Is FIRST expensive? YES
Is the payoff huge for FIRST participants? YES
The chance to interact with the likes of Dean, Woodie, Dave Lavery, John Abele, Steve Wosniak, ... do I need to continue?
When was the last price increase before this one?
The increase was made public very early so teams could add to fundraising, sponsorship pushes, and grant writing efforts.
If you're having a difficult time finding the 2K have you tried using a flyer like this one?
http://www.cybersonics.org/cybersonics/contribute.asp
Lots of ideas for fundraisers are also all over these boards
Lots of grants out there for after school programs, technology-based learning, NASA programs, etc too...
I do realize the increased fees have had an impact, but it all comes down to how hard your team as a whole is willing to work at it. As for the "super-funded" teams you speak of, you'd be surprised to find out how few of them really exist. Don't be fooled by large corporate names, it doesn't always mean that they are spending huge dollars and the ones who are spending big bucks frequently spread it out over several teams or pump money directly to regional sponsorship.