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Re: Grants
You should take note that if your team is registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (NPO), the variety of grants that your team can apply to is significantly larger. There are often a number of local charities and organizations in most towns and cities that dedicate all their efforts and funding to improving their local community.
The biggest hurdle to getting access to these kinds of grants is to get your team out into the community and positively contribute in ways that are not restricted to just STEM. Once you have a positive track record and a 501(c)3 NPO backing your team, you can apply to these grants to fund your team's activities.
Please note however that most of these organizations do not fund "general operations", but instead fund specific projects and goals that can have quantifiable results. One such specific goal might be getting new team computers to teach CAD, or a 3D printer or CNC mill to teach advanced manufacturing, or to subsidize travel costs for under-represented groups in STEM.
Now is the perfect time to begin planning for next season, as the full process to apply for 501(c)3 status can take many months.
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