Team Grants

Overview

Pennsylvania FIRST Robotics is pleased and honored to administer the grants listed below on behalf of the sponsoring organizations. Pennsylvania FIRST Robotics and FIRST® are in alignment with these organizations as we seek educational partnerships to create skill-building learning experiences that enhance individual opportunity, specifically within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and manufacturing workforce development.

Below are overviews of available grants. The exact grant requirements are detailed in each grant’s memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU must be signed by a team’s authorized representative. In the event of differences between this webpage and the MOU, the MOU takes precedence.

If your team is eligible and interested in one of the grants, an adult team coach may apply for a grant using the Team Grant Application Form on the right. The full-page version of this form may work better on some devices.

If you have any questions, please Contact Us.

Grants

Arconic Foundation Grant

Description

This Arconic Foundation Grant is available to Pennsylvania FIRST Tech Challenge Teams located within specific counties as defined by the Arconic Foundation. Grant funds are limited and are distributed on a first come, first served basis.

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Google.org Grant

Description

This Google.org Grant is available Pennsylvania FIRST Tech Challenge Teams that meet the team composition criteria defined by Google.org. Grant funds are limited and are distributed on a first come, first served basis.

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Eligibility Criteria

The Team must be registered through the FIRST® Registration Dashboard as FIRST Tech Challenge Team.
The Team agrees to pay the FIRST® Team Registration Fee within two weeks of receiving the grant.
The Team agrees to participate in one or more Pennsylvania FTC events, including but not limited to workshops, scrimmages, and/or qualifiers, in the current season.
The Team must be located in Pennsylvania.
More than 50% of the team are middle school age students, AND
50% or more of the team meets one or more of the following criteria:
- 50% or more are underrepresented in STEM, which includes Hispanic/Latinx, Black/African American, and Indigenous youth
- 50% or more are female
- 50% or more are underserved based on low income. In the U.S. this is based on the % eligible for free and reduced lunch for the school or non-profit overall
- Students are in a Title 1 school
- Students are in rural areas. Reference the Pennsylvania Department of Education Urban-Centric and Metro-Centric Locale Codes Excel document (see the Pennsylvania Department of Education> Data and Reporting> School Locale webpage for details)

Grant Amount

FIRST® Tech Challenge Rookie or Veteran Team: $4,000

Application Process

Requester must complete and submit the Team Grant Application Form (on the right) for each team identified as eligible for the grant. Single applications with multiple teams listed will not be accepted.

Professional Development

New coaches are highly encouraged to seek, finance and receive FIRST^® Tech Challenge Professional Development opportunities as part of these grant expenditures.

Reporting Requirements

Teams accepting this grant must provide Pennsylvania FIRST Robotics a summary report before the end of the season of how the grant was utilized. The report may include items such as:

Registration, Robot and Event Expenses as summarized in FIRST^® Tech Challenge Sample Team Budget.
Holistic support such as: food, transportation, product, registration, teacher support, technology, workshops, multiple competition plays, etc.