Grants for Robotics Teams 2026: FIRST, VEX and NASA

If you're a coach, lead mentor, parent booster or school administrator trying to start or keep a FIRST, VEX or similar competition team, this guide is for you. It covers the grants for robotics teams that actually exist, what each one pays for, when the windows open, and how to find the local companies and foundations that keep teams running after the rookie grants end.

What a Robotics Team Costs in 2026: 4 Programs Compared

The registration fee alone ranges from $150 to $6,500 depending on the program, so the right grant depends on which competition you're in. These are FIRST's posted 2026-2027 prices, before sales tax and shipping:

According to FIRST's cost and registration page (opens in a new tab), the $6,500 FRC fee includes a team number, the Kit of Parts and entry to 1 regional event, or 2 district events in district states. That fee is why FRC teams are the ones most likely to need grants, and why most sponsor grants target registration rather than parts. FIRST also notes that 2026-2027 will be the final season under the FIRST LEGO League name, so elementary and middle school teams should check its K-8 plans before buying multi-year kits.

VEX teams run through the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and pay different fees, but the funding pattern is the same: a grant can cover the first season's registration and kit, while travel, replacement parts and the second season are on you.

Where Grants for Robotics Teams Come From: 5 Routes

There are 5 routes to robotics money, and they fund different parts of the budget. The biggest planning mistake is expecting a rookie grant to pay for year 3.

Most teams that last 5 or more seasons have 1 or 2 anchor corporate sponsors plus a foundation or two, with sponsor grants filling gaps. Grants from the national portals are best treated as start-up money.

FIRST Sponsor Grants: 28 Listings and What They Cover

FIRST's team grant page listed 28 opportunities when Grantsights checked it on October 29, 2026, some from the 2025-2026 season and already closed. According to the FIRST team grant opportunities page (opens in a new tab), grant availability and restrictions are set by each sponsor's intent, many recipients are picked by the sponsors themselves, and a submission doesn't guarantee funding.

The grants worth knowing for 2026-2027, as listed on that page:

A few patterns stand out. Corporate sponsors heavily favor teams near their plants and offices, so the Arconic, BAE and Boeing grants are as much about geography as merit. Many windows are short, about 4 to 8 weeks, and they open between May and October, before most new teams have even formed. FIRST's page also says its Program Delivery Partners, the regional organizations that run FIRST in each state, know of local grants that are less competitive than the national ones. Ask yours before you apply anywhere else.

The timing trap: some sponsors tell teams to register but hold off on paying. Boeing's listing, for example, asks teams to get grant approval before paying registration and warns that paying early may forfeit the grant. Arconic's, by contrast, requires a registered team number before you apply. Read the payment terms of each listing before you touch your team dashboard.

NASA's FIRST Robotics Competition Grants: 114 Teams in 2026

NASA is the one federal agency that pays robotics team fees directly. According to the NASA Robotics Alliance Project sponsorship program, the grant is for U.S. FRC teams only. NASA's 2026-2027 FRC sponsorship notice (opens in a new tab), says the grant pays the registration for a team's first 2027 regional event, or district registration for teams in district states, and the money goes straight to FIRST rather than to the team. NASA says it's prioritizing rookie grants again and isn't offering any veteran grants this year.

The rules a coach should know:

• U.S. FRC teams only. NASA can't sponsor teams outside the United States, and the grant doesn't cover FTC, FIRST LEGO League or VEX teams.
• Year-two teams have to show their own money. A team that got NASA sponsorship as a 2026 rookie can apply again as a year-two team only if it has secured $5,000 in corporate funds and will mentor another robotics team.
• You need an educational sponsor. A school, 4-H group, nonprofit or scout troop has to send a letter of support, due January 10, 2027.
• One NASA grant per team per year, plus entrance and exit surveys, an annual report and a finished robot.
• The money isn't guaranteed. NASA says final awards depend on continuing resolution and congressional funding.

The 2026-2027 window ran from September 1 to September 30, 2026, with awards expected the week of November 9, 2026. Grantsights counted the 2026 NASA award list (opens in a new tab): 114 teams, of which 57 applied as rookies, 43 as year-two teams and 14 as new veterans. That's a small pool next to the thousands of FRC teams, so treat NASA as one application among several, not the plan.

REC Foundation Grants for VEX and Other Teams

The REC Foundation runs the VEX Robotics competitions and its own aerial drone competition. According to the REC Foundation grants page (opens in a new tab), its Team Grant Program matches schools and organizations that want to adopt its competitions with sponsor money, support depends on each sponsor's requirements, and it can't promise every applicant will be funded.

The current list includes NASA-funded grants for new and returning organizations and teams, nationwide grants from DSEC, and location-limited grants from sponsors such as Tesla (Nevada), Capital One (Chicago, Plano and McLean), the Mazda Foundation (5 metro areas) and the Alliant Energy Foundation (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin). Much of the current list is tied to the aerial drone competition, so read each listing's program before you apply. Listings change through the fall, so check the page every 2 weeks from August to November.

State Robotics Grants: Michigan's 25% Match Program as a Model

A handful of states put education money into competition robotics, and Michigan's program shows how they tend to work. According to the Michigan Robotics Competition Grant program, applications for FY27 close December 1, 2026. The Michigan Department of Education's Robotics Competition Grant page (opens in a new tab), says the grant is open to intermediate school districts, local districts, public school academies and nonpublic schools, and the money must be used to take part in a competition run by an approved program provider.

Award notices are expected the week of January 25, 2027. If your team is outside Michigan, ask your state education agency's STEM or career and technical education office whether a similar line item exists, and ask your FIRST or REC regional partner, who usually knows. Federal school money can also reach a team through the district: Grantsights' Title IV-A grants guide explains the flexible federal formula funds many districts use for STEM enrichment.

Which Foundations Fund Robotics and STEM Teams: What 990-PF Filings Show

Corporate and family foundations are the money that keeps a team alive after year 1, and they're public. According to IRS guidance, private foundations use Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab) to report their charitable distributions, so the grants they paid are a matter of public record, and Grantsights tags those grants by cause. Robotics teams sit in the education group, alongside schools, colleges, libraries and scholarship funds, so the numbers below are the pool of education funders, not robotics funders alone.

These are Grantsights analysis figures from 990-PF records pulled October 29, 2026, counted by the state where the recipient is located:

Robotics rarely appears by name in the stated purposes. Grantsights searched the named grants on its state pages and found none with "robotics" in the purpose; STEM is the word that shows up. That matters for how you ask: pitch the STEM learning, the girls or first-generation students you'll reach, and the engineering mentors from local employers, not the robot.

The STEM grants in those filings show what companies and families will pay for:

• The Arconic Foundation gave the National 4-H Council $150,000 for STEM program support for youth, and also lists a FIRST team grant on FIRST's site (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Boston Scientific Foundation gave Downcity Design in Providence, Rhode Island $15,000 for its teen STEM studios, and lists an FRC team grant on FIRST's site (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Sensata Technologies Foundation gave the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket, Rhode Island $10,000 for STEM (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Reinhardt H. and Shirley R. Jahn Foundation Trust gave the Union League Boys and Girls Club in Chicago $280,000 for STEM programming (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Jane S. Heman Foundation gave Coding for Kids in Stevensville, Montana $34,000 (filings (opens in a new tab)).

Notice who's on that list: manufacturers and medical device and sensor makers, the same companies that employ engineering mentors. For example, a team within driving distance of a Sensata or Boston Scientific site has a much better case than one across the country. Start with the companies whose engineers already volunteer on your team.

Grantsights' education funder list names the foundations that reported grants to schools, school foundations and education nonprofits on their own 990-PF filings, organized by state, with the ones whose filings say they accept requests shown first. Each entry shows recent grants with recipients, cities and purposes, so you can spot the ones that already fund STEM near you before you send a letter. Your state's preview is free on this page. The full education list is a one-time $29 purchase covering all 50 states and DC, the $99 plan unlocks every cause list for 12 months, and both carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.

What FIRST Doesn't Tell You About Keeping a Team Funded

FIRST's grant page explains how to apply. It leaves out 4 things that decide whether a team is still competing in 3 years:

1. Rookie grants end, and the fee doesn't. NASA now funds rookies and year-two teams only, and many sponsor grants say "rookie" in the title. A team that hasn't lined up corporate sponsors by its second season faces the full $6,500 FRC fee alone. NASA's own year-two rule, $5,000 in corporate funds, is a good benchmark for when you should have local sponsors in hand.
2. A club usually can't receive a grant. Most foundations and many corporate grants pay a school, a school district's education foundation, or a 501(c)(3). An independent or community team without its own exempt status should find a fiscal sponsor. Grantsights' fiscal sponsor guide explains how that works.
3. Geography decides most corporate grants. Arconic's FIRST grant is limited to specific counties, and BAE Systems gives priority to teams near a BAE site or at Title 1 schools. Applying to a sponsor with no presence in your area is usually wasted effort.
4. Match requirements are real. Michigan's 25% match and NASA's $5,000 year-two rule both reward teams that can show local money. In-kind support, such as machine shop time from a sponsor, often counts toward a state match, so document it.

Common Mistakes That Sink Robotics Team Grant Requests

The most common mistake is counting on national grants alone to cover a $6,500 FRC fee. National portals get thousands of requests for a small number of awards, while local employers and community foundations see a handful. Other red flags reviewers notice:

• Paying registration before grant decisions. Boeing's listing warns that paying early may forfeit its grant.
• No budget beyond the registration fee. Funders want to see travel, parts, tools and the next season, not one line for the fee.
• Generic STEM language. Say how many students, which grades, how many are girls or first-generation students, and what they'll build and learn this season.
• No outcomes from last season. Returning teams that can't report events attended, students who stayed with STEM, or community demos lose to teams that can.
• Missing the window. Several 2026-2027 sponsor windows on FIRST's page closed in October 2026, and NASA's closed September 30. Put next year's dates on the calendar in spring.

A 12-Month Funding Plan for a Robotics Team

Because sponsor windows cluster in late summer and fall, and the FRC build season starts in January, a 12-month calendar keeps a team from scrambling:

For help writing the local foundation letters, see Grantsights' letter of inquiry guide and corporate grants for nonprofits guide. Schools building a wider STEM program can also check federal grants for K-12 schools. To search open federal and state opportunities by keyword, use the Grantsights grant search.

Related Guides for School and Youth Groups

Robotics teams often share parent volunteers and funders with other school groups, and each guide below covers at least 3 routes. If your team runs through a parent group, grants for PTAs and PTOs covers that structure. Teams based at independent schools should read grants for private schools, and teams that meet at a public library can look at grants for libraries. Summer build camps fit the money described in grants for summer camps.

• Grants For Playgrounds

FAQ: Common Questions

How much does it cost to start a FIRST robotics team? FIRST's 2026-2027 pricing lists $6,500 a season for a FIRST Robotics Competition team and $350 plus a robot kit estimated at $1,500 for a FIRST Tech Challenge team. Travel, tools and extra events cost more.

Does NASA give grants to robotics teams? Yes, for U.S. FRC teams. The grant pays the first regional or district registration directly to FIRST, prioritizes rookies, and offers no veteran grants for 2026-2027. The 2026 list named 114 teams.

Are there grants for VEX robotics teams? Yes. The REC Foundation's Team Grant Program matches schools and organizations with sponsor money, including NASA-funded and location-limited grants, but it can't guarantee every applicant support.

Can a school robotics team get money from private foundations? Yes, mostly from corporate foundations of local employers. Route the request through the school, an education foundation or a fiscal sponsor, since most foundations pay those rather than informal clubs.

Do any states fund school robotics teams? Some do. Michigan's FY27 Robotics Competition Grant runs October 19 to December 1, 2026, requires team registration with an approved provider, a sponsor partnership and a 25% local match.

Sources

• NASA Robotics Alliance Project: 2026-2027 FRC Sponsorship Grants (opens in a new tab)
• NASA Robotics Alliance Project: 2026 FIRST Robotics Competition Grant Awards (opens in a new tab)
• Michigan Department of Education: Robotics Competition Grant (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST: Cost and Registration, 2026-2027 (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST: Team Grant Opportunities (opens in a new tab)
• REC Foundation: Grants (opens in a new tab)
• Foundation filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (opens in a new tab)