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 application and memorandum of understanding (MOU). A MOU must be signed by a team’s authorized representative. In the event of differences between this webpage and the grant application / MOU, the grant application / MOU takes precedence.

If your team is eligible and interested in a grant, one of the two team coaches or the team administrator (as identified in the team’s FIRST Dashboard) may apply for a grant using the grant application specific to that grant as described below.

If you have any questions, please Contact Us.

Google.org Grant

Description

This Google.org Grant is available to 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.

Application Process

Requester must complete and submit the Google.org Grant Application form for each team identified as eligible for the grant. Single applications with multiple teams listed will not be accepted.

Click here to apply for the Google.org Grant

Eligibility Criteria

  1. The Team must be located in Pennsylvania.
  2. The Team must be registered for the current season through the FIRST® Registration Dashboard as FIRST Tech Challenge Team.
  3. More than 50% of the team are middle school age students, AND
  4. Meets one or more of the following: 
    • 50% or more are from communities underrepresented in STEM, which includes Hispanic/Latino, 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
    • 50% or more of the team’s students are in a Title 1 school
    • 50% or more of the team’s 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

  • Initial Grant: Pennsylvania FIRST Tech Challenge rookie or veteran team: $4,000 + tuition for up to two (2) FIRST Certified Professional Development courses ($600 max / course).
  • Renewal Grant: Pennsylvania FIRST Tech Challenge veteran team: $1500 + tuition for up to one (1) FIRST Certified Professional Development course ($600 max / course).
  • Additionally, both initial and renewal grants will pay the event registration fee for a Google.org grant recipient team advancing to the Pennsylvania State Championship, the FIRST Championship, or a FIRST Tech Challenge Premier Event.

Post-grant Requirements

Teams accepting this grant agree to perform the following post-grant items:

  1. Pay the FIRST Team Registration Fee within two weeks of receiving the grant (if not already paid).
  2. Participate in one or more Pennsylvania FTC in-person events, including but not limited to workshops, scrimmages, and/or qualifiers, in the current season.
  3. Keep copies of all receipts and other paperwork associated with grant expenditures for a minimum of three years, and shall provide copies of those records upon request. 
  4. Provide a grant utilization report at the end of the season that the grant was awarded.

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