To ensure LASA Robotics can fulfill its mission successfully, we rely on proceeds from non-profit grants, corporate sponsorships, fundraising events, and the generosity of family and friends. We are not funded by tax dollars and are indebted to the passionate supporters of STEM education for every contribution, however big or small.
Robotics may be cost-intensive, but the investment is worth every penny. Our teaching mentors are 100% volunteer yet the baseline cost of an FRC season exceeds $50,000 for equipment, registration fees and travel costs. We believe the long-term gain of these annual investments far exceeds that dollar amount, because Purple Haze is a launch pad for LASA roboticists to do extraordinary things in the highest rated colleges and the workforce. Our outreach program also serves hundreds of young students in the Austin public school system, creating confidence and planting seeds of STEM inspiration for young women and communities underrepresented in the sciences. The empowerment that comes from positive exposure to an activity is priceless. In order to perform these services and bring our A-game to FIRST competitions, we need the help of industry thought-leaders and community shapers to cover costs.
Our “Level 1” fundraising goal is predicated on the fundamental principle that each member on the LASA Robotic team is considered a valuable contributor to the whole. To be truly competition-ready, we endeavor for every team member to participate at in-person competitions. Our “Level 2” goal is to make capital improvements to our workshop equipment and other physical resources. We owe our hard-working and committed team members the raw materials that our competitor-teams in affluent districts enjoy. Our brains do the serious heavy-lifting, but the tools and the space can be instrumental in making it to the top.
We owe Purple Haze’s auspicious history to the in-kind and monetary contributions of visionary organizations who supported us at critical steps along the way:
We seek to build and sustain mutually beneficial relationships with our sponsors so we can grow and meet our goals together over time. If STEM education is a stated value of your organization, you find the sport of contact robotics as exciting as we do, or you want to play a tangible role in steering innovation in the right direction, then please contact us to discuss the level of partnership that is right for you.
