Over the course of the project, I actually found that funding was not an issue. Many companies gave me large discounts on materials and some even offered to give me supplies for free. I found that talking to managers and writing them letters helped the most, as they were very receptive to my ideas. Overall, the project cost about $1500 dollars, which was paid solely through donations.
The materials required for the project were mainly common dimension lumber and metal. A few things had to be custom ordered, such as security screws and plaques to attach to the main board.