[KelliV]

Have you talked to your school district, maybe they can pay the money up front and then you can collect donations and funds as the season goes on to pay them back. This is what we do with the cheer squad I coach, the league pays the comp costs up front then we collect money from parents/fundraising/donors to pay the league back.

I would also locate the studies FIRST has done on student involvement and present the graduation information to your district. A lot of funding comes from graduation rates amongst students and districts are more likely to listen to hard evidence rather than someone giving an anecdote of prior experience.