Support us
Sponsor Horizon
We run our own fundraisers, and sponsorship covers the largest share of what a season costs. This page covers the budget, the tiers, and how to give.
The ask
What a season actually costs
Running an FTC team costs money, and it costs more for a new team trying to compete at the highest level of play from its first season. Registration, the field, the tools to make parts, and the parts themselves all have to be paid for before a robot exists to show anyone.
We run our own fundraisers and cover part of the budget ourselves, but sponsorship is the largest share of it. Our money is managed by the students on the team, and we publish our spending to our sponsors in our quarterly newsletters. We appreciate support in the form of direct monetary funding, and in-kind support in the form of goods or services when applicable.
- $750
Marketing
Print, merchandise, and the pit
- $3,100
Registration
League play, qualifiers, and championship entry
- $2,000
Field
A full practice field to test and drive against
- $6,500
Robot parts
Motors, structure, electronics, and spares
- $750
Logistics
Travel and getting a robot to competitions
- $1,000
Tools
The shop equipment that makes parts possible
Impact
Who your support reaches
By sponsoring Horizon, you are first and foremost building the next generation of engineers and thinkers — the students on the team. Your support also allows us to be an ambassador for FIRST and spread robotics knowledge and awareness through a variety of mediums.
Mentoring other teams
Horizon members share what we learn with seven other FTC teams, through in-person meetings and ongoing online support.
Corporate and collegiate connections
Our team connects with adults to share what we are doing in FIRST and learn from their experience. Our mentors include students at MIT and employees at Offset Robotics.
Public resources
Our members build and maintain resources for the whole community, including a Simplified Parts Library with more than 24,000 references and a configurable 3D printable spool with more than 1,300. Our own software library is in development now.
Social media
Our new team Instagram account reached over 2,000 unique visitors in less than a week. We are growing that presence to put our work in FIRST in front of a much larger audience.
Tiers
Sponsorship tiers
We built these tiers to thank our sponsors properly rather than to list the minimum we could get away with. If you want something on this table that is not offered at your level, ask — we would rather have the conversation than lose you over a line item.
| Benefit | Bronze$100+ | Silver$500+ | Gold$1,000+ | Diamond$2,500+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logo on merchandise, robot, website, social media, and team pit | Small | Medium | Medium | Large |
| Quarterly newsletters | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Social media shoutout post | Not included | Grouped | Individual | Individual |
| Permission to use team branding and pictures for promotional purposes | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Customizable paragraph on website | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Invitation to competitions | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Dedicated poster with customizable text at events and competitions | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Dedicated blog post or story | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
Companies that give Horizon software or tooling free through a nonprofit programme are recognised too, in their own band on the sponsors page.
Give
Two ways to donate
All contributions are tax-deductible. Horizon operates under the Hack Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which is also our fiscal sponsor.
Online
Through our donation portal
The fastest route. It runs through our fiscal sponsor, The Hack Foundation, and issues a receipt automatically.
Donate nowBy check
Made out to The Hack Foundation
Write the check to The Hack Foundation and put Horizon FTC 36596 in the memo line, so it is routed to our team rather than the foundation’s general fund.
- Pay to
- The Hack Foundation
- Memo
- For Horizon FTC 36596
For a custom invoice, in-kind donations, or any other method of payment, contact us by email and we will sort it out with you directly.
business@horizon36596.org