I’m certain many of you have been following the COVID news closely. At FIRST, we have been too.
Game & Season Info
Check out all of the latest information to get started
COVID and First Event Preferencing
Aug 19, 2021 Written by Frank Merrick, Director FIRST Robotics CompetitionFIRST and LEGO Education Challenge Students Worldwide to Innovate and Improve Transportation Logistics with the 2021-2022 CARGO CONNECT Robotics Season
Children in 110 Countries to Invent New Ways to Transport, Sort, and Deliver Cargo to Destinations; Amazon Future Engineer Joins FIRST® LEGO® League as a Global Presenting Sponsor
Championship, Championship, Championship
Aug 11, 2021 Written by Frank Merrick, Director FIRST Robotics CompetitionSo much FIRST Championship news!*
Build a better future with FIRST
Help us "to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders." - Dean Kamen, FIRST Founder
FIRST is the world’s leading youth-serving nonprofit advancing STEM education. We’re an inclusive, global robotics community working together to prepare young people for the future. Whether it’s finding their people or finding their path, FIRST students gain the skills and confidence to forge ahead and build their future.
Will you support our mission and help make FIRST programs available to every student?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this donation tax deductible?
How do you manage my donations?
You can find our state by state fundraising disclosures and registration information here and FIRST has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. That puts us among the just 1 percent of charities that have received the independent evaluator’s highest ratings.
What do you do with my information?
We will not sell, share or trade our donors' names or personal information with any other entity, nor send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations. You can find our full privacy policy here.
Is my donation secure?
Absolutely. The security and confidentiality of your information is our highest priority. We use industry-standard SSL (secure socket layer) technology to protect your information and provide a safe and secure environment for online donations. We will not sell, trade or share your personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations, and we will only share personal information if you have given us specific permission to do so.
Do I get a receipt?
A donation receipt will be sent to you at the email address you provide on this form. Please be sure to keep a copy of your receipt for tax purposes. If you select a recurring donation, you will be sent an individual receipt each month when your donation is processed.
How can I make a donation on behalf of a specific FIRST team?
For all team specific payment options, please see pricing & payment page
- To donate to a specific team by check, please remit to FIRST, Attn: Finance, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester, NH 03101 with the FIRST team number and location clearly noted in the memo line
- To donate to a specific FIRST team by credit card, please call FIRST Finance at 1-800-871-8326 ext. 563
- Check: (USD funds only drawn on a U.S. bank). Please make sure that all checks remitted state your Program and Team or Account Number to enable swift & proper crediting.
Regular Check
Make payable to: FIRST
Attn: PO Box 845446
Boston, MA 02284-5446
For Checks that need to be Overnighted
Make payable to: FIRST
Attn: Lockbox Operations box #845446
1 Cabot Road, Suite 202
Medford, MA 02155
How can I make a donation on behalf of a specific FIRST region?
Thank you for supporting our local FIRST affiliates! You can find local FIRST partners around the world at: https://www.firstinspires.org/find-local-support
I have another question about supporting FIRST, who can I contact?
If you can't find an answer to your question here, please feel free to contact Mark Giordono, VP of Development at mgiordono@firstinspires.org or +1.603.206.2417
How do I become a Legacy Donor?
With a planned gift to FIRST, you can combine your desire to give to charity with your overall financial, tax, and estate planning goals. Contact us via email or call us at 1-800-871-8326 to discuss your legacy today.
How do I donate Stock, Crypto, DAFs, Check by Mail, Credit card over the phone?
There are a variety of ways for an individual to donate to the FIRST mission. Click here for details on how to donate via stock, cryptocurrency, DAFs, check by mail, or credit card over the phone.
How do I manage my monthly donations?
To update your monthly gift, please email us at donations@firstinspires.org. Alternatively, you can cancel the contribution and create a new gift.
*Please note: 100% of these funds benefit the FIRST Annual Fund and mission as a not-for-profit organization; the donations are unrestricted and cannot be raised for any individual participant or team. Please refer to the FAQ for details on payments to teams and click here for regranting policies. Please support our local FIRST regions – click here to find contact info for our FIRST Program Delivery Partners around the world.
Corporate Matching Gifts
Increase the impact of your donation or volunteer time with a corporate matching gift!
Many employers will match your financial gifts and volunteer hours. Thanks to the generosity of FIRST corporate supporters, employees have the option of doubling or even tripling their donation through the Matching Gift program. Find out if your employer will match your contribution!
Companies registered through the program use various procedures by which employees can request matching gifts. Contact your employer for details.
Search for your company
Back To Search
This webpage hosts a collection of resources to help teams with some of the aspects of running a team such as organizing your team, fundraising, and more. Disclaimer: Some of the following links lead to external web sites that are not endorsed or controlled by FIRST, and may contain outdated or inaccurate information about FIRST.
Team Management Resources
Mentor Resources
- FIRST Robotics Competition Mentor Guide - A guide intended to help teams with best practices for running their FIRST Robotics Competition team.
- Effective Mentoring - This guide is intended to help new or prospective mentors
- FIRST Robotics Competition Calendar - The official calendar for FIRST Robotics Competition which includes important deadlines. If you click on a specific calendar item, you can also download those items to your own personal calendar.
- Mental Health Resources - This document covers some tips to help ensure your FIRST Robotics Competition team has a healthy and supportive environment for teens and mentors during the build and competition season.
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) Resources - This webpage contains resources to help teams with ED&I initiatives such as gender equity, disability inclusion, well-being, and more!
- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams ensure that all members feel included.
- Youth Protection Program - Check out this webpage to learn more about the Youth Protection Program that provides coaches, mentors, event volunteers, employees, Program Delivery Partners, team members, parents, guardians of team members, and others working with FIRST programs with information, guidelines, and procedures to create safe environments for FIRST participants.
- FIRST Reporting Portal - We encourage anyone participating with FIRST or attending FIRST related activities or events to report concerns to FIRST. The FIRST Reporting Portal provides a confidential platform to report youth protection concerns, medical incidents, or other issues. All reports are reviewed by trained staff and reporters will receive a follow-up response as long as contact information is provided.
- Find Local Support – A page to find your local Program Deliver Organizations that partner with FIRST in each community that include Program Delivery Partners (PDPs) and FIRST Senior Mentors.
Team Organization
- Build Season Timeline - A very high-level schedule for how to approach the Build Season. Many factors affect this schedule including years of experience, number of students/mentors, machining resources, actual time between kickoff and your first event, etc. Teams should feel free to modify this timeline to what works best for each team as there is no single right way to how a team should approach Build Season
- 8.5" x 11" pdf - Aversion to print out and post in a team's shop that is 8.5" x 11."
- 11" x 17" pdf - A version to print out and post in a team's shop that is 11" x 17."
- The original Excel file so teams can alter the timeline if they choose (file automatically downloads)
- How To: Organize Your Team - A resource that shares ideas on how to organize your FIRST Robotics Competition team.
- How To: Effective Leadership - A resource that shares best practices for effective leadership.
- Goal Setting by 1678 Mentor Mike Corsetto - This video discusses the history of goal setting in FIRST Robotics Competition and how teams can set their own goals and use those to improve their team.
- Structure & Organisation Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams with organizing their team.
- How To: Conduct Online Meetings - A resource that shares ideas on how to host online meetings for your team.
- Career Planning Toolkit - This resource assists students connecting their FIRST experience to a future career path. It has resources for building a resume, gaining Industry Credentials, and work-based learning opportunities such as Internships and Apprenticeships.
- Thinkscape - This module is available to lead mentors 1 and 2 through Thinkscape on the FIRST Dashboard. Mentors will be able to add students and other mentors to the course using these instructions.
Cost, Fundraising, & Grants
- Example Budget - This document shares things to consider when creating your FIRST Robotics Competition budget as well as the median budgets reported to FIRST broken into different categories as a starting point.
- Budget Template - Teams can use this Budget Template (file automatically downloads) to create their own team budget.
- Business Plan Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps team create a business plan.
- How To: Sponsor Relations - A resource to help manage your relationships with sponsors and ideas on what to provide them to keep them engaged.
- Fundraising 101 - A resource that covers the basics of fundraising. An important part of being sustainable year after year is raising enough money to support your team. Fundraising allows your team to develop both technically and as a program by providing sufficient funds to grow and expand your team.
- Fundraising Toolkit - Tips and tricks to elevate your team's fundraising efforts.
- Cost & Registration - A webpage that covers information on the cost and registration for FIRST Robotics Competition teams.
- Sales Tax Information - A webpage that describes the sales tax process for all teams and how it impacts your registration fees.
- Grant Opportunities - A list of available grants that FIRST is aware of and information on how to apply. Teams can use the filters to sort by location, program, and other filters.
- FIRST Grants FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions and Answers related to Grants.
- FIRST Regranting, Process, Procedures, and W-9 - A webpage that discusses the Regranting Policy and procedure.
- Hack Club Bank - Hack Club Bank is a full-stack fiscal sponsor for organizing anything and can help teams manage their funds.
Outreach
- Inventive Outreach and Your Team by Alum and 971 Mentor Sarah Heimlich - In this video, learn about creative methods to engage members in outreach activities that best fit the resources and mission of your team.
- Hows and Whys of STEM/FIRST Outreach - This presentation was created by Hall of Fame Team 1816, The Green Machine, and covers concepts teams can use when selecting outreach events for their team to participate in.
- Outreach Plan Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams identify and plan outreach opportunities.
- Community Engagement Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams plan ways to engage with the community.
Recruitment
- Team Recruitment Flyers - Flyers that teams can use as a starting point when creating flyers to recruit new students to the team.
- FIRST ED&I Student Recruitment Strategies Tip Sheet - Helpful strategies for recruitment of all students for FIRST teams.
- FIRST Mentor Network sponsored by NI - The FIRST Mentor Network sponsored by NI is an interactive platform allowing teams and interested mentors to easily find each other for virtual or in-person mentorship.
Awards
- Awards Webpage - A webpage that shows all of the current FIRST Robotics Competition Awards, award deadlines, links to the guidelines for the awards, and additional award resources not listed in this section including a Dean's List Guide, Practice Judge Questions, and more!
- Awards Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams prepare for judging at events.
- Dean's List Award Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams pick a student, write the essay, and prepare the student for the interview.
- FIRST Impact Award Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams organize their outreach, write the essays, and prepare for the interview.
Game Specific & Technical Resources
- Game Manual & Season Specifics - A webpage hosting resources related to each season’s game including the manual, team updates, and more.
- Kit of Parts - A webpage that incudes information on the Kit of Parts (KoP) that is included with every team's registration fee.
- Safety - Learn about the importance of safety and how to implement safe practices by viewing resources including our safety manual, UL Safety Learning Portal, and more.
- Technical Resources - a webpage consisting of a collection of technical oriented resources to help teams.
Competition Info
- District & Regional Event Information - A webpage to help teams be prepared for attending local events. It includes information on how to preference events as well as what to expect including judging, scouting, robot inspection, what to bring to events, and more.
- Robot Transportation - General information for robot transportation, including shipping crate construction guidelines, tips for teams shipping their robot to international events, and shipping to FIRST Championship.
- Event Preparations Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps team prepare for events including reminders about things to plan, bring, and do.
- How To: Arrange Team and Robot Transportation - A resource that discusses options when buying plane tickets for large groups, coordinating drivers for shorter distances, arranging bus transportation for longer distances, communicating travel logistics with your team, shipping your robot equipment, and more.
Marketing Resources
- What’s FIRST Robotics Competition? - A video that describes what FIRST Robotics Competition is and includes students, mentors, and volunteers explaining the program.
- FIRST Robotics Competition - How it Works - A flyer that describes the FIRST Robotics Competition program.
- FIRST Robotics Competition - Start a Team - A flyer that can be used to help start a FIRST Robotics Competition team.
- FIRST Robotics Competition - Mini Brochure - Mini brochure that introduces new audiences to FIRST Robotics Competition and what it can do for students
- FIRST Logos and Branding Standards - Information on FIRST standards and policies when using the FIRST logo and brand.
- Season Content and Logos - A webpage that hosts season specific marketing content such as logos and more.
- FIRST Robotics Competition Promotional Photos - A collection of promotional photos that can be used only for the following purposes; celebration, advertisement or promotion of FIRST programs, events, or scholarships; or, for journalistic needs.
- Student Participation Certificates - A4 and Letter
- Imagery for FIRST Teams - a resource created by Hall of Fame Team 1902, Exploding Bacon, that shares helpful recommendations for teams when teams are deciding on imagery/branding for their team
- Using Social Media - a resource created by Hall of Fame Team 1538, The Holy Cows, that shares how to effectively utilize different social media platforms for your team.
- Imagery Worksheet - A worksheet, created by The Compass Alliance, that helps teams identify their team identity and branding.
Stay Connected
- Team Blasts Archive - Archive of FIRST Robotics Competition team email blasts.
- FIRST Robotics Competition Blog - Blog posts from the director of FIRST Robotics Competition and guests on a variety of topics relevant to teams.
- Alumni - Participants and alumni of FIRST programs gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the FIRST community for life. Check out the Alumni webpage for more information.
- FIRST Robotics Competition Social Media
New Control System Components: Behind the Scenes
Aug 03, 2021 Written by Greg Needel, REV Robotics Co-Founder, FIRST Alumni & Mentor, & Crown SupplierLate last month, you may have seen that REV announced details on the new FIRST Robotics Competition control system components that we have been working on since late 2018.
Quick
Links
Beneath the ocean’s surface lies our planet’s most complex ecosystems, full of life and potential for exploration and learning, where each inhabitant has a role to play in building a thriving environment. During the 2024-2025 FIRST season, FIRST® DIVE℠ presented by Qualcomm, teams will use their STEM and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean. Along the way, we’ll uncover the potential in each of us to strengthen our community and innovate for a better world with healthy oceans.
Explore the Future
In REEFSCAPE℠ presented by Haas, a new challenge launching January 4, 2025, FIRST Robotics Competition teams will use their engineering skills to strengthen one of the ocean’s most diverse habitats – making waves to build a better world. Registration is now open.
Make a Splash with Machining Skills
Go In Depth with Haas
CNC Technology is used across multiple industries from robots, to F1 racing, to the marine industry. See how the skills you are learning are relevant and in demand.
The Power to Move
Qualcomm has a passion for making extraordinary experiences – taking your passions to jaw-dropping new levels by using Snapdragon processors.
Go Beneath the Surface of Future Technologies
Game & Season Info
Check out all of the latest information to get started
Quick
Links
Beneath the ocean’s surface lies our planet’s most complex ecosystems, full of life and potential for exploration and learning, where each inhabitant has a role to play in building a thriving environment. During the 2024-2025 FIRST season, FIRST® DIVE℠ presented by Qualcomm, teams will use their STEM and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean. Along the way, we’ll uncover the potential in each of us to strengthen our community and innovate for a better world with healthy oceans.
Explore The Future
In the INTO THE DEEP℠ presented by RTX challenge, launching September 7, 2024, FIRST Tech Challenge teams will dive their robots into the depths of the ocean to explore the unknown and reveal its wonders. Registration is open.
Explore RTX Ocean Monitoring Technology
The Power to Move
Qualcomm has a passion for making extraordinary experiences – taking your passions to jaw-dropping new levels by using Snapdragon processors.
Go Beneath the Surface of Future Technologies
Game & Season Info
Check out all of the latest information to get started
Quick
Links
Beneath the ocean’s surface lies our planet’s most complex ecosystems, full of life and potential for exploration and learning, where each inhabitant has a role to play in building a thriving environment. During the 2024-2025 FIRST season, FIRST® DIVE℠ presented by Qualcomm, teams will use their STEM and collaboration skills to explore life beneath the surface of the ocean. Along the way, we’ll uncover the potential in each of us to strengthen our community and innovate for a better world with healthy oceans.
Explore the Future
In the SUBMERGED℠ challenge, launching August 6, 2024, FIRST® LEGO® League teams will use creative thinking and LEGO® technology to explore the layers of the ocean and bring their learnings and ideas to the surface as they “sea” into the future. Registration is now open.
The Power to Move
Qualcomm has a passion for making extraordinary experiences – taking your passions to jaw-dropping new levels by using Snapdragon processors.
Go Beneath the Surface of Future Technologies
