How to Get FRC Sponsors: A Fundraising Guide

Running a FIRST Robotics Competition team is expensive, and funding it is one of the least-glamorous but most important jobs on the team. The good news: thousands of teams do this every year, and there is a well-worn path for finding sponsors and grants once you know where to look.

Know your number first

Before you ask anyone for money, figure out what you actually need. FIRST registration fees alone run roughly 5,000 to 6,000 US dollars for the season, and that is just to get into your first event. Once you add a second event, travel, materials, tools, and spare parts, total team budgets commonly land anywhere from 8,000 to 50,000 dollars or more depending on how far you travel and how much you build.

Having a real budget does two things: it tells you how hard you need to fundraise, and it makes your sponsorship pitch far more credible. Sponsors trust a team that can say exactly where the money goes. For help structuring a budget and the operations behind it, our Business and Operations guide walks through the basics.

Set up a way to receive donations

Most companies will only donate to a tax-exempt organization, and for good reason. In the US, mentors and parents should not personally accept donations on the team's behalf, because that can create real tax problems for them.

You have two clean options:

• Run the team under your school, so donations flow through the district or a school booster organization.
• Operate as, or partner with, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit so donations are tax-deductible.

Team 6328 maintains a widely-cited guide on establishing a 501(c)(3) specifically for FRC teams. Sort this out early, because a sponsor asking for a tax receipt is a good problem to have.

Grants: the lowest-effort money

Grants are applications to foundations or programs, and several are aimed directly at FRC teams. A few worth knowing:

• NASA Robotics Alliance Project grants open applications in September with awards announced around November. They primarily target rookie, new, or year-two teams, the money is sent directly to FIRST to cover registration, and awards depend on congressional funding each year.
• BAE Systems offers a grant open to all US-based FRC teams.
• Boeing and Dow grants are often tied to having an employee mentor or being in their communities.
• John Deere and others fund teams associated with a school or 501(c)(3).

The full, current list lives on the FIRST Team Grant Opportunities page. Apply to everything you qualify for, and mark the September deadlines on a calendar now.

Sponsors: where the real funding comes from

A grant is something you apply for; a sponsorship is a donation you directly ask a company for. The single most reliable source of sponsors is personal connections. Start with the employers of your mentors and parents, then local businesses, then larger companies in your region.

Be realistic about the numbers. Cold outreach to a company that has never heard of you converts at only about 2 to 5 percent. That same ask sent to a parent's employer or a past sponsor converts much higher. So spend your energy where the warm leads are.

When you reach out, lead with your team's story and be specific about the ask. Helpful tactics:

• Build sponsorship tiers (for example bronze, silver, gold) so companies can self-select a level, and spell out what each tier gets, such as a logo on the robot, the banner, or team shirts.
• Ask for in-kind donations too. Machine time, raw aluminum, electronics, lunch for a build night, or printing all reduce your budget without anyone writing a check.
• Keep a short business plan, around three to four pages, that explains your team, your impact, and your budget.

Keep the sponsors you win

Retention beats recruitment every time. It is far easier to keep a sponsor than to find a new one, so treat existing sponsors well: send a thank-you, share season results, invite them to an event, and report back on what their money accomplished. A sponsor who feels appreciated tends to renew, and often increases their gift.

Fundraising is a year-round habit, not a kickoff-week scramble. Build the systems once and your future self will thank you. For deeper templates and operational checklists, head to our Business and Operations guide and start building your sponsor list today.