This email contains information and application links on all grants available to FLL teams in Michigan this year.
See FLL Grants and Application Procedures for complete information on all available grants. If you have a question after reading through this email, it is likely answered in this document.
Participation in an official FIRST in Michigan FLL qualifier is a requirement of all grants.
MDE Grant
MDE FIRST Robotics State Grant is now open for application. The State set aside $3 million of a $3.5 million grant JUST for FIRST teams! Please review this linked letter about the MDE FIRST Robotics State Grant for news and info on the grant, including key dates. Be sure to share it with your school administrators!
Your district (or school, if not part of a district) cannot apply until your team is registered for the season, so please get registered right away.
- Please remember that ALL of your FIRST teams, from FLL Jr through FRC, go on one single application
- Be sure to wait until ALL of your teams are registered and included on the application before submitting.
Highlights for FLL teams:
- Increased coach stipend to $1,000, cap of one per building.
- Increased rookie team grant to $450; veteran team grant remains at $200.
FIRST in Michigan Rookie Grant
The intent of the FiM FLL Rookie Team grant is to provide one time funding to a school or youth enrichment 501c3 organization to establish a new upper elementary school team (which includes a team number and Kit of Parts) that is then "owned" by the team's affiliated entity (school/501c3) for reuse year to year. The grant will reimburse up to $810 for the registration fee and Mindstorms EV3 robot kit purchased through the FIRST team dashboard for additional teams at a school. (If you have veteran teams, you must register them before applying for a grant for a new rookie team.) You will need your team and school information and your purchase receipt when you apply. In order to streamline the grant paying process this year, the application works for either FLL or FTC teams; read carefully to fill in all the FLL portions.
Common errors which delay reimbursement:
- Uploaded file is not properly labeled with team number.
- Application does not list correct permanent team number (5 digits starting with 3 or 4)
- Team does not yet have two screened coaches
- Team profile does not list your school or organization affiliation
- 'Name on check' field is an individual's name.
- Veteran teams at school or organization are not yet registered
Ford Motor Co. Employee Mentored Team Grants
FIRST teams (Jr.FLL/FLL/FTC/FRC) that have a Ford Motor Co. employee as an active team mentor can apply for a Ford FIRST Robotics team grant. The grant amount for FLL teams that meet the criteria is $200. The grant is open and will close in a few weeks. The application will be available on the Ford Motor Co. STEAM website:
Additional Teams
If you want to start an additional team at your school, or you want to start an FTC
team for the students graduating from your FLL
teams,
this is the year to do it,
as our rookie grants overlap with an increased amount of MDE funding! If you know a local school interested in starting a
team, please share this information with them and have them contact me. Schools can also directly contact the Michigan FTC director Tammy Damrath at
michiganftc@gmail.com for help in starting FTC
teams. (Unlike FLL, some FTC
grants must be applied for before
teams register, so it's important to contact Tammy before registering an FTC
team.)
