build season.

May I call next week to talk it through? — Marcus, Team Captain, FRC 4131

3. In-kind materials or services

Some sponsors can't write a check but can give what you'd otherwise buy — metal stock, PCB fabrication, laser cutting, machining time, or meeting space. Ask for the specific thing and recognize it at its fair value.

Dear Ms. Chen,

I'm the fabrication lead for FRC Team 4131 in Millbrook. We noticed Chen Metalworks does aluminum waterjet work, and that's exactly what our robot's chassis needs.

Rather than a cash gift, we'd be grateful for an in-kind donation of up to ~$800 in waterjet cutting for our 2–3 chassis plates this build season — or a discounted rate if a full donation isn't possible. We'd recognize Chen Metalworks at the matching sponsor tier: logo on our shirts and website, and a thank-you on social media. In-kind gifts through Millbrook USD can be receipted at fair market value.

Could I send our part drawings so you can see the scope? Thank you — Sam, (555) 010-4131.

Practical tips that actually move money

• Who to send to. Start with families' employers, local engineering/manufacturing firms, and any business that hires the skills FRC teaches. Warm intros beat cold letters every time — ask every parent and mentor for one contact.
• Reach a named person, not "To Whom It May Concern." Find the owner, office manager, or a company's community-giving contact. Large employers often have a matching-gift program — ask sponsors to check.
• Follow up. Most gifts come after the second or third touch. Send the letter, then follow up by phone or email in 7–10 business days, and again a couple of weeks later. Track every prospect in a simple spreadsheet with status and next-contact date.
• Deliver what you promise. Collect logo files early, actually put them on the robot and shirts, and send a short end-of-season report with photos and results. That's what turns a one-time sponsor into a multi-year one.
• Say thank you fast — a receipt within days and a hand-signed card from students within two weeks.
• Layer in grants. Sponsorship is the core, but rookie and established teams can stack startup and sustaining grants (from FIRST, and sponsors like NASA and the Gene Haas Foundation) on top. Ask your regional or district partner what's open.

What a season actually costs (so your ask is credible)

Know these numbers before a sponsor asks. Per FIRST's published fees, base team registration is about $6,500, which covers the Kit of Parts and entry to one regional (or two district events). Additional regional events add roughly $3,200 each (additional in-district events are about $1,000), a district championship about $4,000, and the FIRST Championship about $6,000 if you qualify.

Registration is only the start. A FIRST regional partner's sample budget puts a rookie team attending one regional at about $11,000 all-in — $6,500 registration, ~$2,500 in materials and tools, plus travel, spare parts, and team apparel. Established teams that travel to multiple events, run a bigger roster, or field a full spares budget commonly spend $15,000–$30,000+ per season. Fees are set by FIRST each year and vary by region and district, so quote your own team's real budget in the letter — specificity is what makes the ask land.