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Team Grant Opportunities
FIRST® is proud to share these opportunities for grant funding from our sponsors. New grant opportunities will be posted throughout the year, so check back often. Your Program Delivery Partner is another great resource for potential local grant opportunities. Grant availability and restrictions are determined by Sponsor Intent.
Search for Team Grants
Check back frequently for new or modified opportunities.
2025-2026 FIRST Tech Challenge Hardship Grant
Programs:
FIRST Tech Challenge
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 07/30/2025
End: 09/30/2025
Description
Awarded teams will receive a one-time grant which can only be used towards FIRST® Tech Challenge season registration and products in the FIRST Tech Challenge Storefront. Teams must meet all the eligibility criteria found below and be nominated by their region’s Partner in order to be considered for funding. Partner contact information can be found through the Find Local Support page. Need-based funding is limited. Grants will be awarded until the funding is exhausted. If you are expecting a grant, please do not check out of the storefront until that grant has been awarded. FIRST will not be able to make changes to orders after checkout. View the complete payment terms here: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/payment-terms. View the Find Local Support page here: https://www.firstinspires.org/find-local-support
Requirements
- Open to Rookie & Veteran teams
- Grant Eligibility: Must be in the United States, Mexico, or Canada. This is a hardship grant, and Program Delivery Partners may ask you to describe your team's need for help with funding. 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. Grant Timeline: Grant will be awarded on a weekly basis on Wednesdays, starting August 6. 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. Be sure to check your spam folders!
Boeing Team Grants 2025-2026
Programs:
Class Pack
FIRST LEGO League Explore
FIRST LEGO League Challenge
FIRST Tech Challenge
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 06/30/2025
End: 10/03/2025
Description
This team grant opportunity is available for FIRST® teams who have a Boeing employee mentor. The grants are available for teams in FIRST® LEGO® League and FIRST® Tech Challenge. Please complete this application as soon as possible. It will close on October 3rd at 11:59pm EST, or if funds are exhausted. We are unable to accept late submissions. Additional FIRST information can be found at the following links: FIRST® LEGO® League Explore, FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge, FIRST® Tech Challenge Payment Terms Teams should apply for and receive approval for the Boeing Team Grant prior to paying for registration for the 2025-2026 FIRST season. Teams should register, however, please do not pay for registration that may forfeit your team's ability to use this grant. Teams will be notified of their grant status within 15 business days of submission. Please allow additional time for the grant to be applied to your team's account. For questions related to Boeing Team Grants, please email the FIRST Operations at customerservice@firstinspires.org. For the quickest response time please include the name of the grant or grant application, team number and program in your email.
Requirements
- Open to Rookie & Veteran teams and class packs
- This team grant opportunity is available for FIRST teams who have a Boeing employee mentor.
John Deere 2025-2026 FIRST Team Grant Application
Programs:
Class Pack
FIRST LEGO League Explore
FIRST LEGO League Challenge
FIRST Tech Challenge
FIRST Robotics Competition
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 06/27/2025
End: 12/25/2025
Description
The John Deere grant application for teams in any of the FIRST® programs including with class packs for the 2025 – 2026 FIRST season are now open. Our commitment to FIRST aligns with the John Deere Foundation's public goal of serving at least one million youth by 2030. John Deere and FIRST are united in our dedication to STEM for Everyone enabling teams to drive innovation, foster creativity, and enhance decision-making capabilities. We encourage teams to advocate for and embody these values within your own team culture.
Requirements
- Open to Rookie & Veteran teams and class packs
- Eligibility to apply:
- Associated with a school (public or private) or 501(c)(3) non-profit in the U.S. or a registered charity outside the U.S.
- Team in a John Deere home community (listed in screening questions below) or have a confirmed John Deere employee mentor in any location that is committed to supporting the teams with 40 hours or more for the season. This grant application can provide upfront funding for FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) and FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC) Teams in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and FIRST® Robotic Competition (FRC) teams globally. Note: Outside the U.S and Canada, John Deere supports FIRST teams using separate grant processes for FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Tech Challenge teams with local FIRST Program Delivery Partners.
- Submitted post season survey If John Deere supported for 2024 – 2025 season.
- Not paid your FIRST registration. You can register with FIRST but SHOULD NOT PAY for your registration as you will forfeit receiving a John Deere grant.
- For FRC, have a confirmed John Deere mentor. If not, can apply and John Deere will try and line up a mentor but it’s best if have lined up prior to applying. Although not required for FLL & FTC, a preference will be given to teams that have a John Deere employee mentor else request a John Deere mentor with the grant request. Important Note: Mentors and coaches must be current John Deere employees who are eligible for the John Deere employee giving program. This excludes retirees, dealers, and contingent staff. Any team that has a John Deere employee confirmed mentor, should apply for a grant even if not eligible for upfront funding because: Eligible for funding if they qualify for the FIRST World Championship in Houston Eligible to receive John Deere Green & Yellow specially made safety glasses for FTC & FRC teams. Recognized as John Deere team receiving branding information including logos and guidelines. Mentors will be recognized and provided support by John Deere. This includes our John Deere FIRST Program Leads. Help John Deere show our total support for FIRST around the world. Funding Levels for Approved Grants: Funding levels will vary for new and returning teams based on team financial need. What’s covered: All or a portion of team registration, robot kits, and field setup kit costs. Teams qualifying for the FIRST World Championship may receive funding support. Not covered: Local event registration, attending open events, travel, and team apparel. Deadlines to Apply: The deadlines to apply, assuming budget is still available, are as follows: FIRST LEGO League Discover apply by December 20, 2025 ( U.S. & Canada only) FIRST LEGO League Explore apply by December 20, 2025 ( U.S. & Canada only) FIRST LEGO League Challenge apply by September 27, 2025 (U.S. & Canada only) FIRST Tech Challenge apply by September 27, 2025 (U.S. Canada, and Mexico only) FIRST Robotics Competition apply by November 1, 2025 (all locations)
- Note: Approval for FRC Grants will be on or after October 1, 2025. If you request a John Deere mentor when applying and are expected to be approved for a grant, we will work to line up a mentor prior to October 1. If you feel you are eligible to apply for a grant, please complete the quick screening questions below to determine if your team is eligible for a 2025 – 2026 John Deere FIRST grant and if so, complete the formal grant application with one application per team (excludes class packs).
BAE Systems, Inc. FRC Grant FY26
Programs:
FIRST Robotics Competition
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 08/13/2025
End: 09/13/2025
Description
All US-based FIRST® Robotics Competition teams can apply. Priority given to teams that meet one of the following criteria:
- Teams located within 75 miles of a BAE Systems site (see application for a list of our locations)
- Teams with BAE Systems mentors; if you are interested in having a BAE Systems mentor, please tell us in your application so we can do our best to match you. Teams with an existing relationship with BAE Systems
- Teams demonstrating diversity in STEM (meeting one of the criteria below): a. Teams affiliated with Title 1 schools (to be considered a Title 1 school, a minimum of 40% of the students must qualify for free or reduced lunch). b. Teams with high needs (more than 50% free/reduced lunch rates at affiliated school)
Requirements
- Open to Rookie & Veteran teams
- US FIRST Robotics Competition Teams only. Teams with a BAE mentor, an existing relationship with BAE Systems, located withing 75 miles of a BAE site, or teams affiliated with Title 1 schools.
Arconic Foundation 2025-2026 Grant Application
Programs:
FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Tech Challenge
FIRST LEGO League Challenge
FIRST LEGO League Explore
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 08/11/2025
End: 10/31/2025
Description
This grant is open to FIRST® LEGO® League, FIRST® Tech Challenge, and FIRST® Robotics Competition teams for the 2025-2026 season. A submission does not guarantee funding.
Grant Requirements:
- Requester must complete a copy of this form for each team identified as eligible for the grant.
- Single applications with multiple teams listed will not be accepted.
- Teams must register with FIRST® and have a team number prior to applying for a grant.
- Must be participating on a FIRST team for the current 2025-26 season.
- Team must be located within one of the following counties. Arconic Foundation Communities – by state and county Arkansas: Benton, Madison, Washington Georgia: Dekalb, Gwinnett Illinois: Henry, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island (FRC teams only, FLL & FTC teams please contact your Program Delivery Partners) Iowa: Clinton, Muscatine, Scott (FRC teams only, FLL & FTC teams please contact your Program Delivery Partners) New York: Franklin, Jefferson, St. Lawrence Tennessee: Blount, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Sevier Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Berks, Butler, Columbia, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montour, Westmoreland, York (FLL & FRC only, FTC teams please contact your Program Delivery Partners) (Please note all Indiana teams grants will be distributed directly by FIRST Indiana)
- This grant will be awarded as follows: FIRST LEGO League Explore - $500 FIRST LEGO League Challenge - $750 FIRST Tech Challenge - $750 FIRST Robotics Competition - $1,500
Requirements
Open to Rookie & Veteran teams
This grant is open to FIRST® LEGO® League, FIRST® Tech Challenge, and FIRST® Robotics Competition teams for the 2025-2026 season. A submission does not guarantee funding.
Grant Requirements:
- Requester must complete a copy of this form for each team identified as eligible for the grant.
- Single applications with multiple teams listed will not be accepted.
- Teams must register with FIRST® and have a team number prior to applying for a grant.
- Must be participating on a FIRST team for the current 2025-26 season.
- Team must be located within one of the following counties. Arconic Foundation Communities – by state and county Arkansas: Benton, Madison, Washington Georgia: Dekalb, Gwinnett Illinois: Henry, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island (FRC teams only, FLL & FTC teams please contact your Program Delivery Partners) Iowa: Clinton, Muscatine, Scott (FRC teams only, FLL & FTC teams please contact your Program Delivery Partners) New York: Franklin, Jefferson, St. Lawrence Tennessee: Blount, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Sevier Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Berks, Butler, Columbia, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montour, Westmoreland, York (FLL & FRC only, FTC teams please contact your Program Delivery Partners) (Please note all Indiana teams grants will be distributed directly by FIRST Indiana)
- This grant will be awarded as follows: FIRST LEGO League Explore - $500 FIRST LEGO League Challenge - $750 FIRST Tech Challenge - $750 FIRST Robotics Competition - $1,500
2025-2026 Dow FRC International Team Grant
Programs:
FIRST Robotics Competition
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 09/01/2025
End: 09/30/2025
Description
Dow team grants are available for FIRST FRC International teams who have a Dow employee mentor and/or are based in Dow communities (nearby Dow sites or offices) around the globe. List of Dow Locations: https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/locations.html
Please note that these grants are only available for countries other than United States and Canada, as the application process for these two countries took place earlier in the season and are now closed. The International Team Grants offered by Dow will be offered based on a competitive review process. Dow Grant Details: This year, Dow updated its grant process, and awarded FRC teams (based on the application review process) will receive up to $3,000 (three thousand U.S. dollars) grants. We will use a scoring rubric to evaluate applications.
The rubric includes scores (points) given for the following criteria – teams will be evaluated by their responses to the different questions throughout the application process:
- Reach: Number of students in the team. Gender composition of the team will be one of the differentiators.
- Inclusion: Team has awareness of its current Inclusion gaps and improvement opportunities and at least one initiative on this space.
- Community Engagement: Team is engaged in the community, successfully describing one or more community engagement activities
- Team Sustainability: In alignment to the Team Sustainability Award sponsored by Dow, teams understand their environmental impact, have initiatives to reduce their environmental footprint and plan their long-term existence including supporting entry-level category teams.
Deadlines to apply for FRC International team grant funding from Dow: Monday, September 30, 2025
Please remember, these deadlines are subject to change based on fund availability and business circumstances. All teams will be notified by November 3rd, 2025 regarding their application decision.
Requirements
- Open to Rookie & Veteran teams
- Dow team grants are available for FIRST FRC International teams who have a Dow employee mentor and/or based in Dow communities around the globe. These International grants are only available for countries other than United States and Canada. Teams should apply for and receive the Dow FIRST grant prior to paying for registration and/or product for the 2025-2026 season. If a team pays for registration before getting a grant, their possibilities to use the grant will be reduced considerably! Please go to https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/payment-terms to learn more about the FIRST payment policies and the grant utilization options. Teams should be associated with a school or 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (4-H, Girl Scouts, Boys & Girls Club, etc.) in order to be eligible. Please register with FIRST, because every submission requires a team number to process, but remember not to pay yet! Only submit one application for each team you wish to be considered for a grant. Applications with multiple team numbers will only be considered for one grant.
FTC SIM Argosy Rookie Team Grant
Programs:
FIRST Tech Challenge
Team Status:
rookie
Start: 08/18/2025
End: 10/31/2025
Description
The Argosy foundation is empowering FTC SIM users to take their virtual robotics experience to the next level by offering the FTC SIM Argosy Rookie Team Grant for teams participating in the 2025-2026 FIRST® Tech Challenge Season!
- Awarded new teams will receive a one-time $1000 grant through HCB which can only be used towards FIRST® Tech Challenge season registration and products.
- Teams must apply for the grant and meet all criteria to be eligible
- Grants are limited. Grants will be awarded until the funding is exhausted.
- Teams awarded this grant are not eligible for the 2025-26 FIRST Tech Challenge Hardship Grant.
Requirements
- Open to Rookie teams
- Grant Eligibility - Must be in the United States, Mexico, Canada - Must participate in the 2025-2026 FIRST® Tech Challenge competition season - Share your FIRST® Tech Challenge experiences with them if requested by the sponsor. They are very interested in your progress as a team and will be excited to hear more about your season.
- Grant Timeline: Applicants will receive an email to confirm that their application has been received and is being processed.
- Grants will be reviewed every Tuesday.
- Apply Here link: https://firstroboticscanada.org/ftcsimgrant/
Fikret Yüksel Foundation
Programs:
FIRST Robotics Competition
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 09/25/2025
End: 11/15/2025
Description
2025 Fikret Yüksel Foundation Sürdürülebilirlik Kayıt Destek Hibe - 2025 Fikret Yüksel Foundation Sustainability Grant English sonra Türkçe DESCRİPTİON The purpose of the 2026 Fikret Yüksel Foundation Sustainability Grant is to help teams located within Türkiye stay sustainable. In order to be able to help as many teams as possible, in as fair a manner as possible, the grant will work as such: Teams who apply are eligible for a $2000 grant for registration This structure is set up to try to spread limited funds among as many teams as possible, to give more teams assistance during these economically difficult times (where inflation is very high) 2026 Fikret Yüksel Foundation Sürdürülebilirlik Destek Hibe Programının amacı, Türkiye içinde bulunan takımların sürdürülebilirliklerine katkıda bulunmaktır. Mümkün olan en fazla sayıda takıma adil bir şekilde yardımcı olabilmek amacıyla, hibe programı aşağıdaki gibi işleyecektir: Başvuran takımlar hibeden 2000 dolarlık kayit destek alabilirler. Bu yapı, sınırlı fonları mümkün olan en fazla takıma dağıtmaya ve ekonomik olarak zorlu dönemlerde (enflasyonun yüksek olduğu dönemlerde) daha fazla takıma yardımcı olmaya yöneliktir.
Requirements
- Open to Rookie & Veteran teams
- Teams who are eligible to apply: Teams whose address is based in Türkiye, And will compete only in regionals within Türkiye during the REBUILT season. In order to apply teams must Fill out a form. Provide a Business Plan, written in Turkish. Provide a Gender Equality Action plan, detailing how the team intends to maintain gender equality within itself, and how it intends to promote it to its community. Make a post on social media about what the team gained in the last season. Make three posts on social media about the team’s alumni and their stories (with permission from those alumni of course). Provide a table of your team’s alumni, and where they are attending university The full details and link to the form are provided in Turkish here: https://www.frcturkiye.org/2026hibebasvuru Başvuru yapma hakkına sahip olan takımlar: FIRST kayıtlarında takım adresi Türkiye'de bulunan takımlar., Ve yalnızca REBUILT sezonunda Türkiye içinde düzenlenen bölgesel yarışmalarda yarışacak olan takımlar. Başvurabilmek için takımların yapması gerekenler: Formu doldurmak. Türkçe olarak yazılmış bir İş Planı sunmak. Cinsiyet Eşitliği Eylem Planı sunmak; takımın içinde cinsiyet eşitliğini nasıl sağlamayı amaçladığını ve bu kavramı topluma nasıl yaymayı düşündüğünü detaylandırmak. Takımın geçen sezon elde ettiği kazanımlar hakkında sosyal medya paylaşımı yapmak. Takımın mezunları ve onların hikayeleri hakkında üç sosyal medya paylaşımı yapmak (tabii ki bu mezunların izniyle). Takımın mezunları ve onların devam ettikleri üniversite ve kariyer bilgilerini içeren bir tablo hazırlamak Ayrıntılı bilgiler ve başvuru formunun bağlantısı Türkçe olarak burada sağlanmıştır: https://www.frcturkiye.org/2026hibebasvuru
2025-2026 NASA FRC Grants
Programs:
FIRST Robotics Competition
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 09/01/2025
End: 09/30/2025
Description
Welcome to the NASA FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) grant application process for the 2026 competition season. We are very excited your team is planning to participate in FRC this year. You are choosing to provide students with the opportunity to use their minds to accomplish an incredible task: starting with ideas that exist only in the minds of your team members and then creating a functioning robot in only a few weeks.
Requirements
- Open to Rookie & Veteran teams
- Eligible teams must be Rookie, New Veteran, or Year-Two Teams (a Year-Two Team is a team that was identified as a Rookie team during the 2025 FRC Season AND received a NASA Sponsorship during the 2025 FRC Season). This grant is only available for US-based teams at the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) program level. The grants will provide funding to cover the registration costs for the first Regional event the team signs up for in the 2026 season (for those in a state following the Regional model) or the team’s 2026 district registration (for those in the District model). All funding will be sent directly to FIRST, and FIRST will credit the accounts of teams selected to receive a NASA Grant. Final grant awards are contingent on continuing resolution and the availability of congressional funding. All teams selected to receive a NASA grant will have funding sent directly to FIRST. This funding will be applied to the teams registration costs and cannot be re-granted to the team.
Boeing FRC Team Grant Application 2025-2026
Programs:
FIRST Robotics Competition
Team Status:
rookie
veteran
Start: 10/20/2025
End: 11/14/2025
Description
This team grant opportunity is available for teams who have a Boeing employee mentor . The grants are available for FIRST® Robotics Competition teams.
Please complete this application as soon as possible. It will close on November 14th at 11:59pm EST, or if funds are exhausted. We are unable to accept late submissions.
Additional FIRST information can be found at the following links:
Requirements
Teams will be notified of their grant status within 15 business days of submission. Please allow additional time for the grant to be applied to your team's account.
For questions related to Boeing Team Grants, please email the FIRST Operations at customerservice@firstinspires.org. For the quickest response time please include the name of the grant or grant application, team number and program in your email.
No grants found.
Please contact customerservice@firstinspires.org
Team Grant FAQs
Question on a specific grant? Email teamgrants@firstinspires.org.
I am looking to start a new team - how do I get started financially?
The amount and type of grants differ every year. Many team grant recipients are self-selected by our sponsors.
There are many other opportunities to raise money for your FIRST team and contacting local businesses is a great place to start. Many teams have associations with companies that have interest in or may already provide grants/support to FIRST teams – but often, the connection is never discovered. Also consider having your team’s mentors and parents ask their employer about supporting your team.
Another great resource is your Program Delivery Partner. Program Delivery Partners have knowledge of regional opportunities that are less competitive than national grants. Also, many teams hold fundraisers or find local sponsorships. For tips, check out the Team Fundraising Toolkit.
I received a grant. Why can’t I see it on my team’s account?
There are two reasons you might not see your grant on your account.
- If you received grant acknowledgement from sponsor: Sometimes a sponsor will tell teams they are receiving a grant before sending their team list to FIRST. If you do not see the grant on your account within five business days, please e-mail teamgrants@firstinspires.org .
- If you received grant acknowledgement from FIRST: Sometimes sponsors send FIRST a list of teams for which they wish to provide a team grant, but due to time constraints are unable to send complete funding right away. In these situations, FIRST applies the grant to the team’s account as an invoice. If you still do not see your grant, please e-mail teamgrants@firstinspires.org
My team received a grant. Should we send a thank you letter to the sponsor?
We encourage teams to write thank you letters to sponsors.
What if I ordered my product and it hasn’t arrived yet?
Please contact the Operations Department at 603-666-3906 ext. 0 or by emailing your team's program inbox:
- fllexplore@firstinspires.org
(ages 6-10) - fllchallenge@firstinspires.org
(ages 9-14*) - firsttechchallenge@firstinspires.org
(grades 7-12) - firstroboticscompetition@firstinspires.org
(grades 9-12)
I have been told my team may receive a grant. Should I wait to register my team and purchase product?
If there is a possibility you are receiving a grant, you must wait to pay until you receive instructions from FIRST. You will not be able to utilize your grant if you pay your registration or purchase your product before you receive the grant. FIRST will not be able to make changes to orders after checkout. For more details, please read the FIRST payment terms.
Where can I see my payment information?
The lead coach 1, lead coach 2, and the Team Admin may view the team’s and grant information by following these steps:
- Log in to your account dashboard at www.firstinspires.org
- Click the “Funds & Grants” hyperlink located under the “Team Finances” column
- Click on “Grants and Contributed Funds” to view the total amount of funds applied to your team for the season
- Click on “Team Credit Balance” to view your team’s current credit balance
- Please check out of Dashboard (click on shopping cart icon) to utilize your team's credit balance
- Once all fees have been paid in full, any remainder credit balances for FIRST® Robotics Competition teams only can be regranted using the process outlined in the regrant link below
I have questions about a regrant, where can I find the answer?
Click here for more information: regranting process, procedures and w-9. If you have additional questions regarding the regrant process, please email grantsapproval@firstinspires.org.
I submitted my regrant paperwork and haven’t received my regrant check yet. What should I do?
Regrants are processed in the order they are received. Submitters will receive an email once the Regrant submission is accepted. Please log into your Dashboard account and under payment history, you can view the status of your regrant check. If you need additional assistance, please contact grantsapproval@firstinspires.org
I have a team grants related question, but do not see the answer on this page, who should I contact?
Please email our Grants Team at teamgrants@firstinspires.org
For FIRST Robotics Competition teams - I submitted my regrant paperwork and haven’t received my regrant check yet. What should I do?
Regrants are processed in the order they are received. Submitters will receive an email once the Regrant submission is accepted. Please log into your Dashboard account and under payment history, you can view the status of your regrant check. If you need additional assistance, please contact grantsapproval@firstinspires.org
For FIRST Robotics Competition teams - It is coming close to the pay deadline. I am not sure we will have the funds in time. What can I do?
In order to receive your Kit of Parts (KOP) on time it is important to have your first event registration paid by the deadline. If you are having trouble acquiring funds for the season, please contact your Program Delivery Partner for opportunities in your area and read through the funding tips in the Fundraising Toolkit.
For teams attending the FIRST Championship - My team qualified to attend the FIRST Championship and a sponsor said they would sponsor us, what should I do?
After you qualify, you only have a few days to pay your registration fee. If you have not received instructions from the sponsor and you believe you should be receiving a grant please contact teamgrants@firstinspires.org immediately and include your sponsor's name in the email subject.
For teams attending the FIRST Championship - If our team’s sponsor visits our Pit at Championship, what should I do?
When a sponsor visits your pit it is very important to thank them for all of their support. They are very excited to meet you and learn about your accomplishments. This is also a great opportunity to provide them with any thank you notes, pictures or mementos from your season. It is a good idea to prepare for this ahead of time.