How Much Does an FRC Team Cost? A Rookie Season Budget Worksheet

A rookie FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team should budget roughly $15,000–$25,000 for its first season. FIRST's own reported median is $17,400 for a District-model team and $23,900 for a Regional-model team. The single biggest fixed cost is the season registration fee — $6,500 in 2026–2027 — which includes the Kit of Parts and entry to your first event. A rookie grant can cover almost all of that, and travel is the number that swings your total the most.

Below is a line-item breakdown with honest low / typical / competitive ranges, formatted as a worksheet you can copy into a spreadsheet.

What the registration fee actually buys#

For the 2026–2027 season, the FRC season registration fee is $6,500 for all teams (an increase of $200 over the prior year). If you've seen "about $6,000" quoted, that figure is slightly dated — the fee ticks up most years, so always confirm the current-season number on firstinspires.org before you build your budget.

Registration is not just an entry ticket. It includes:

• The Kit of Parts (KoP) and Kickoff Kit — reusable hardware you keep year to year.
• A rookie drive base (the AndyMark AM14U6 chassis) and control-system components (roboRIO, power distribution, motor controllers) that rookies receive to get a robot driving fast.
• The Virtual Kit — software licenses plus product vouchers and discounts from vendors like REV Robotics, CTRE, and AndyMark.
• Entry to one Regional event (Regional model) or two District events (District model), depending on where your team is located.

That bundle is worth well over a thousand dollars in reusable parts, which is why year-two budgets drop noticeably — you're not re-buying tools, electronics, or a drive base.

What FIRST's own data says#

FIRST publishes a Median Team Budget (Rev. Aug. 2025). These are real medians reported by teams, and they're the most credible anchor for planning:

Two things to notice: registration plus a second event is the largest fixed block, and travel is what separates a District budget from a Regional one — same robot, very different total.

The rookie budget worksheet (copy this)#

The ranges below expand FIRST's medians into planning tiers. Lean is a local District team doing one event; Typical matches the FIRST medians; Competitive assumes a second event, more spares, and travel to a Championship. Copy it, delete the columns you don't need, and fill in the "Your team" column.

Notes on the line items#

• Second / additional event. An additional Regional event is about $3,200 for the 2026–2027 season (up from $3,000 in prior seasons). Additional District events are set by your local FIRST Program Delivery Partner and typically run around $1,000 — confirm the exact figure with your district.
• Championship. Budget for it only if you realistically expect to qualify. District Championship registration is roughly $4,000 and the FIRST Championship is roughly $6,000, but these vary and change — verify current figures with your district or FIRST. Most rookies leave this at $0 and celebrate if it becomes relevant.
• Travel is the make-or-break variable. An all-local District team can spend almost nothing; a team flying to a Regional or to Championship can spend more than the rest of the budget combined. FIRST's international ("Outside North America") median hits ~$28,000 in travel alone — proof of how far this line can stretch.
• Robot build & prototyping. The KoP gives you a drive base and control system; this line covers structure (aluminum/polycarbonate), COTS mechanisms, extra motors and gearboxes, wiring, and the parts you inevitably remake. FIRST's median is $5,000; a lean rookie can build a competitive-enough robot for far less.
• Tools. A rookie team needs a starter set — cordless drill/driver, hand tools, a rivet gun, wire strippers/crimpers, a bandsaw or drill press if you can swing it. A basic kit is a few hundred dollars; it's a one-time cost that carries into every future season.
• Spares & COTS. Plan for at least a spare motor controller, spare motors, extra wheels, and two to three competition batteries with a charger. Bringing spares to an event is the difference between a 10-minute fix and a missed match.
• Field & game pieces. FIRST publishes low-cost field drawings so you can build practice elements cheaply — the median here is only $400.

Offsets: grants, matching, and free hardware#

Your net cost is almost always lower than the gross worksheet, sometimes dramatically:

• NASA Robotics Alliance Project Rookie Grant (~$6,000). For 2026, NASA is prioritizing rookies and is not offering veteran grants. The grant is paid directly to FIRST and applied to your first-event registration — it covers essentially all of the $6,500 fee. Watch the deadline: applications close in the fall before Kickoff (the 2026 cycle closed September 30, 2025), so apply the season before you plan to compete.
• Other FIRST-listed grants. The FIRST Team Grant Opportunities page lists corporate and foundation grants — for example, a Dow grant of up to $3,000 for teams with a Dow employee mentor or in a Dow community, and the Digital Citizen Fund offering $5,000 grants for U.S. rookie teams with majority-female membership. Many regions and districts also run their own rookie grants.
• Sponsor matching. Many employers match employee cash donations and offer volunteer grants — if a parent or mentor works at a company with a matching program, a $2,500 sponsorship can become $5,000. Local businesses, education foundations, and community organizations are the backbone of most rookie budgets.
• The Kit of Parts itself. Because so much of the registration fee comes back as reusable hardware and vendor discounts, treat it as an asset, not just an expense.

A realistic rookie picture: a local District team that lands a NASA rookie grant and one modest cash sponsor can run a full first season for well under $10,000 out of pocket. A team that adds a second event and travels will spend several times that.

How to actually use this#

1. Pick your model first. District (two events in the base fee) and Regional (one event) change the math from the start.
2. Fundraise before you build. Registration is due in the fall, and the best grants close even earlier — money has to be lined up before Kickoff, not after.
3. Separate one-time from recurring. Tools, the drive base, and much of your electronics carry into year two, so your second-season budget will be lighter than your first.
4. Protect a surplus. FIRST explicitly recommends ending the season with a cushion to seed next year. Build that into the plan, not the wish list.

Every number here should be checked against your own region's current pricing — but if you anchor to FIRST's medians, cover registration with a rookie grant, and keep an honest eye on travel, you'll have a budget that survives contact with a real season.