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

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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.

Pennsylvania Department of Education Grant

Description

Pennsylvania FIRST Robotics (PFR) has secured a $200,000 job training and education grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to support Philadelphia FIRST Tech Challange and FIRST Robotics Competition teams and coaches during the 2025-2026 school year.

This grant is only possible thanks to the stalwart support of State Senator Nikil Saval. Please take a moment to call or email his office to thank him for his support of school robotics programs in Philadelphia (https://pasenatorsaval.com/contact/)! Thanks also to the students and coaches of the Central High School RoboLancers whose advocacy in Harrisburg over the last year paved the way for this grant.

The goals of this grant program are to ensure that students in Philadelphia schools have the resources and supplies needed to build robots and enter into competitions, and to train and compensate teachers for their work to operate and mentor their robotics teams. Grant funds will be allocated in the following areas as described below: Team Support, Coach Support, and Coach Training.

Application Process

Requester must complete and submit the Pennsylvania Department of Education Grant Application form for each team and grant type identified below. Single applications with multiple teams listed will not be accepted.

Click here to apply for the Pennsylvania Department of Education Grant

Show Details

Team Support Grants

Team Support grants area available to Philadelphia FIRST teams for the 2025-2026 season, subject to the following criteria:

  • FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition teams based at schools in the city of Philadelphia are eligible to apply. Schools with multiple teams may submit multiple applications.
  • Depending on the number of applicants/awardees, we expect to award $1-1.5k grants to FIRST Tech Challenge teams and $5-7k grants to FIRST Robotics Competition teams.
  • Funds must be received by a school or nonprofit entity. Funds will not be paid to an individual. Note each school in the School District of Philadelphia may not accept more than $5,000 from PFR each year.
  • Granted funds may be used for the purchase of robot parts, tools, uniforms, competition registration, competition travel, or other appropriate team uses.
  • Recipient teams must register students with FIRST (target 5-10 per FTC team, 10+ per FRC team).
  • Recipient teams must compete at two or more official tournaments in the 2025-2026 FIRST Age season.
  • The team will provide Pennsylvania FIRST Robotics with an accounting of how the funds were used.
  • Applications will close for FTC on September 5th, and for FRC on September 30th. Applications from rookie teams will be considered after these deadlines, if funds remain.

Coach Support Stipends

Coach Support stipends area available to teachers who coach teams receiving the above Team Support grant, provided they meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Recipient is employed as a teacher at a school and coaches a FIRST team (the Team) at that school.
  • The Team has been awarded a Team Support grant (described above).
  • Recipient is registered with FIRST as Lead Coach 1 or 2 of the Team and has completed Youth Protection Program screening.
  • The Team’s regular meetings are held after school, and some or all of this time is uncompensated by the school.
  • The Team fulfills the requirements of the Team Support grant.
  • Half the stipend will be paid in January 2026. The remainder of the stipend will be paid in May/June 2026 once all Team Support grant requirements are satisfied.
  • Up to one teacher may receive a stipend per FTC team. Up to two teachers may receive a stipend per FRC team. No individual will receive a stipend for multiple Teams.
  • Depending on the number of applicants/awardees, we expect to award $2-3k stipends to FTC coaches and $5-8k stipends to FRC coaches.
  • Recipients will be paid as independent contractors of Pennsylvania FIRST Robotics.
  • The application for coach support is combined with the application for team support and the same deadlines apply.

Coach Training Grants

Grants for coach training are available. Teams or organizations wishing to run a training event for FIRST coaches may request funding to support their event. Events receiving funding must welcome interested Philadelphia FIRST coaches free of charge. Teams or organizations do not need to be recipients of Team Support grants to be eligible.

Recipients of the Coach Support stipends above may request funding to defray the costs associated with registration or travel to FIRST Professional Development, FIRST Mentor Conference, or similar opportunities.

Requests for coach training funds will be approved on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

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