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
     • Aug 6, 12-1pm.  Click here to join
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