1. North Carolina Advocacy Conference1
FIRST®\
North Carolina Advocacy Conference

2. Inspiring youth to become science & technology leaders and innovators,
FIRST® is...
Inspiring youth to become science & technology leaders and innovators,
by engaging them in exciting, mentor-guided programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, inspire innovation, and foster well-rounded life capabilities.
Ages 6-10 (Grades K–4)
Ages 9-14 (Grades 4-8)

3. 530K 255K 19M+ $81M 2,900+ 69K FIRST® – 2017-18 Season Recap
students on 61k teams
In 95 countries
255K
Mentor, Coach, Judge, & Volunteer roles
19M+
Volunteer hours
$81M
scholarship opportunities from nearly 200 providers
2,900+
events in 91 countries
69K
participants at annual
FIRST® Championships
“The only sport where everyone who plays can turn pro”

4. FIRST® – 2017-18 Season Recap Program FY 2017 Actual (2016-17)
( )
FY 2018
Season
FIRST® LEGO®
League Jr.
7,252 (eq) NA teams
+ 3,403 ONA
10,655 WW
9,799 (eq) in NA
+6,626 ONA
16,452 WW (+54% YoY)
FIRST® LEGO®
League
17,414 (eq) NA teams
+ 13,665 ONA
31,079 WW
19,022 (eq) in NA
+ 16,011 ONA
35,033 WW (+13% YoY)
FIRST® Tech Challenge
4,562 teams NA
+ 660 ONA
5,222 WW
5,241 in NA
+ 780 ONA
6,021 WW (+15% YoY)
FIRST® Robotics
Competition
3,357 WW
3,660 WW (+9% YoY)
Total Teams: Student Participants:
50,313 WW
448,707
61,139 WW (+22% YoY)
530,524 (+18% YoY)
(O)NA = (Outside) North America WW = Worldwide YoY = Year over Year 4

5. FIRST® – 2017-18 Season Recap Teams by U.S. State / Territory 248 571%
State
# FLL Jr
Teams
# FLL
# FTC
# FRC
Total # of Teams Across All 4 FIRST
Programs
Estimated Total # of Youth Participants
FIRST
Participants as
% of Total Youth Population (ages )
Alaska 65
194 50 1
310
2,467
1.88%
Alabama 38 95 12 14
159
1,458
0.18%
Arkansas 34 71 20 25
150
1,597
0.31%
Arizona 69
349 60
543
5,356
0.45%
California
667
1753
405
314
3139
29,926
Colorado
157
336 67 36
596
5,200
0.56%
Connecticut
203 40 51
444
4,199
0.72% DC 9 8 11 53
609
0.78%
Delaware 68 79 16 3
166
1,275
0.85%
Florida
569
725
172 80
1546
12,934
0.43%
Georgia
201
749
118 82
1150
10,428
Guam 17 21 2
320
0.55%
Hawaii 76
124 29
254
2,363
1.11%
Iowa
228
412
210 28
878
7,464
1.40%
Idaho 57
177 33 15
282
2,463
0.77%
Illinois
267
630
181
1135
9,877
0.46%
Indiana
121
324 75 49
5,293
Kansas 39
106 24
1,932
0.37%
Kentucky 70
305
2,515
0.34%
Louisiana 83 31 37
301
2,933
Massachusett
133
465 87 78
763
7,338
0.70%
Maryland
235
398
117
790
6,764
0.69%
Maine 56 89 26
173
1,718
0.89%
Michigan
616
527
436
508
2087
24,972
1.53%
Minnesota
257
641
193
215
1306
13,975
1.49%
Missouri
317
488
187 73
1065
9,501
0.94%
Mississippi 84
176
1,657
Montana 90
139
1,176
0.71%
FIRST Season %
State
# FLL Jr
Teams
# FLL
# FTC
# FRC
Total # of Teams Across All 4 FIRST
Programs
Estimated Total # of Youth Participants
FIRST
Participants as
% of Total Youth Population (ages )
North Carolina
248
571
100 66
985
8,706
0.51%
North Dakota 16 98 11 4
129
1,090
0.90%
Nebraska 29
114 22 3
168
1,381
0.41%
New Hampshire
713
176 33 43
965
7,091
3.53%
New Jersey
213
414
185 81
893
8,465
0.58%
New Mexico 88
103 8
221
1,772
0.49%
Nevada 64
101 24 15
204
1,807
0.37%
New York
494
841
262
172
1769
16,612
0.55%
Ohio
373
557
104
1098
9,334
0.48%
Oklahoma
140
199 72 48
459
4,352
0.63%
Oregon
135
432 51
822
7,581
1.19%
Pennsylvania
260
461
136 67
924
8,283
0.42%
Puerto Rico 1 35
295
0.05%
Rhode Island 69 44 6
1,238
0.78%
South Carolina
186
333 37 45
601
5,275
0.65%
South Dakota 31 59 95
723
Tennessee 76
255 25 34
390
3,596
0.33%
Texas
560
1533
670
163
2926
26,399
0.50%
Utah
294 53
443
3,914
0.59%
Virginia
242
569
167 75
1053
9,549
0.70%
Vermont 21 19 17 5 62
573
Washington
229
628
173
102
1132
10,678
0.91%
Wisconsin
383 50 61
657
6,067
West Virginia
118
120 13
254
1,873
0.68%
Wyoming 46
146
1,192
APO
125 27
200
1,558
TOTAL
9,222
18,074
5,159
3,024
35,479
327,114
0.61%

6. FIRST® – 2017-18 Season Recap Teams by Country TOTAL 16,425 35,033
Country Rank by Student Count
Country
FLL Jr
FLL
FTC
FRC
Total # of Teams
Est. # of Student Participants
FIRST Students as % of Total Population Ages 6-18 1
United States
9,222
18,074
5,159
3,024
35,479
327,114
0.61% 2
China & Hong Kong
1,000
4,263
398 83
5,744
46,159
0.02% 3
Canada
577
948 59
249
1,833
17,861
0.37%
Highest % Penetration 4
Spain
340
1,550
1,890
14,440
0.22% 5
Australia
450
780 34 52
1,316
10,580
0.30% 6
Israel
550
530 44 70
1,194
9,730
0.52% 7
Russia
681
428 56
1,165
8,070
0.04% 8
Turkey
381
459 53
893
7,283 9
Mexico
145
445 23 81
694
6,685 10
United Kingdom
251
558
812
6,045
0.06% 11
Netherlands 97
599 17
717
5,644 12
Germany
574
640
5,043
0.05% 13
Denmark
112
454
566
4,304
0.50% 14
Brazil
518
4,144
0.01% 15
Norway 75
362
438
3,371
0.41% 16
Korea, South 89
263 32
384
2,958
Estonia
280
139
419
2,792
1.67% 18
Egypt
181
140
335
2,346 19
Greece
142
156
298
2,100
0.16% 20
Italy
109
151
260
1,862 21
Chile 30
207
237
1,836 22
Singapore
209
229
1,792
0.24%
India 50
222
1,770
0.00% 24
Ukraine
165 95
1,750
0.03% 25
South Africa
117
239
1,708
All Others (70 countries)
1,310
2,874
136 37
4,357
33,137
TOTAL
16,425
35,033
6,021
3,660
61,139
530,524

7. 2018-19 Season: “Space” is the Place
Unified “Space” theme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of humankind’s first steps on the Moon to be announced “teaser style” at April 2018 Championship

8. “It’s not about kids building robots,
What is FIRST® ?
“It’s not about kids building robots,
it’s about robots building kids.”
Dean Kamen Founder, FIRST

9. FIRST® Impact: “More than Robots”
STEM Awareness, Skills and Intent
Increase the number of youth who pursue post- secondary education and careers in STEM-related fields and industries
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Inspire youth to become leaders and innovators in their field and society
21st Century Work-Life Skills
Enable youth to develop valuable, real-world skills applicable to all career choices and outcomes
Ethos of Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition®

11. 3.0x 2.2x 3.0x 1.6x 2.4x FIRST® Longitudinal Study
48-month Results of Brandeis University-led Study
FIRST participants are significantly more likely to show gains on each STEM-related measure in the study than the comparison group.
3.0x
more likely to show gains in STEM Interest
2.2x
more likely to show gains in STEM Activity
3.0x
more likely to show gains in STEM Career Interest
1.6x
more likely to show gains in STEM Identity
2.4x
more likely to show gains in STEM Knowledge
Note: Impacts are relative to comparable subgroups in the comparison population with similar backgrounds and achievement in high-school math and science.

12. STEM-Related Impacts are evident Across All Three Programs, Major Population Groups, and Different Types of Communities

13. Statistically significant STEM-related impacts
are evident across all major population groups
Outcomes
Males
Females
Low Income
High Income
White
Non- White
STEM Interest +
STEM Activity
STEM Careers
STEM Identity
STEM Knowledge
Note: Plus mark (+) indicates a positive, significant impact at p=.05 or less based on analysis at 48 months after entry into the study. Impacts are relative to comparable subgroups in the comparison population (for example, male FIRST participants compared to male comparison group members). Low income is defined as those whose family income is below $50,000.

14. Girls in FIRST show significantly greater gains on STEM measures than boys
Impacts on STEM-Related Outcomes
for Male and Female FIRST Team Members
Females in FIRST vs. Female Comparison Students Males in FIRST vs. Male Comparison Students
1.00
0.90
0.80
0.70
0.58
0.60
0.51
0.50
0.40
0.35
0.33
0.28
0.30
0.27
0.21
0.20
0.11
0.10
0.00
STEM Interest STEM Activity STEM Careers STEM Identity STEM Knowledge
Note: Values on the chart represent the differences in outcomes between FIRST participants and students of the same gender in the comparison groups (i.e., the difference in scores between males in FIRST and males in the comparison group and between females in FIRST and female comparison students). All differences are statistically significant at p=.05 or less. The impacts for girls in FIRST are significantly greater than those for boys. 14

15. Why is FIRST® so important? Education for the 21st Century
Education for the Industrial Age (1850 – 2000)
Education for the Information Age (2000 – Future)
“What you know.”
“What you can do with what you know.”

16. FIRST® National Strategic Objectives
Expand Access and Participation, Broad and Deep: All youth have access to a progression of FIRST programs.
Exciting, inviting, accessible, and affordable
Easy to engage
Coherent ecosystems supporting a clear progression of K-12 programs
Increase Diversity: Programs serve an inclusive and diverse audience, reflecting the population of the communities we serve.
Scale Efficiently: Programs efficiently scale to meet increasing demand, while
maintaining world-class quality and promoting our core values
Ensure Sustainability:
Teams, Partner Organizations, Volunteers, Mentors, and Sponsors
Broad-based financial support, including corporate, individual, government, and foundation funding
FIRST alumni are committed and engaged for life
Achieve Broad Recognition: Universally recognized as the leading life-changing STEM engagement program (i.e., a “Movement”)

17. FIRST® U.S. Demographic Data
Continued Progress Engaging More Young Women
% Female Participants
Fiscal Year:
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
FLL Jr.
31.5%
34.2%
37.0%
37.8%
FLL
29.9%
30.8%
32.4%
35.4%
FTC
23.1%
23.2%
23.7%
25.3%
25.9%
27.0%
28.2%
FRC
25.7%
26.9%
27.8%
28.9%
FIRST Overall
25.5%
25.0%
28.0%
29.0%
30.3%
31.6%
All US Reporting Youth
80.0%
74.5%
75.0%
74.7%
72.0%
71.0%
69.7%
68.4%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
Great
Trend !
28.0%
29.0%
30.3%
31.6%
30.0%
25.5%
25.0%
25.3%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
2012
2013
2014
Linear (Female )
Linear (Male)
Female
Male
Moving North Carolina Forward Through Advocacy

18. FIRST® U.S. Demographic Data 2017-18 Season
FY 2018
Total US Students (Private + Public)
FIRST
FIRST LEGO
League Jr.
League
FIRST Tech Challenge
FIRST Robotics Competition
Engineering Workforce
Computer – Technology Workforce
Grade Levels:
K – 3
4 – 8
7 – 12
9 – 12
(2011 data)
Total Students - US
55,511,325
327,114
55,332
144,592
51,590
75,600
2,305,215
3,614,046
Male
51.4%
68.4%
62.2%
64.6%
71.7%
70.9%
86.8%
73.4%
Female
48.6%
31.6%
37.8%
35.4%
28.2%
28.9%
13.2%
26.6%
White/Caucasian
49.6%
60.7%
62.3%
63.0%
56.5%
60.6%
75.2%
67.9%
Black/African American
14.9%
4.1%
3.6%
3.9%
4.3%
4.9%
7.3%
Asian
5.0%
20.0%
22.2%
20.3%
21.9%
18.5%
11.3%
16.8%
Hispanic
25.4%
10.9%
7.5%
8.7%
13.4%
12.0%
7.1%
6.0%
Native American/Alaskan
1.0%
0.4%
0.7%
0.5%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.2%
0.3%
Two or More Races
3.5%
4.6%
4.5%
4.7%
Free/Reduced Lunch
50%
17.6%
9.8%
12.5%
20.5%
21.8%
Important Note: At a time where we all need more insight and impact data, privacy rights and data protection are becoming “hot topics” and an increasing focus of legislation on a global basis.

19. FY 2018 U.S. School Penetration
Schools /
Teams
Student
Enrollment
Number of Schools in the U.S. (K-12, Public & Private)
131,890
55,511,325
Number of Public Schools in the U.S. (K-12, Public)
98,271
50,826,429
Number of FIRST Teams in the U.S.
35,479
Number of FIRST Teams associated with at least 1 U.S. school
24,167
Number of U.S. Schools (Public & Private) with at least 1 FIRST Team
13,408
9,694,381
Percent of U.S. Schools (Public & Private) with at least 1 FIRST Team
10.2%
17.5%
Number of U.S. Public Schools with at least 1 FIRST Team
11,434
8,931,685
Percent of U.S. Public Schools with at least 1 FIRST Team
11.6%
17.6%
63% of U.S. Public Schools with FIRST teams are Title I schools.

20. FY 2018 U.S. School-District Penetration
U.S. Public School-District Penetration:
Number of School Districts in the U.S. (Public)
18,811
Number of U.S. School Districts (Public) with at least one FIRST program
4,197
22.3%
Number of U.S. School Districts (Public K-12)
11,496
Number of U.S. School Districts (Public K-12) with at least one FIRST team
3,525
30.7%
Number of U.S. School Districts (Public K-12) with full FIRST Progression
of Programs
195
1.7%

21. Growth Strategy School Growth Ease of Engagement Diversity & Inclusion
Growth Model
Demand Generation
Ease of Adoption
Positive Experience
“FIRST is well- known and highly desirable”
“FIRST is easy to adopt”
“FIRST provides participants a life- changing experience”
School Growth Ease of Engagement Diversity & Inclusion
Growth-Oriented, Coherent Local Ecosystems
Foundational & Operational Initiatives

22. Advocacy Overview
Our Goal: Make government funds available to schools to enable and support participation in FIRST programs, with an emphasis on engaging under-represented or under-served populations in STEM.
Sources of U.S. Public Education Funding for Grades K-12*
Federal Funding (9%)
Local Funding (41%)
State Funding (50%)
*Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

23. U.S. Federal Advocacy Programs: Resources
Title IV, Part A: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Title IV, Part B: 21st Century Community Learning Centers
AmeriCorps VISTA Program
Perkins Act / Career and Tech Education (CTE)
Resources
Part-time DC-based Supporters (Thompson Coburn)
FIRST HQ Director of External Engagement, Kerri Maxwell
Annual National Advocacy Conference

24. But… Most funding decisions made at state and local levels
We have not had any HQ resources focused on the 50 states
It would be impossible for HQ resources to be focused on the thousands of towns and cities where local decisions are made

25. State-Level Examples
A growing number of state governments provide support to schools for
FIRST teams:
Michigan: $2.5m (avg.) per year for past 3 years
Texas Workforce Commission: $1m per year for 7 years
Iowa Scale-Up Grants: Average of ~$275k per year for 5 years
Washington: Grew from $150k/yr in 2011 to $700k/yr in 2015
Oregon: $320k/yr, up from $150k in 2011
Florida: $200k, new funding in 2016; increased to $500k in 2017
Wisconsin: $250k, new grant signed at 2016 FRC Regional event
New Hampshire: $375k toward FIRST in every school
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed Assembly Bill 665 into law at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 FIRST Robotics Wisconsin Regional Competition

26. Mobilizing State and Local Advocacy
Why we are here -
Mobilizing State and Local Advocacy
Encourage Our Governor, Legislative leaders, State and Local Education leaders, School Boards and Superintendents to attend events and become advocates within their schools
Encourage corporations and businesses to advocate on behalf of FIRST and STEM funding
Encourage FIRST teams to lobby their state members of
congress and governors
Encourage teams to attend local school board and PTA/O meetings
Seek to have Robotics recognized as a 21st-century sport and provide similar recognition and benefits as provided to other sports or activities

27. This years goal - Feb 2019
FIRST - To Build Relationships! Make it Loud!
Then we help our state Department of Education Local School Boards and Schools tap into ESSA Title IV, Part A and Perkins funding that is available to our state and schools by formula grant.
– FIRST activities will compete with many other enrichment programs within your schools for this funding, so ultimately we need to aggressively advocate that priority should be given to support school adoption and access to proven, impactful FIRST programs.

28. Thank You …
… for your passion and commitment to creating the next generation of leaders and innovators.