FTC Updates July 2022

Time to Declare Intent!

If you haven’t already, please log into your FIRST dashboard and declare your intent to return.  This will help us plan for the season, budget, assign leagues, find venues, etc.

Who should I talk to?

Connect with Trisha Thompson to talk about

• FTC Team Support
• Registration
• Training
• Consent & release forms
• Growth of FTC (how to start new teams, etc.)

You can schedule a call with Trisha here

Connect with Dan Leathers to talk about

• FLL, FTC, or FRC Competitions
• Volunteers
• Equipment
• Purchasing

Share the Spare – a message from FIRST HQ

Dear FIRST® Tech Challenge Community,

We are excited about the upcoming 2022-2023 season, FIRST® ENERGIZE^SM presented by Qualcomm, and the FIRST Tech Challenge game, POWERPLAY^SM presented by Raytheon Technologies.

Unfortunately, the REV Robotics Control Hub, a core component of the reusable FIRST Tech Challenge robot kit, is currently unavailable due to ongoing global supply chain disruptions. All efforts are being made to have Control Hubs in stock in time for kickoff in September.

In the meantime, we are asking our existing teams to help rookie teams get started by sharing spare Control Hubs and/or Expansion Hubs with Android Phones. Many teams have spare equipment or Expansion Hubs that they have replaced with Control Hubs. If you can help “share the spare,” please reach out to Trisha.

Alternatively, teams have the option to participate in the REV Control System buyback program, which may be a good option to help rookie teams that are not in your region.

We are proud of our community and the wonderful acts of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® that our teams display both on and off the field. Thank you for everything you do to help grow the FIRST community and help us deliver the Impact of our mission to as many students as possible.

Grants – Apply, Apply, Apply!

Here is a list of grants that teams can apply for.  Some are for school-based teams and others are for any team that has a 501(c)(3) that they work with.

General Grant Resources

• FIRST Team Grants
• FIRST Fundraising Toolkit – Section 7 Grant Resources
• STEMfinity Grants Listing
• The Grantmanship Center
• GrantSpace
• Title IV Part A – Indiana Department of Education

Other

• Harbor Freight Tools for Schools
• AEP (Indiana/Michigan Power) Grants for FIRST Teams
• BAE Systems – Fort Wayne Area
• Bayer Fund(formerly Monsanto)
• Donors Choose – Find out when sponsor-driven DonorsChoose.org funding for robotics programs is available.
  • DonorsChoose / FIRST Facebook Page
• Cops for Kids
• Plex Smart Manufacturing Grant – Any team!

Core Values

We express the FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition through our Core Values:

• Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
• Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
• Impact:  We apply what we learn to improve our world.
• Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
• Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.
• Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!