Teams must be sponsored by a public school, school district, government entity*, or nonprofit. Private schools that are not-for-profit (e.g. 501(c)3 status) are eligible to apply.
*We need signed agreements within 30 days of award, anticipating awards to go out around Sept. 15 or so. If your policy is that all contracts have to go to the city council, you may want to find a nonprofit organization to be the fiscal agent of your group.