[Lance5136]

Funding multiple teams in one area (and finding enough mentors) is especially tough in a rural community like ours. 5136 has approached this by starting a foundation for FLL, FTC & FRC teams that need support in our valley community. Sponsors have a choice to A. Donate to one specific team (this is more for parents), B. Donate to more robotics programs than just FIRST, and C. , donate to the foundation as a whole for all of the local FIRST teams on a non-biased money-need basis. At first we were going to help out other teams with a booster club like yours, but we realized that we would need a simpler process than going through al of our school's strict money guidelines. We also realized that for sponsors (and all of FIRST), the monetary impact shouldn't just affect one team, but an entire community. Some elementary and middle school teams have already expressed more interest because of the foundation. It makes funding a lot easier, but setting a foundation up requires commitment & knowledge with all of the government regulations.