1. Email tammy@firstinmichigan.org to be included in the next nomination round.
2. Include a brief overview of why your team should be nominated for this grant. See the consideration points listed below. Include any others that are pertinent to your team.
   Consideration points include, but are not limited to:
   –  Title I status
   –  Economically disadvantaged percentage
   –  Locale
   –  Team composition
   –  Team sustainability plan
3. Complete the following team tasks; must be done before the team can be nominated:
   • Team must have a Lead Coach 1 and Lead Coach 2 listed on the Team Dashboard.
   • Both Coaches must complete their FIRST Account tasks:
     • Electronically sign the FIRST HQ Consent/Release Form.
     • Complete the FIRST Youth Protection background screening. This usually takes 3 business days to be processed.
   • These tasks must be completed before FIM FTC can nominate a team for the grant.
4. All veteran FTC teams out of the same school must be registered for the current season before a newly forming team can be eligible for the FIRST HQ Hardship Grant and/or FiM FTC Rookie Team Grant. 

• Review Cadence:
  • Grant will be awarded on a weekly basis on Wednesdays.
  • Nomination deadlines submitted by Program Delivery Partners are every Sunday by 11:59pm ET.
  • Nominations received after the deadline will be considered as part of the next Wednesday’s award cohort.
  • Award emails will be sent from firsttechchallenge@firstinspires.org.
• Grant Recipient Requirements:
  • Must participate in the 2025-2026 FIRST® Tech Challenge competition season.
  • Share a “Thank you” post on social media tagging the Sponsors and FIRST Tech Challenge.
  • Failure to acknowledge this gift, complete reporting requirements, and participate in the competition season may result in ineligibility for future grants. 

• Newly forming (rookie) teams affiliated with a school are eligible for this grant.
• Rookie teams should first complete the “Nomination Process” tasks in STEP 2 for the HQ FTC Hardship Grant.
• All veterans out of the same school who were past grant recipients must be registered for the current season.
• Grant funds cannot be paid out to an individual, only to the team’s fiscal partner.
• For a rookie team forming out of a school that is new to FTC, the FIM FTC Rookie Team Grant will cover one partial set of the season’s game elements (value est. $315). This order will be placed after FIRST HQ reveals the new game in early Sept. If more than one new team forms out of a school new to FTC, the expectation is that the partial set of game elements is to be shared among the teams.
• FiM FTC has a partnership with Google.org which provides additional support for new school-based middle school FTC teams that meet Google.org’s grant criteria. Criteria considered: percentage of economically disadvantaged youth, percentage of underserved/underrepresented youth, locale. school is new to FTC. If you think your new team meets the eligibility requirements to be a Google.org team, reach out to me at tammy@firstimichigan.org.

This grant is made possible through the generous sponsorship of FIRST in Michigan FTC sponsors. These sponsors view the grant as seed money for a new team. Team members and coaches may move through the program but the FTC team number and reusable kit of parts stay with the affiliated school for reuse year to year. Sponsor logos are available for download on the RESOURCES site page.

FIM directly applies grant funds (most teams go this route)

• FiM will execute the FTC Storefront purchases on behalf of the team and directly apply any awarded FIRST HQ Rookie Team Grant Awards and directly apply the FiM FTC Rookie Team Grant to cover the remainder of the approved FTC Storefront purchases.
• Invite FiM FTC as Team Administrator (temporarily) through the Team Dashboard “Contacts” using tdamrath@firstpartners.org as the email address. Do not use my FIRST in Michigan email address.
• Fill out the FIRST in Michigan linked grant form to provide a mailing address for the kit of parts and to accept the grant parameters. FIRST in Michigan FTC Rookie Team Grant-FiM purchase (link).

OPTION 2:

• The team’s fiscal partner makes the FTC Storefront purchases after the FIRST HQ FTC grant award decision is received. If awarded, wait until the HQ grant funds appear on the team’s FTC Storefront before making any purchases.
• A check will be remitted to the team’s fiscal partner covering the qualified out-of-pocket costs incurred for the payment of the team’s FIRST FTC season registration fee and initial kit of parts purchase made through the FTC Storefront.
• The team’s FTC Storefront (Pitsco) proof of purchase must be uploaded as part of the application process. If parts were purchased by P.O., proof of payment of the P.O. must be uploaded as part of the application process as well.
• Sales tax will not be reimbursed. Schools must have their sales tax exemption form already uploaded before purchasing parts.
• Fill out the FIRST in Michigan linked grant form, upload proof of purchase documents, and accept the grant parameters. FIRST in Michigan FTC Rookie Team Grant-Reimbursement (link).

If the team prefers an alternative FTC sanctioned Robot Build kit to the REV Build Kit:

• Example alternative FTC-sanctioned Robot Build kits:
  • goBilda, Robits (AndyMark), Studica
  • goBilda offers an FTC team discount of 25%. More info at this link: https://www.gobilda.com/ftc.
• Maximum alternative robot kit reimbursement amount under the grant is $650 OR the cost of the robot kit plus standard shipping, whichever amount is lower.
  • Sales tax will not be reimbursed. Schools/501c3 organizations must have their sales tax exemption form already uploaded before purchasing parts.
• KEY TO KNOW BEFORE MAKING THE BUILD KIT PURCHASE is that FiM cannot issue a reimbursement check to an individual. The team’s fiscal partner (i.e. affiliated school or 501c3 entity) should make the purchase on behalf of the team. Then, fill out the FiM FTC Rookie Team Grant-reimbursement version. The form will prompt for the proof of purchase receipt.
• The team’s proof of purchase must be uploaded as part of the application process. If parts were purchased by P.O., proof of payment of the P.O. must be uploaded as part of the application process as well.
• Must follow the Path 2 “Reimbursement” grant path. Fill out the FIRST in Michigan linked grant form, upload proof of purchase documents, and accept the grant parameters. FIRST in Michigan FTC Rookie Team Grant-Reimbursement (link). A check will be remitted to the team’s fiscal partner for the approved amount.