I'll dig into this. Let me first check what your project actually qualifies for, then search for current grants.The key constraint jumps out immediately: most CubeSat funding (NASA CSLI, University Nanosatellite Program, Space Grant Consortia) is restricted to postsecondary institutions or registered nonprofits. As a high-school-led team, you're excluded from the big ones. Let me search for what high schoolers can actually win.Now the realistic angle. A few of these need a teacher as the applicant with funds paid to the school — workable if an OHS faculty advisor applies on your behalf. Let me check the amateur-radio funding route, since you're operating on the 435 MHz UHF amateur band, plus a couple of others.ARRL and its funder ARDC are the strongest fit — you're literally an amateur-radio UHF mission. Let me check ARDC directly, since they fund larger grants and are Bay Area-based.The hard truth first: almost every space-specific grant (NASA CSLI, University Nanosatellite Program, the state Space Grant Consortia) is restricted to postsecondary institutions or 501(c)(3) nonprofits, so a high-school-led team can't apply directly. Your realistic wins come through the amateur-radio ecosystem and education micro-grants, and most still need an organization or a faculty advisor as the named applicant — so the first practical step is having an OHS teacher or advisor front the application, or registering the team as a club. With that framing, here are the best fits, ranked by likelihood.
The strongest match is ARDC (Amateur Radio Digital Communications), the Bay Area foundation that funds the ARRL programs directly. Their 2026 priorities explicitly include space-based communications — projects expanding satellite access for amateur radio — plus open-source R&D and education, with a grant deadline of February 1, 2026. Your 435 MHz LoRa downlink, open monorepo, and youth-led structure hit all three priority areas. The catch: grants must go to eligible organizations, generally US 501(c)(3) nonprofits or international equivalents, and must meet an open-access requirement. Your code is already public, which helps; you'd need a nonprofit sponsor (OHS/Stanford, or a fiscal sponsor). ARDC writes large checks, so this is worth the paperwork.
Second, the ARRL Foundation Club Grant Program, which ARDC funds. In one recent cycle, 37 clubs received over $500,000, with awards ranging from $1,000 up to a $25,000 maximum, and projects explicitly included youth engagement with hands-on learning. For 2026, in support of ARRL's "Year of the Club," award amounts may be up to $5,000, drawn partly from youth-focused funds like the Victor C. Clark Youth Incentive Fund. This requires being an ARRL-affiliated club — a very achievable step that also unlocks the broader grant pool. Note the ARRL Foundation special-fund STEM grants carry an October 1 annual deadline and give preference to applicants with local radio-club participation and community fundraising — your GoFundMe and outreach work support that.
Third, AIAA Foundation classroom grants: realistic and easy, but small and indirect. AIAA awards up to $500 per school year for projects with a clear STEM and aerospace connection, but the applicant must be a K-12 classroom teacher who is a current AIAA Educator Associate member, with funds paid to the school. Low ceiling, but high probability if an advisor applies.
A few smaller adjacent options worth a faculty member's time: the Air & Space Forces Association runs an annual ~$599 K-12 aerospace/STEM grant (Sept 1–Dec 15 window, recipients announced February), and corporate STEM micro-grants (Aerospace Corporation teacher grants, various $500–$2,000 classroom programs) follow the same teacher-applicant pattern.
The honest gap: nothing here covers your full $10,000 hardware budget in one shot except ARDC, which is exactly why ARDC plus an ARRL club affiliation is where I'd concentrate effort. Do you have an OHS faculty advisor or Stanford affiliation that could serve as the eligible-organization sponsor? That single answer determines which of these you can actually file.