[SenorZ]

We applied (well, our managing mentor did) for NASA and JCPenney grants. We ended up getting both. While this was immensely helpful after we received the funds, we were stressed out up until that point.
We did not get a promise of our school/district covering costs. This was because our district was (and is) in bad financial condition. Looking for sponsors hasn't yielded anything yet.
We did do an online fundraiser with IndieGoGo.com over the summer. That netted us about $700... great for FTC, but not FRC. If we had done more to advertise the fundraiser we might have gotten more donors.