Grants

[fatjoe3833]

Our team is planning on attending the championship for the first time next year. We are in the process of developing fund raising methods. We have received donations from local companies in the past to cover the cost of a regional, but we now have to expand our efforts. Does anyone know of corporations that offer grants?

[TheLostRenegade]

Lots of major corperations offer grants. Look into companies that are located around your local area, as it sometimes helps. Just do a little web searching and im sure you will find results very fast.

[JC-75]

Yes, the best way is to talk to lots of potential sponsors and gather more information. The most effective way to get a job done is to talk to people who know more than you do about a topic you're unsure about.

[ICE MAN]

Nasa will give grants to rookie teams and teams that are still quite new. they however will only sponser you and your team for your first three years so dont become dependent on them for money.

[Rickertsen2]

For some reason or another, Our team and another team i talked to have not had very good luck with grants. If a company tells you to fill out a grant application, try to find someone higher up in the company to interest in your cause. Maybie you will have better luck. If you search the forums there are a few past threads about grants.

We did get a $5,000 Best buy gift certificate grant but it sounds like you need flexible cash.

[nparikh]

I completely agree with ^^ the above. Though grant writing can be very useful, it's also very time consuming, and it usually takes a while to get approved. If you need the money in time for nationals, this might not be the way to go.

Then again, check with your mentors, students, etc...see if anyone knows anybody in the hierarchy of a potential sponsor company..trust me, it helps.

Other than that, keep pressing local companies. You might not be so lucky in getting sponsorship from a corporation based on the other side of the country as you would a corporation that's based right in your home town, after all..big companies 'like to give back to their communities.'

Persistence, perseverance, and hard work really do the trick. If you can show them WHY you need the money..and HOW THEY would benefit from it, I think your chances will be the greatest. Our sponsorship team went out to over 60-70 businesses trying to get money...Ask anyone and everyone for money...not just engineering/tech companies...besides..what's the worst they could do? Say no?

[Jon Jack]

The NASA grant gives priority to 1st and 2nd years teams at NASA sponsored regionals. If there are not enough 1st and 2nd year teams that file for a NASA grant for that regional, then priority is given to 3rd year, 4th year, etc teams that file.

If there is a regional that you want to attend and it is a NASA sponsored regional, it never hurts to file for a NASA grant. There were many grants that weren't awarded at some regionals last year.

Ask every student, parent and mentor involved with the team where they work and who they know. We found it is much easier to get sponsorship from a company if you have an IN or some other connection in that company. Almost all of our sponsors have come from students, teachers and parents having and IN at a company.

[av11d]

Filling out a grant appliction can be very time-consuming. And you won't hear back for months -- that's if you're lucky enough to recieve it!

If you need a lot of money quick, it's more effective to attack lots of local companies. Or try to get money form large corporations directly -- w/o going through the grant process. Call contacts at companies.

Good luck!