FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Grants

EGS FTC Rookie Team Grant
Deadline: December 1st, 2023

The FTC Rookie Team Grant is intended to promote the growth of FTC teams in Brevard, Volusia, Orange, or Seminole County by furnishing new teams with some of the required equipment and by covering some registration fees.  A team is considered a rookie team if it is entering FTC for the first time.    If there is any question about rookie status, EGS will default to the criterion provided by FIRST. 

The grant will cover the following items for rookie FTC teams:

• Season Registration Fee
• One REV or Tetrix FTC Competition Kit
• Shipping and Handling
• Tax

Ordering Change from Previous EGS Grants: Registration fees will be paid directly to FIRST. The Competition Kit, shipping and tax costs will be paid to the team via a regrant from FIRST Robotics.  More information about the regrant check process can be found at https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/regranting-process-procedures-and-w-9.  Also, the regrant check must go to a school/organization. Each team will be responsible for purchasing the Competition Kit, Control and Communications Set, and Electronics Module Set with the allotted funds. Teams are required to send an email (to the EGS email – NOT FIRST) of the equipment purchased for verification that funds were used for their intended purpose.  If teams order additional equipment over the allotted amount EGS will not provide additional funds.

Additionally, Rookie Team Grant winners will receive the FTC Registration Grant as outlined below.

The Rookie Team Grant is available to all FTC teams in Brevard, Volusia, Orange, or Seminole County.  Teams applying for FTC Rookie Team Grant may also apply for the FTC Florida Champions Grant, but may not apply for the FTC Registration Grant or FTC Competitive Edge Grant.

EGS FTC Registration Grant
Deadline: December 1st, 2023

The FTC Registration Grant is intended to support local team participation in FIRST events by lowering the financial burden of competing. The grant will cover the FIRST team national registration fee and the League Registration Fees.

The grant will provide funds directly to FIRST for the FIRST national team registration fee.  If teams have already paid the FIRST national team registration fee, the grant money will be provided directly to the team and may be spent on FIRST related expenses (e.g., parts, tools, computers, equipment, other registration fees, shirts, spirit supplies, outreach activities, travel, etc.).  Contact EGS if there are any questions about eligibility of expenses.  Teams must provide EGS with a detailed account of how EGS grant money was spent no later than May 31, 2024.  The detailed account must include purchased item names, expense amounts, purchase dates and copies of receipts.

The FTC Registration Grant is available to all FTC teams in Brevard, Volusia, Orange, or Seminole County.  Teams applying for the FTC Registration Grant may also apply for the FTC Florida Champions Grant and/or FTC Competitive Edge Grant.

EGS FTC Champions Grant
Deadline: February 1st 2024

The FTC Champions Grant is intended to enable local FTC teams to participate in competitions beyond FTC Leagues.  The FTC Champions Grant will cover event registration fees and potentially assist covering in travel expenses for eligible events.  

The Champions Grant will cover the registration fee for the following events:

• Florida Championship
• World Championship

Registration fees will be paid directly to the organization hosting the event.  Teams may apply for the FTC Champions Grant each time they win a bid to the next level of game play.  For example, if an FTC team makes it to Florida Championships and World Championships, they may apply for the FTC Champions Grant two times. 

In addition to covering registration fees, the FTC Champions Grant is set up to potentially provide teams that win their way into World Championships with additional grant money to help offset travel costs. Teams should not rely on the Champions Grant as the sole funding source for travel expenses. 

If awarded, teams may use the travel costs portion of the FTC Champions Grant on travel expenses for the out of state event.  Travel expenses include airfare, hotel rooms, gasoline for team vehicles (e.g., school vans, personal vehicles used for towing team equipment), charter buses, shipping for team equipment, etc.  Contact EGS if there are any questions about eligibility of expenses.  Teams must provide EGS with a detailed account of how EGS grant money was spent no later than May 31, 2024.  The detailed account must include purchased item names, expense amounts, purchase dates and copies of receipts.

The FTC Champions Grant is available to all FTC teams within Brevard, Volusia, Orange, or Seminole County.  Teams may apply for the FTC Champions Grant regardless of whether or not they have applied for the FTC Rookie Team Grant, FTC Registration Grant, and/or FTC Competitive Edge Grant. 

EGS FTC Competitive Edge Grant
Deadline: December 1st, 2023

Competition is the perfect construct for cultivating a desire to excel; competition using robotics motivates students to excel in science, technology, engineering and math which will provide the next generation of innovators and leaders with the tools that are required to face the world’s challenges.  The FTC Competitive Edge Grant is intended to promote a high degree of competitiveness from teams coming from Brevard, Volusia, Orange, or Seminole County at the regional, state and national levels.  The FTC Competitive Edge Grant aims to achieve this by ensuring that FTC teams have access to the equipment and resources needed to field a competitive team.  

The FTC Competitive Edge Grant provides teams with an opportunity to inform EGS of the equipment and resource that the team needs.  Teams can propose specific items, including cost, which would benefit their teams the most.  Justification for why the equipment is necessary and how it will enable competitiveness is mandatory for this grant; it will be used to select grant winners and award amounts. Teams must propose a single award amount for their specific needs.   

Specific examples of equipment that might be proposed include but are not limited to: 

• Robotics kits
• Replacement parts
• COTs parts (parts purchased from vendors)
• Software
• Computers
• Practice field items
• Projectors
• Printers
• Fabrication equipment
• Power tools
• Hand tools
• Organizational equipment
• Office Supplies
• Nonleague competition fees
• Travel expenses for events within Florida

Teams are encouraged to participate in other fundraising activities and propose shared costs between the team and EGS. For example, an FTC team may want a small $1000 manual mill to manufacture custom parts and they have fundraised $500.  The team could propose that EGS cover the remaining $500.  Teams must have their share of the funds prior to proposing cost sharing arrangements. This is a chance to inform EGS of what you really need and why you need it.

Teams must provide EGS with a detailed account of how EGS grant money was spent no later than May 31, 2024.  The detailed account must include purchased item names, expense amounts, purchase dates and copies of receipts. 

The Competitive Edge Grant is available to all FTC teams within Brevard, Volusia, Orange, or Seminole County.  Teams may apply for the FTC Competitive Edge Grant regardless of whether or not they have applied for the FTC Registration Grant and/or Champions Grant, but not if they have applied for the FTC Rookie Team Grant.