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FTC Blog: Important Information

by | Jul 10, 2026 | FTC, Newsletter

Important information, please read entire communication

 

Please note:  This communication was posted in the June 11 blog.  In an effort to make sure all coaches are aware of the change, we are resending it as an email with some updates:

  • You will find a link in this email to the first Office Hours session that Fred has set up the beginning of August (based on attendance, we will decide if more sessions are needed/helpful)
  • We have scheduled two different coaches chat sessions for FTC & FRC coaches.  Information on these webinars can in the body of the email below
  • Collateral materials will be posted on the FIRST Washington Website and the link will be sent out in the blog the week of July 20.

Hello FIRST Washington Robotics Teams!

What an incredible FIRST AGE season!

As another chapter closes and we head into summer, FIRST Washington is preparing for the upcoming CANOPY season. We are also finalizing our budget for the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, and wanted to share some important updates.

As many of you are experiencing, funding continues to be a major pressure point for programs like FIRST Robotics. Last season, FIRST Washington was able to support our community by granting nearly $1.4 million in discounts and team support funding.

When planning last season’s budget, we were optimistic we could replenish those reserves through foundation grants, renewal of OSPI, individual donors, and increased corporate support. To that end we set a large fundraising goal of over $1.5 million for the year.

Unfortunately, our success in securing replacement funding fell short by around $700,000. We were unable to secure all the grants we needed, and the State Budget did not restore any funding for FIRST Washington this year.

We have adjusted our fundraising strategy moving forward and are continuing to work as hard as we can to fill this funding gap.

At this time though, we are unable to guarantee registration discounts that teams have become accustomed to over the years.

From now until the start of the next season, we are asking your Teams to work in direct partnership with us to ensure the FIRST Washington ecosystem of nearly 1,000 total teams have the resources and support needed for another successful season for all our FLL, FTC, and FRC programs in the Pacific Northwest.

What we need you to do:

  1. Develop a fundraising plan for the summer and fall that includes the payment of full registration fees for the upcoming season
  2. Work in partnership with FIRST WA Development and Volunteer management staff to engage new mentors and volunteers to support your team- both with time and matching funds from their companies

What FIRST Washington will do:

  1. Host fundraising strategy sessions and office hours for coaches, mentors, and business managers in July and August
    • Fundraising outside the school ecosystem. 
      • Tuesday, July 28, 7-8 pm.  Click here to join
      • This targets fundraising in your community and could be helpful for both school based and community teams.
    • Fundraising inside the school ecosystem.
      • Tuesday, Aug 4, 7-8 pm.  Click here to join
      • This targets fundraising inside the school ecosystem and may be more of a brainstorming session.  I would not recommend this session for community based teams.
    • FTC Office Hours
  2. Provide clean fundraising collateral for teams to use
    • Links to these materials will be posted in the blog the week of 7-20.
  3. Work directly with companies who currently provide volunteers and mentors with matching funds available to set new engagement goals – ultimately increasing the number of volunteers and mentors on each team whose participation hours are matched with cash from their employer
  4. Activate a team support funding campaign, in addition to our standard fundraising goals for operations, with a target goal of $500K to allocate out to teams on an “as needed for sustainability and stability” basis
  5. Every challenge is a turning point. Every turning point is an opportunity.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity- Albert Einstein

Working together, we can stabilize funding for the FIRST WA ecosystem over the next two to three years- getting us all to a place where the question isn’t “how do we fund this?” but instead “what do we fund next that makes the student experience even better?”

We know this represents a shift, and we are committed to working alongside you through it. Our focus remains the same: ensuring that every team has a path forward and that our community continues to grow and succeed. Thank you for your continued dedication, resilience, and partnership—we will navigate this next season together.

Regards,

Fred

Fred Krug

President

FIRST Washington
­

Important Dates

    7-28: Fundraising Outside the School Ecosystem

    8-1: FIRST Washington Registration opens 

    8-4: Fundraising inside the School Ecosystem

    8-6: FTC Office Hours 

    8-18: FTC Coaches Chat 

    9-12: FTC Kickoff 

     

    FTC BIOBUZZ Blog: Volume 1

    by | Jul 7, 2026 | FTC, Newsletter

    Next FTC Coaches Chat is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18 at 7:00 pm 

      High Level Agenda: 

    • Season schedule Updates 
    • New Control System Updates 

     Click here to attend the meeting. 

    FTC Kickoff Registration  

    Kickoff is Saturday, Sept 12th at 9 am PDT! Join a kickoff event near you to celebrate the beginning of the 2026 BIOBUZZ™ season, see the new field, attend fun workshops, and interact with other FTC teams! Below are the kickoff locations and basic schedules. 

    Woodinville High School 

    19819 136th Ave NE     

    Woodinville, WA 98072 

    • 8:30 am: Doors open 
    • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and workshops to follow 
    • 2:00 pm: Event ends 

     

    Saint Martin’s University- Cebula Hall 3rd Floor 

    5000 Abbey Way SE 

    Lacey, WA 98503 

    • 8:30 am: Doors open 
    • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and workshops to follow 
    • 12:30 pm: Event ends 

     

    Ridgeline High School  

    20150 E. Country Vista Dr. 

    Liberty Lake, WA 98019 

    • 8:30 am: Doors open 
    • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and workshops to follow 
    • 11:30 am: Event ends 

     

    Kennewick High School  

    560 W 6th Ave 

    Kennewick, WA 99336 

    • 8:30 am: Doors open 
    • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and workshops to follow 
    • 12:00 pm: Event ends 

     

    BrickCon 2026- Meydenbauer Center  

    11100 NE 6th St.  

    Bellevue, WA 98004 

    • 8:30 am: Doors open 
    • 9:00 am: Game reveal with Q&A and workshops to follow 
    • 12:00 pm: Event ends 

     

    To register for a kickoff, fill out this form   

    More details will be sent out closer to kickoff (schedule, workshops being offered etc…) to those who have registered for the event. 

    FIRST Washington Registration 

     

    The FIRST Washington registration form will open August 1.  We are working on revamping it so that it is not quite so long and is easier to fill out.   

     

    We will post in the blog when it is “officially” open but our target is to have it ready for sign ups on August 1st! 

    Important Dates

      8-1:  FIRST Washington Registration opens 

      8-18:   FTC Coaches Chat 

      9-12: FTC Kickoff 

       

      FTC DECODE Blog:Volume 27

      by | Jun 16, 2026 | FTC, Newsletter

      Boeing Family Days

      Boeing Renton – 737 Production – Will be hosting a Family Day event on Sunday, August 30th.  We are looking for a few FRC & FTC teams to come out and show off the cool things you do.  Ideally we would like 2-3 teams to come set up with their Robots & Practice field equipment.  Added bonus if teams have interactive activities for families and children.  Teams should plan for an all-day event with Hot Dog Lunch.  We anticipate several thousand people and teams are welcome to advertise any of their events, fall camps, needs for mentors etc.

      Myra Acosta – our host has offered to take small groups on a factory tours throughout the day, and it sounds like there might be a P-8 airplane available to tour as well.

      If your team is interested in participating – please reach out to Myra Acosta (Myra.C.Acosta@Boeing.com) by Friday 6/19 with contact information to be able to reach you during the summer.  We will need to coordinate tent, safety and access requirements.”

      Thank you for your help!

      Seattle Pride Parade

      *LAST WEEK TO SIGN UP*
      MI Robotics is happy to host the Students of FIRST Washington contingent of the Seattle Pride Parade 2026! Detailed marching information still to come. Sign-up via this form or use the QR code below. Please reach out to Alida at alida.m.mendes@gmail.com with any questions.
      All FTC and FRC teams are welcome. We hope to see you there!


      Important Dates

         

        FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 26

        by | Jun 11, 2026 | FTC, Newsletter

        This post contains lots of information, please read the entire thing. 

         


        Hello FIRST Washington Robotics Teams!

        What an incredible FIRST AGE season!

        As another chapter closes and we head into summer, FIRST Washington is preparing for the upcoming CANOPY season. We are also finalizing our budget for the next fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, and wanted to share some important updates.

        As many of you are experiencing, funding continues to be a major pressure point for programs like FIRST Robotics. Last season, FIRST Washington was able to support our community by granting nearly $1.4 million in discounts and team support funding.

        When planning last season’s budget, we were optimistic we could replenish those reserves through foundation grants, renewal of OSPI, individual donors, and increased corporate support.  To that end we set a large fundraising goal of over $1.5 million for the year.

        Unfortunately, our success in securing replacement funding fell short by around $700,000. We were unable to secure all the grants we needed, and the State Budget did not restore any funding for FIRST Washington this year.

        We have adjusted our fundraising strategy moving forward and are continuing to work as hard as we can to fill this funding gap.

        At this time though, we are unable to guarantee registration discounts that teams have become accustomed to over the years.

        From now until the start of the next season, we are asking your Teams to work in direct partnership with us to ensure the FIRST Washington ecosystem of nearly 1,000 total teams have the resources and support needed for another successful season for all our FLL, FTC, and FRC programs in the Pacific Northwest.

        What we need you to do:

        1. Develop a fundraising plan for the summer and fall that includes the payment of full registration fees for the upcoming season
        2. Work in partnership with FIRST WA Development and Volunteer management staff to engage new mentors and volunteers to support your team- both with time and matching funds from their companies

        What FIRST Washington will do:

        1. Host fundraising strategy sessions and office hours for coaches, mentors, and business managers in July and August
        2. Provide clean fundraising collateral for teams to use
        3. Work directly with companies who currently provide volunteers and mentors with matching funds available to set new engagement goals – ultimately increasing the number of volunteers and mentors on each team whose participation hours are matched with cash from their employer
        4. Activate a team support funding campaign, in addition to our standard fundraising goals for operations, with a target goal of $500K to allocate out to teams on an “as needed for sustainability and stability” basis
        5. Every challenge is a turning point. Every turning point is an opportunity.

        In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity- Albert Einstein

        Working together, we can stabilize funding for the FIRST WA ecosystem over the next two to three years- getting us all to a place where the question isn’t “how do we fund this?” but instead “what do we fund next that makes the student experience even better?”

        We know this represents a shift, and we are committed to working alongside you through it. Our focus remains the same: ensuring that every team has a path forward and that our community continues to grow and succeed. Thank you for your continued dedication, resilience, and partnership—we will navigate this next season together.

         

        Regards,

        Fred

        Fred Krug

        President

        FIRST Washington

        Seattle Pride Parade

        MI Robotics is happy to host the Students of FIRST Washington contingent of the Seattle Pride Parade 2026! Detailed marching information to come in June. Sign-up via this form or use the QR code below. Please reach out to Alida at alida.m.mendes@gmail.com with any questions. We hope to see you there!


        Important Dates

           

          FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 25

          by | Jun 2, 2026 | FTC, Newsletter

          Recording and slide deck from last week’s coaches chat have been posted

          Thank you to everyone who attended last week’s coaches chat.  I think we had some great discussions! 

          While we did record our presentation, we did not record the feedback session.

          You can find the slide deck and recording here:  https://firstwa.org/webinars/  

          Important Dates & Deadlines

           

          FTC DECODE Blog: Volume 24

          by | May 26, 2026 | FTC, Newsletter

          Next FTC Coaches Chat is scheduled for TONIGHT, May 26 at 7:00 pm 

            

          On this coaches chat, we plan to: 

          • Talk (at a high level) about what next season will look like 
          • Get feedback from all of you letting us know 
          • What went well 
          • What you would like to see improved/changed 

          While we will be recording our presentation, we will not be recording the feedback session so make sure to attend if you would like to be part of the feedback session! 

          Click here to attend the meeting. 

           

          Important Dates & Deadlines