Team Portal

FIRST is not regranting money to teams this season. Do not apply for more grants than you can use in the FIRST storefront.

Check the FIRST Grant Opportunities for the latest list that is published by HQ (updated often).

Heartland STEM Grant (not listed at FIRST)

• The initial grant is $500, with an additional matching fund of $1,000 available for organizations that do additional fundraising
• Apply for this grant here

FIRST Rookie Grants (listed on the FIRST site above).

• Rookies – $275 to cover registration and $225 toward equipment
• Apply for this need based grant here
• Do NOT pay FIRST registration before grant notification
• Deadline is Nov. 11, 2023

FTC Sim Rookie Grants (not listed at FIRST)

• Rookies – $1,000 to cover registration equipment
• Teams awarded this grant are not eligible for the need-based FIRST rookie team grant.
• Apply for this need based grant here
• Do NOT pay FIRST registration before grant notification

John Deere Grants (listed on the FIRST site above)

• Teams must be within 40 miles of Coffeyville, KS or Springfield, MO facilities or have a John Deere employee mentoring virtually
• Do NOT pay FIRST registration before grant notification.
• Learn more and apply here
• Deadline is Sept. 30, 2023

Boeing Employee Mentors Grant (listed on the FIRST site above)

• Applications are open from August 9 until September 29, 2023 for Boeing employees and retires only. 
• In order to receive a Boeing sponsorship, a team must have a Boeing employee or retiree who commits to volunteering for the team at least 25 hours over the course of the season.
• Teams can receive an $800 grant
• Do NOT pay FIRST registration before grant notification if you want to use for this purpose
• Grants are restricted for 2023-2024

KC STEM Alliance Grants (not listed at FIRST)

• Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas
• Jackson, Platte, Clay and Cass counties in Missouri
• Grants are awarded to support and increase student participation in FIRST Tech Challenge
• Learn more and apply here
• Deadline to apply is Sept. 15, 2023 by 5 pm CT
• Notification of status on Sept. 22, 2023

BAE Systems’ FIRST gran  (not listed on the FIRST site above)

• BAE Systems’ FIRST grant application is now open. 
• Application deadline is September 22, 2023
• Teams must meet at least one criteria:
  • Teams located within 75 miles of a BAE Systems site
  • Teams with BAE Systems mentors
  • Teams with an existing relationship with BAE Systems
  • Teams demonstrating diversity in STEM

Bayer (formerly Monsanto) Grants (listed on the FIRST site above)

• MO = 55 miles from Kansas City, Matthews and St. Louis facilities
• Invitation only grant – you need a contact or ask for one at the local site
• Learn more and apply here
• The application period begins July 1, 2023 and closes July 31, 2023 at 11:59 (CT).

REV Robotics Team Sponsorships (listed on the FIRST site above)

• The sponsorships are for use on REV products and intended for both rookie and veteran teams that excel on the playing field while being good stewards of their local FIRST community through sharing their knowledge with other teams.
• Learn more and apply here
• Application opens soon. Deadline TBA.

GoBilda Team Sponsorships (not listed at FIRST)

• Offering Strafer Chassis Kits (normally $499.99) for only $150 to 150 FIRST FTC Teams (both rookie and veteran)!
• Learn more and apply here
• Application opens soon. Deadline TBA.

Gene Haas Foundation Team Grants  (not listed at FIRST)

• Offering $2,000 Grants to both rookie and veteran teams
• Learn more and apply here
• No Annual Deadline: Teams will be funded annually (one submission per year)

FIRST and NewsCorp have a special section in DonorsChoose.org

• Open to public school teachers for items (not registration)
• Learn how one teacher has been successful with DonorsChoose.org here
• Learn more here

Teams must pay a flat $225 fee to participate in Missouri/Kansas competitions.

This non-refundable fee covers:

• League Meets
• League Tournament

This fee does not cover:

• Post Season Events (Championship)

We have a NEW process for payment. FIRST in Missouri will issue an invoice from our QuickBooks system. Grants applied to your FIRST  Dashboard cannot be used for MO/KS fees. The two systems are not connected.

Invoices can be paid with paper checks, electronic fund transfer (EFT) or credit card.

Teams are encouraged to build a profile for the FIRST Mentor Network. This is a new system and we need to show the community how we would appreciate their involvement. The registration is for in-person or virtual mentoring – this could be amazing for teams without many engineers nearby. But don’t forget to ask for help with budgets, presentations, etc.

FIRST and FIRST in Missouri will encourage businesses to share with their employees.

Learn more about the FIRST Mentor Network.

The CENTERSTAGE Presented by RTX Season will Kickoff on September 9, 2023. View the FiMO Kickoff Flyer HERE.

Leagues will have individual kickoffs to watch the MO/KS Season Overview, watch the FIRST Kickoff and Game Reveal, and then see a real CENTERSTAGE field.

• St. Louis North League is graciously hosted by St. Louis Community College – Florissant Valley
• St. Louis Mid League is graciously hosted by Rockwood School District Robotics at Marquette High School
• St. Louis South League is graciously hosted by St. Louis Public School District Robotics at Gateway STEM High School
• Kansas City East and West Leagues are graciously hosted by KC STEM Alliance at KC Engineering Zone
• Southeast League is graciously hosted by Southeast Missouri State University at Seabaugh Polytechnic Building
• Southwest and MidMO League is graciously hosted by Springfield Public School District Robotics at Kickapoo High School

Here’s what’s planned:

• Watch the season teaser below. An overview of the MO/KS season will be released on September 9, 2023.

Stay tuned for more info

Leagues are encouraged to share resources and post any training so that the MO/KS teams can continue to grow and learn as a community.

Team Location Map for 21-22 FREIGHT FRENZY season Leagues are color coded. Previous years’ map are located on archived pages. The POWERPLAY season will be updated after the 10/3 finalization of League assignments.

Opportunities for outreach:

We would like to suggest the following opportunities to keep our MO/KS robotics community connected:

• Online mentoring of new teams
• Building up our community by sharing experience/skills
• Using the Mentor Network to advertise for your own mentors but also to get the word out to potential mentor pools
  
• Volunteering at an event for another level of FIRST programming – FIRST LEGO League students love to see “big robots”

There are usually off-season events across the country.

Check FIRST Events listing and watch for announcements in our Tech Tuesday Newsletter.