The Robotics Catalyst Foundation
DonateWhat's included
A dedicated card for registration, parts, tools, and travel. No mentor's personal card, no reimbursement spreadsheets.
Your own fundraising page to share with family, alumni, and local businesses. Money lands in your team account.
Operate under our nonprofit status. Unlock grants and corporate sponsorships that require a registered charity.
Budgets by category, parts requests with approvals, and receipts chased automatically — every transaction shows up the same day.
Process
Create your team on Robolyst and send a short application with your program and contact info.
We review and typically respond within 3–5 business days.
Receive your team debit card and a link to your fundraising page.
Share your page and accept tax-deductible donations right away.
Expense tracking
Your team account comes with the finance tools inside Robolyst — the team management platform we run. No spreadsheet, no shoebox of receipts.
Robot parts, travel and registration, outreach — each with income, rollover, and what is left for the season.
A student files a request, an approver approves it, whoever holds the card marks it ordered and then received.
Spend lands against a category and a subsystem, so reports show spend over time, spend by category, and open orders.
An overdue receipt notifies the cardholder. Out-of-pocket reimbursements attach their receipts the same way.
Issue and freeze member debit cards, set spending controls, and keep the requirements visible to the whole team.
You decide whether members see the full budget or only their own requests.
Requirements
Transparency
FAQ
No. Your team operates under our 501(c)(3) umbrella, so you can accept tax-deductible donations without the legal overhead of forming your own organization.
Registration fees, robot parts, tools, travel, and other team-related expenses. Your debit card pays vendors directly.
Yes — every donation through your page is processed under our EIN (39-2225353), and donors automatically receive a tax-deductible receipt.
Funds stay in your team's account and roll over to the next season. If a team disbands, remaining funds support our general mission.
Get started
Applications run through Robolyst, the team management platform we operate. Create your team, apply for the fiscal account, and we'll respond within 3–5 business days.