The costs involved with building a robot and competing range from $400–$1,000 for a 15 lb. robot and $1,000– $5,000 for a 120 lb. robot.

Look beyond the borders of your school for support, however. Many companies make matching contributions to school programs. Chances are, the parents of your students work for some of those companies.

Also, send a letter to all the manufacturing companies in your area (you can get a list from MRL). Then divide up the list and have your students follow up with a phone call a few days later. Local banks are often willing to support a team with a donation.

Your team can always do fundraisers to earn money. Many of the teams from the Midwest started out with no budget and were surprised how much money they were able to raise.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way! The key is to think creatively and get students involved in the process.