For Inspiration And Recognition Of Science And Technology (First)

For Inspiration And Recognition Of Science And Technology (First), doing business as United States Foundation For Inspiration, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Manchester, New Hampshire, that operates as a prime recipient of federal grants and purchase orders supporting K-12 STEM education and robotics competitions. The organization does not hold federal contracts as a prime contractor or sit on federal contract vehicles; it receives direct federal funding exclusively through grants, cooperative agreements, and sole-source purchase orders from civilian agencies, predominantly without set-aside designations.

FIRST's federal capability portfolio centers on delivering mentor-based robotics competitions, STEM curricula, and hands-on learning experiences to K-12 students. The organization's most significant award is a $12.39 million cooperative agreement from NASA's Shared Services Center for the FIRST Robotics Outreach Competition IV (ROC-IV) program, extending through December 2029, which funds continuation and expansion of FIRST's proven robotics and mentorship initiatives. Recent representative awards include a $2.48 million cooperative agreement from NASA's Shared Services Center (awarded January 2024) for the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge Phase 2 program; a $200 thousand purchase order from the Navy Recruiting Command (awarded May 2025) for sponsorship services, outreach, advertising, and recruiting opportunities; and a $25 thousand purchase order from NASA's Shared Services Center (awarded March 2026) sponsoring the 2026 FIRST Robotics Buckeye Regional Competition at Cleveland State University. FIRST also holds a $747,050 single-award Blanket Purchase Agreement with the Department of the Army Materiel Command running through September 2028 for competition-based STEM education services.

Customer concentration is extreme. NASA's Shared Services Center accounts for 22 of 76 total awards (45% of recent award count) with $51.1 million in combined potential value—accounting for 73% of FIRST's total potential-value baseline of $69.8 million. This concentration reflects FIRST's role as the primary federal partner for NASA's robotics education outreach mission. The second-largest customer by potential value is NASA Ames Research Center, with a single $8.5 million award. The Navy Recruiting Command, Army Materiel Command, and multiple Army Corps of Engineers divisions round out the active customer set, with awards ranging from $57 thousand to $747 thousand. Sixteen distinct federal agencies have placed awards with FIRST across the source data window.

Activity has accelerated in recent years—one award in 2022, growing to eight awards in 2025—though the source captures only one award in 2026 to date. FIRST's award portfolio reflects modest multi-year grant commitments rather than high-velocity task-order execution; combined dollars obligated ($103.8 million) exceed combined potential value ($69.8 million at 149%), indicating prior-year spend and drawdowns against existing grant baselines. FIRST acts as a sub-recipient on grant awards under Research Triangle Institute, with three sub-grant awards documented between November 2024 and June 2025 under award 6-312-0219684 and its modifications. Primary NAICS coding reflects Educational Support Services (26 awards) and Professional and Management Development Training (3 awards), with PSC coding weighted toward Education/Training fees (12 awards) and general education/training services (5 awards).