For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology First is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Manchester, New Hampshire, registered in 1994, with $84,935,359 in FY2024 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 83% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2024)
$84.9M
▲ 0.1% vs prior year
Science & Tech median: $288K
Expenses (FY2024)
$88.9M
Net assets
$65.4M
Employees
218
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology First: 83% to programs · $7 to raise $100 earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology First: 9 mo reserves · -5% margin earns a B+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology First: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology First: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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To inspire youth to become science and technology leaders and innovators.
First lego league (fll), for which there are three divisions, discover, explore and challenge, reached 651,000 youths aged 4-16, on approximately 73,600 teams worldwide. this year's challenge was called "submerged." participants used creative thinking and lego technology to explore the layers of the ocean and bring their learnings and ideas to the surface. discover and explore students built a lego model and tracked what they learned in an engineering notebook. explore teams used code to bring their model to life. challenge teams also built and programmed an autonomous lego robot to play the themed submerged robot game. in addition to participating in local events, teams from around the world met in houston in april 2025 as part of the first championship competition (narrative continued on schedule o, pg. 146). and celebration.participation in discover, explore and challenge has engaged students in a comprehensive experience developing confidence in their ability to address real world issues facing their communities, builds their stem literacy and social-emotional learning, and exposes them to stem careers. by progressing through each division and on to high-school level first programs, students gain a full suite of technical skills and ongoing encouragement, making it more likely that they will pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
First tech challenge (ftc) served 110,000 youths from ages 12-18 on 8,800 teams. like first robotics competition, first tech challenge teams design and build a robot to compete on a themed playing field but using a smaller robot kit and game challenge field. in this year's ocean-themed game, "into the deep," each team built a robot and participated in local events. this program provides an experience for a broad audience of educators and students at a low cost. the experience simulates the excitement as well as the pressure of a real-life engineering project, developing not only the students' technical know-how, but also leadership, cooperation, ability to plan, patience, and teamwork. (narrative continued on schedule o, pg. 146).first tech challenge enriches the participating students' ability to deal with the satisfactions and disappointments of a real engineering project. the experience expands students' interest and skills in stem and inspires many to go on to higher education and careers in those fields. students and alumni of the program gain access to education and career discovery opportunities, connections to exclusive scholarships and employers, and a place in the first community for life.
Revenue grew from $53.7M (FY2013) to $84.9M (FY2024) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
-4.7%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$73.0M
Total liabilities
$7.6M
Net assets
$65.4M
Salaries & benefits
$25.0M
28% of expenses
Board members
21
20 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $84,935,359▲0.1% | $88,886,873▲8.0% | $65,409,650▼4.8% | $73,021,981▼5.2% | 990 |
| 2023 | $84,820,628▼2.5% | $82,281,294▲3.0% | $68,721,047▲4.1% | $77,043,564▲3.7% | 990 |
| 2022 | $86,981,679▲19.2% | $79,878,355▲8.6% | $66,006,339▲12.1% | $74,279,687▲15.6% | 990 |
| 2021 | $72,988,833▲65.1% | $73,522,222▲54.5% | $58,900,573▼1.0% | $64,269,944▼5.6% | 990 |
| 2020 | $44,219,832▼43.8% | $47,579,127▼30.7% | $59,521,417▼5.3% | $68,065,511▼5.5% | 990 |
| 2019 | $78,740,055▼9.7% | $68,629,480▼16.5% | $62,880,712▲19.2% | $72,013,854▲19.2% | 990 |
| 2018 | $87,240,566▲12.7% | $82,164,829▲11.7% | $52,770,137▲10.6% | $60,424,085▲13.0% | 990 |
| 2017 | $77,418,918▲8.3% | $73,563,063▲4.6% | $47,694,400▲8.8% | $53,458,927▲10.8% | 990 |
| 2016 | $71,517,750▲24.2% | $70,357,541▲22.6% | $43,838,545▲19.5% | $48,230,126▲23.5% | 990 |
| 2014 | $57,575,548▲7.2% | $57,401,069▲7.9% | $36,687,846▲0.5% | $39,064,428▲0.7% | 990 |
| 2013 | $53,703,865 | $53,181,465▲10.2% | $36,513,367▲1.5% | $38,790,221▼2.8% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $48,247,371 | $35,990,967 | $39,905,929 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Christopher Moore — $465,900 (0.52% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Moore | Secretary, Ceo | 40 | $465,900 |
| Christopher Rake | Executive Vp & Coo | 40 | $331,013 |
| Pedro L Diaz | Chief Information Officer | 40 | $253,161 |
| Mark S Giordono | Vp, Development | 40 | $232,398 |
| Danielle M Pliska | Chief Financial Officer | 40 | $224,025 |
| Michael C Shea | Vp, Program Delivery | 40 | $211,969 |
| Amy Lynn Hunt | Chief People Officer | 40 | $202,347 |
| Ronald Falcone | Chief Sourcing Officer | 40 | $194,522 |
| Brooke Blew | Vp, Marketing & Communications | 40 | $189,838 |
| Janell Nicole Catlin | Vp, Social Impact & Engagement | 40 | $184,384 |
| Rachel Allison Moore | Senior Director, Engineering | 40 | $176,384 |
| Kim R Wierman | Senior Director, Fll | 40 | $175,879 |
| Andrea W Davis | Past Director, Global Field Ops | 40 | $171,312 |
| Vincent D Rodino | Sr Dir, School Engagement & Edu. | 40 | $163,728 |
| Collin C Fultz | Senior Director, Frc & Ftc | 40 | $157,996 |
| William Potter Saxe | Vp, Risk Mgmt/gen Cnsl | 40 | $136,244 |
| Dantaya Williams | Board Member | 1 | — |
| David Siegel Phd | Board Member | 1 | — |
| Dean Kamen | Founder & Board Member | 12 | — |
| Donald E Bossi Phd | Vice Chair | 1 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Solomon Group | Event Management | $2,600,162 |
| Salesforce Inc | Consulting Services | $1,778,286 |
| Show Ready Events LLC | Event Management | $839,250 |
| Shepard Exposition Services Inc | Event Management | $606,737 |
| Active Logistics Inc | Transportation/logistics | $541,655 |
120 grants to For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology First totaling $32.5M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $3,013,062 |
| Charities Aid Foundation America | Charitable donation | 2024 | $860,149 |
| Paypal Charitable Giving Fund | General support | 2024 | $231,751 |
| Austin Community Foundation | Education | 2024 | $200,000 |
| American Endowment Foundation | Science | 2024 | $90,250 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation | Youth development | 2024 | $45,000 |
| The Us Charitable Gift Trust | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2024 | $30,000 |
| The New York Community Trust | For program support. | 2024 | $25,000 |
| The Blackbaud Giving Fund | General support | 2024 | $12,054 |
| Arkansas Community Foundation Inc | General operating support | 2024 | $10,000 |
| Greater Horizons | Education | 2024 | $10,000 |
| Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc | Community & human services | 2024 | $7,250 |
| Tides Foundation | Quality education | 2023 | $6,500,000 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2023 | $4,750,405 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2023 | $321,894 |
847 grants totaling $21.8M in FY2024 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology First →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| First In Michigan | Program support | $1,404,497 |
| Ingenuityne Inc | Program support | $1,067,291 |
| Foundation For Inspiration & Recognition Science & Technology I | Program support | $965,692 |
| Virginiafirst | Program support | $912,300 |
| First North Carolina | Program support | $566,211 |
| Washington First Robotics | Program support | $534,430 |
| Mid-atlantic Robotics A Nj Non-profit Corporation | Program support | $530,817 |
| Georgiafirst Robotics Inc | Program support | $522,400 |
| Oregon Robotics Tournament & Outreach Program | Program support | $318,639 |
| South River Board of Education | Program support | $301,676 |
| Indiana First Inc | Program support | $298,031 |
| Wisconsin First Robotics Inc | Program support | $250,000 |
| Colorado Robotics Excelling Atscience & Technology | Program support | $243,327 |
| American Indian Science and Engineering Society | Program support | $205,086 |
| North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University | Program support | $200,439 |
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Data for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology First (EIN 22-2990908) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.