Sponsorships and Grants

Two Funding Engines: Sponsors and Grants#

Most teams fund themselves through a mix of sponsorships (relationships with companies and donors) and grants (competitive applications to programs that fund FRC teams). Strong business sub-teams pursue both.

Major FRC Grant Programs#

FIRST maintains an official Team Grant Opportunities page listing partner grants. Recurring programs include:

• NASA FRC Sponsorship Grants (via the NASA Robotics Alliance Project) — for US-based teams, with funding sent directly to FIRST to cover the first Regional or District registration. For 2026, NASA is prioritizing rookie teams and is not offering grants to veterans. Year-two teams (sponsored as rookies the prior year) may reapply only if they secured $5,000 in corporate funds and commit to mentoring another robotics team. Sponsored teams must put "NASA" in their official team name, bring a completed robot to competition, complete entrance and exit surveys, and submit a 2-to-10-page annual report essay.
• Gene Haas Foundation — student team sponsorship grants for competitions like FRC where students use CNC machining. Applications open on a published schedule each year.
• BAE Systems FRC Grant — for US teams, with priority near BAE sites, with BAE mentors, or at Title I schools.
• Boeing FRC Grant — for teams with Boeing employee mentors.
• Dow FRC Grants — separate US/Canada and international tracks.
• Region-specific programs (for example, grants for rookie teams in Canada).

Grant windows are specific (often late summer through fall), so business should track deadlines on the team calendar and the Kanban board.

Landing Corporate Sponsors#

Sponsorship is fundamentally relationship-building, not begging. The process:

1. Build a target list — local manufacturers, engineering firms, tech companies, and businesses connected to mentors and families.
2. Create a sponsor packet — a clean one- or two-page deck explaining FIRST, your team, your impact, and tiered sponsorship levels (e.g., Bronze/Silver/Gold/Title) with what each level gets (logo on robot, banner, shirts, website).
3. Make the ask — ideally in person or via a warm introduction, with students presenting.
4. Deliver value — put logos where promised, invite sponsors to events, send updates.
5. Steward the relationship — thank-you letters, end-of-season reports, and tax-deduction documentation turn one-time donors into multi-year partners.

In-Kind and Non-Cash Support#

Not all support is cash. Sponsors can donate materials, machining time, shop space, mentorship, or services like printing. In-kind support is real value and should be tracked and acknowledged like cash.

Diversify Your Funding#

A team funded by a single large sponsor is fragile; if that sponsor leaves, the team collapses. Spread funding across multiple sponsors, grants, fundraisers, and school support so no single loss is fatal. Funding diversity is a direct contributor to the sustainability judges and grantors care about.