FRC Team Grants

Numerous funding opportunities are available to support rookie and veteran FRC teams. More opportunities will be added to this page as they become available. Please refer to the grantors' websites for the most up-to-date information. Completion of an application does not guarantee funding.

BAE Systems FIRST Team Grants 

• DEADLINE: September 14, 2015
• Application: http://www.nhfirst.org/baesystemsgrants
• Eligibility:
• Preference is given to teams located in proximity to a BAE Systems site (e.g., O'Fallon, IL) or with BAE Systems mentors.
• Consideration is given to team performance, outreach efforts spreading the word about FIRST, and the degree to which the team embraces the ideals of FIRST.
• Grant Amount: Unspecified

Monsanto FIRST Team Grants

• DEADLINE: September 15, 2015 (11:59:59 p.m. CT)
• Application: http://www.monsantofund.org/grants/first-robotics/
• Eligibility: 
• Rookie or veteran FRC or FTC team must be registered through FIRST.
• Teams must be in communities where Monsanto employees live and work. Find a complete list of Monsanto U.S. locations here.
• Before a team can apply, they must obtain an invitation code from Monsanto by e-mailing a summary of the team to usgrant.questions@monsanto.com and indicating the location of your eligible site community. 
• Teams must be associated with school districts or organizations that have had 501(c)3 status for at least two years or who are units of government under Section 170(c)(1).
• For more information, click here.
• Grant Amount:
• Rookie: $6,000
• Veteran: $5,000
• Expectations of Grant Recipients: Teams must complete a report at the end of the grant period. 

PTC FIRST Team Grants

• DEADLINE: September 18, 2015
• Application: https://ptc.submittable.com/submit
• Eligibility: 
• Only one team per organization/affiliation may apply.
• Teams are responsible for submitting all necessary documentation to FIRST.
• Teams must be currently using PTC software or willing to commit to using the software.
• Gold Level: Teams must be actively using one or more of PTC software or service solutions offered to FIRST teams (e.g., PTC Creo, PTC Windchill, PTC Mathcad) and commit to exploring one or more of the other types of PTC software or service solutions offered to FIRST teams.
• Silver Level: Teams must commit to using PTC Creo and commit to exploring PTC Mathcad and/or PTC Windchill.
• Teams must provide a detailed summary of previous use of PTC software and/or plans to use PTC software this season.
• Gold Level: Teams must provide a detailed summary of how the team has used PTC software in the past and/or plans to use PTC software this season. Teams must submit last year's PTC Creo models, PTC Mathcad worksheets, and/or a summary of how they used PTC Windchill last  year.
• Silver Level: Teams must provide a detailed summary of how the team plans to use PTC software this season.
• Grant Amount:
• Gold Level: $2500
• Silver Level: $1000
• Expectations of Grant Recipients: 
• Use PTC software as specified above.
• Display PTC's current logo on the robot, pit, and website.
• Participate in upcoming ROBOTalk weekly webinars provided by PTC (Sept - Nov).
• Participate in the PTC/FIRST Online Community. Share your FIRST experiences with other FIRST teams and ask PTC professionals questions about PTC software.

NASA FIRST Team Grants

• DEADLINE: October 1, 2015
• Application: http://frc-grants.arc.nasa.gov/rcs/directions.php
• Eligibility:
• Teams may only apply to ONE NASA grant each year.
• Regional Challenge Grants:
• These grants are only open to rookie teams that attend the NY Tech Valley Regional (Troy, NY) and second-year teams that received a NASA Regional Challenge Grant for the NY Tech Valley Regional last year.
• Program Growth Grants:
• Second-year teams that received a NASA Rookie grant last year and completed the season are eligible to apply for a second-year of funding. Second-year teams are given priority for funding from the Program Growth Grants.
• Rookie teams will be considered AFTER all second-year team applications have been evaluated.
• Veteran teams will only be considered AFTER all rookie team and second-year team applications have been evaluated.
• Sustaining Grants: 
• This grant provides temporary assistance to veteran teams that have lost significant funding and are at risk of dissolution while they search for additional sponsorship.
• Grant Amount: Covers registration costs for one competition event.
• Regional Challenge Grant: Covers registration costs for the NY Tech Valley Regional. Paid directly to FIRST.
• Program Growth Grant: Covers registration costs for the team to attend its 1st competition event. Paid directly to FIRST.
• Sustaining Grant: Covers registration cost for the team to attend a competition event. Paid directly to FIRST.
• Expectations of Grant Recipients: See the application for further details.

FIRST Rookie Team Grants 

• DEADLINE:  November 2, 2015, at 11:59 EST
• Application: https://usfirst.submittable.com/submit
• Eligibility: 
• Restricted to first event registration
• At least one committed mentor
• Team fundraising plan (including budget, fundraising strategy, and timeline of fundraising activities)
• Must commit to second-year requirement to receive second portion of funding
• If applying, please reach out to the local FIRST Regional Director, because FIRST Headquarters will seek his input in the final decision. If your team will be based in Illinois, contact the FIRST Illinois Robotics Executive Director, Dan Green, at dgreen@usfirst.org. However, please remember that completing an application does not guarantee funding.
• Grant Amount:  $4,000 in season 1 and $2,000 in season 2 
• Expectations of Grant Recipients: see grant guidelines for additional information

John Deere FIRST Team Grants

• DEADLINE: November 6, 2015
• Application: https://usfirst.submittable.com/submit/43470
• Eligibility:
• Teams must apply PRIOR TO REGISTERING for the 2015-2016 Season.
• Illinois teams must be located within 50 miles of the Quad Cities, Champaign, or Dubuque OR have a John Deere employee or retiree as a coach or mentor
• Teams must be associated with a school or a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
• Previous recipients must complete a post-season survey.
• Preference is given to teams with low-income or under-represented students, first-time FIRST participants, and teams that engage in community outreach.
• Grant Amount: Cost normally paid to FIRST by the team
• Expectations of Grant Recipients: See application for requirements of accepted FRC teams

FIRST Hardship Grants

• DEADLINE: TBA (Not currently accepting applications)
• Application: https://usfirst.submittable.com/submit

SLAS FIRST Team Grants

• DEADLINE: First come, first serve
• Application: http://www.slas.org/resources/awards-and-grants/slas-first-team-grants/
• Eligibility:
• Application must be personally endorsed by a dues-paid member of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) that is actively engaged as a coach or mentor on the team
• Grant Amount: $500
• Expectations of Grant Recipients: Funds must be used to offset necessary expenses for project supplies, team registration, or travel to and from competitions.