Where do you find grants?

[skimoose]

I have to agree with Glenn, finding grants to apply for isn't that hard, but having an organization in place which can apply for the grants is more important. One of our long time corporate sponsors is BMS. It was becoming harder and harder to secure this annual grant because we did not have a non-profit corporation in place.

I spent quite a lot of time researching and organizing our team's non-profit corporation. This is a bit of work, but it should help with sustainability efforts. Donations to the team are now tax deductible, and the organizational needs of the corporation now cause the team to focus more on the future than just this season.

We were surprised at how many local grants are available only to local 501(c)(3) non-profit corporations. Now we can apply for these grants as needed.

I have an outline for forming a non-profit corporation for a Robotics Team on the FIRST Think Tank website. Even if your team is a school administered program, forming a non-profit corporation for a Booster Club is a wise move. Many school sports and band programs receive funding through Booster Clubs, so why not robots?

[Kims Robot]

Google is a great resource, as everyone mentions, there are a TON of grants out there.

FIRST's site even lists some (for teams by teams): http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...t.aspx?id=7024

Lowe's has a toolbox grant: http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/

Monroe County (NY) has a Youth as Resources Grant: http://www.monroecounty.gov/youth-resources.php

And along the lines of asking teams for grants, 1511 raises over $10,000 every year just by asking local businesses to contribute to the Patron Drive.

And a quick google search hit this site with a lot of good potentials.

Short answer is there are a TON of places out there willing to donate money, but you need to take the time to apply or at the very least ask for it. And it does help to have a dedicated group working on that.