Business, Operations & FundraisingStart here · Prerequisite module

Foundations: Nonprofits, Budgets, and Teams

A start-here primer on the organizational and financial basics every FRC team needs off the field. Before you fundraise, file paperwork, or run a build season, learn what a nonprofit actually is, how to build a budget that survives a six-week sprint, and how to manage a project with a real deadline. Each lesson teaches the concept from scratch, then ties it directly to how FRC teams operate.

Foundations: Nonprofits, Budgets, and Teams is the prerequisite module of the Business, Operations & Fundraising guide — the ground the 13 numbered modules after it assume you already have, and Team Structure & Leadership follows it. It holds 3 of the guide's lessons.

3 lessons49 lessons in this guide

Start with lesson 1 All of Business, Operations & Fundraising

In this module

3 lessons

01What a Nonprofit Is (and 501(c)(3) Basics)Discover what it really means to be a nonprofit and why 501(c)(3) status is the financial backbone of most FRC teams.

02Budgeting 101: Income, Expenses, and Cash FlowLearn to build a budget that survives a six-week build season — where the money comes from, where it goes, and why timing can sink a team that's technically "in the black."

03Project Management and Working in TeamsSee how the same planning tools that run billion-dollar projects help your team turn a blank Kickoff into a competition-ready robot in six weeks.

DepartmentBusiness, Operations & Fundraising

Next moduleTeam Structure & Leadership

Jargon check

FRC terms used in Foundations: Nonprofits, Budgets, and Teams

Build SeasonThe intense period after Kickoff (historically ~6 weeks) when teams design and build their robot before competitions.

Longer reads

Articles that go deeper on this

The 2027 FRC Season Calendar: Every Deadline & FeeEvery verified 2027 FRC deadline and fee: event registration rounds from Sept 24, payment due Nov 17, Kickoff on Jan 9, and what the $6,500 fee covers.14 min read

All 14 modules in Business, Operations & Fundraising

Department overview