All I can say is welcome to the education industry. When you've got a chicken or the egg problem, you need to tackle it from both ends. Grants aren't necessarily large, and they aren't necessarily hard to get. You can start small and work your way up. Grant proposals don't need to be targeted to formal grant offerings. You can petition local businesses, or perhaps your local hobby shops and RC clubs. Design a program that will be an investment for them and ask for their help in getting started. Approach local FBOs in the same way. Got a university in the area with an aerospace program? Same idea.