Investment

Chapter Packages

One membership, the equipment you need, and standing you earn by teaching. There is no ladder to climb and nothing to buy your way up. Equipment is purchased outright and belongs to your chapter.

Every chapter, the same

Membership — $600 a year

There are no tiers. Every chapter receives the same bundle, whatever it bought and whatever it has earned. Your first year is payable with the $250 onboarding fee at signing — $850 to begin.

Full SIC curriculum, updated annually
The SIC learning platform for your students
Chapter portal — cohorts, students, schools, reporting
Trainer certification for two seats
Competition toolkit — missions, rubrics, judging packs, certificates
Listing in the public chapter directory from your first cohort
Quarterly check-in calls and an annual review visit
Discounted equipment and replacement parts through the Nairobi spares pool

Equipment

Every chapter buys equipment — a minimum of 12 robot kits. Buy outright, finance over twelve months, or fund it from a grant. Bundles carry no rights: buying the largest gives you no extra competition slots and no extra standing. It is a shopping decision, nothing more.

Most common

Primary

$4,417

Equipment, ex-Nairobi

Chapters starting with younger learners

Ages 5–11
12 robot kits
36 learners at a time

Extended

from $13,745

One supplier quote outstanding

Chapters covering primary through lower secondary

Ages 5–13
30 robot kits
90 learners at a time

Full range

from $38,670

One supplier quote outstanding

Universities and institutions with a fabrication space

Ages 5–18 + fabrication
70 robot kits
210 learners at a time

Build your own

From the catalogue

Minimum 12 robot kits

An unusual age focus, or kit you want to match

Ages Whatever you choose
12+ robot kits
36+ learners at a time

What you earn

Standing follows what you deliver, recomputed each year from the learners you actually reached. You cannot buy your way up — and you cannot be locked out of moving up by not having bought enough.

 
Seed
Established
Anchor
Learners a year
200 – 400
401 – 800
801 +
Partner schools
3
8
15
Competition slots
Chapter Showcase
+ Regional
Full slate
Hosting rights
Chapter Showcase
+ Regional Qualifier
+ National Maker Faire
Co-grant eligibility
Eligible
Priority

Teams advancing from your Chapter Showcase to regional and national events are set annually in a schedule alongside the agreement, so allocations can be tuned as the network grows. Showcase hosting and progression to the Nairobi final are unconditional at every band.

Reserved city: Nairobi. SIC runs direct operations there, so a Nairobi application is declined unless it clearly serves people we do not reach. Everywhere else is open, and several chapters may operate in the same city. A Kenyan school wanting robotics for its own students is served by Technolab, our managed-lab program, rather than the chapter route.

Fees

One invoice a year, on your registration anniversary. Your first year's membership is payable at signing.

Onboarding fee

$250 once, at MOU signing. Covers vetting and background checks, priced at cost.

Annual membership

$600, the same for every chapter. Your first year is payable at signing alongside onboarding — $850 to begin.

Learner enrolment

$6 once per learner, ever. Returning learners are free. Buys a platform account, assessment records and a certificate.

Additional trainer certification

$200 per trainer beyond the two membership includes.

CPD sessions

$150 each. Trainers keep certification by earning 20 credit hours every two years — credits from approved external providers count and cost you nothing.

Platform seats

Billed once a year on your registration anniversary, alongside your membership, based on the highest number of active learners you held during your previous contract year. A seat stays active while a learner is enrolled and for twelve months afterwards, then archives — their certificate stays valid.

Because a learner stops being billable twelve months after finishing, a steady teaching year costs a steady amount — nothing compounds. Every chapter has the same 120-seat minimum.

First 120 seats
$4.00/seat
121 – 360
$3.50/seat
361 – 720
$3.00/seat
721 and above
$2.50/seat
A Launch chapter at its minimum
At signing
Onboarding + first year membership
$850
Year 2
200 seats + membership + enrolment
$2,560
Year 3
Same
$2,560
Year 4+
Same
$2,560

200 learners a year throughout, all new. A chapter whose learners return year on year holds a smaller pool and pays less. Trainers, admins and judges consume no seats. CPD sits on top at about $150 per trainer a year.

Included for every chapter

  • Full SIC curriculum, updated annually
  • The SIC learning platform for your students
  • Chapter portal — cohorts, students, schools, reporting
  • Trainer certification for two seats
  • Competition toolkit — missions, rubrics, judging packs, certificates
  • Listing in the public chapter directory from your first cohort
  • Quarterly check-in calls and an annual review visit
  • Discounted equipment and replacement parts through the Nairobi spares pool

Not included

  • Freight, import duty, VAT and clearing — the chapter is importer of record
  • Travel to Nairobi for trainer certification
  • Travel to the STEAM Maker Faire Africa final — the Competition Fund makes a capped contribution, not a full subsidy
  • Replacement parts beyond the spares allowance — budget 5–10% of kit value a year
  • Venue, staff salaries and local operating costs

Cannot fund it outright? The First Chapter Grant, our co-grant model and fully grant-funded arrangements all exist so that a third party can carry the cost. Say so in your application and we will work through the options on the vetting call.

Not sure which equipment fits?

Apply and say so. We work out the right package together on the vetting call — the application takes about 20 minutes and we respond to every applicant within 2 weeks.

Start Your Application