Nasa Grant

[Bethie42]

Our team is also applying for a NASA grant: the sustaining grant, as opposed to a second-year or rookie grant. My latest understanding was that the $6000 of existing funding ONLY was required from second-year [year after rookie year] teams.

Here is the wording of the grant, which we are currently working on:
This is the only question in the body of the form that I can find, which mentions 6k.

Second-Year teams only. Rookie and Veteran teams skip to question 11.
If you are applying for a second year of funding you must also demonstrate at least $6,000 in existing school, community or corporate sponsorship.

If this is not the case....we are goin' down. We have only secured $3000 of funding to date, there are more grants in the works but there is no way the organizations will reply by the Oct. 30th deadline.

Also, if our team had $6k already, we probably wouldn't be apply for a NASA grant. Our team spends around $1000 on parts and so on each year [or so I'm told by our mentors] and parents mostly foot the bill for transportation, lodging and so on. We're trying to play this up a lot, focusing on how frugal we are, because of course this is an insanely low budget for an FRC team.
We're located at a small private school and are SO fortunate to even have a team....but the school really can't afford to sponsor us for very much.

I sure sympathize with the OP, this is my fourth year on the team and I really want to be able to participate in FIRST my senior year. Here's hoping that clause doesn't apply to us! Does any NASA representative or experienced mentor-type know the truth of this?

Thank you,
Bethany

[Bethie42]

Well, the NASA grant application just closed....here's hoping y'all got yours in!
And [re: the OP] I am almost positive that if your team is 'veteran' [i.e. older than two years] the $6000 of prior funding is not required.

All the best! Good luck in the 2011 season!