The Finley Robotics Scholarship.

01 — The award

Each scholar receives the following, as a single integrated package:

• A brand-new Reachy Mini robot from Pollen Robotics, theirs to keep.
• Twelve months of mentorship through monthly virtual sessions plus on-demand access between sessions.
• Membership in the active scholar cohort and the alumni network of prior cohorts.
• A published record of their projects on the Showcase page, which scholars may reference in college applications and elsewhere.

02 — Eligibility

• Students entering grades 9 through 11 at the time of application.
• Demonstrated financial need or enrollment in a school without a functioning robotics program.
• Genuine interest in robotics, artificial intelligence, or creative technology.
• Curiosity, initiative, and the ability to keep working on something hard. Qualities that do not always appear on a transcript.

The Initiative reads applications holistically. We are not looking for finished engineers. We are looking for students who will become engineers if given access.

03 — What to submit

1. Personal statement. Five hundred words or fewer. Why robotics, and what you would attempt with a Reachy Mini in the year ahead.
2. One reference. A short letter from a teacher, counselor, or mentor who can speak to your curiosity and work ethic. One paragraph is sufficient if the paragraph is honest.
3. Optional video. One to two minutes. Introduce yourself. Describe a problem you would like to solve with technology. Phone footage is fine. Production value is not evaluated.
4. Proof of need. A short note from a school official, counselor, or family member documenting limited access to robotics resources. We accept multiple forms of evidence.

04 — Selection

A panel of educators and engineers reviews each application. Evaluation criteria, in order of weight:

1. Enthusiasm for robotics and AI, expressed in the applicant's own voice.
2. Evidence of self-direction, including projects, tinkering, or learning pursued independently.
3. Clarity in articulating goals and plausible projects for the program year.
4. Documented need for access to robotics tools.

Grades and standardized test scores are not part of the rubric. We have found them to be poor predictors of what we are trying to identify.

05 — Timeline

1. September 1, 2026 — Applications open.
2. November 30, 2026 — Submissions close.
3. January 15, 2027 — Finalists notified by email.
4. Early February 2027 — Hardware ships. First monthly session held.
5. February 2027 – January 2028 — Program year. Monthly sessions, project work, documentation in the Showcase.

06 — Expectations of scholars

By accepting the scholarship, recipients agree to:

• Participate in at least one virtual mentorship session per month for the program year.
• Document project work and share updates on the Showcase page on a regular cadence.
• Treat the equipment with care and use it for educational purposes.
• Be honest with mentors about what is and is not working.

Scholars are encouraged to explore, fail, iterate, and ask questions. There is no single path through the program year. Curiosity decides the direction.

07 — How to apply

Applications are submitted through a single Google Form, linked below, beginning September 1, 2026. The form will accept text responses, file uploads for the reference letter and proof of need, and an optional video link.

If you have a question that the form does not answer, write to us through the contact page first.

Open the application →

The application link becomes active on September 1, 2026. Until then it will route to the form's "not yet open" landing state.