Science & Technology (U400) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

FOR INSPIRATION AND RECOGNITION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FIRST

EIN: 22-2990908 · MANCHESTER, NH 03101-1132 · United States · FY 2025 Data

3 out of 5 59 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 89/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 88/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2025 · Scored 9/13/2026

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Mission Statement

FIRST was founded by inventor, entrepreneur, and advocate for science and technology Dean Kamen in 1989. FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. The FIRST Robotics Competition (Grades 9-12) began in 1992 with 28 teams in a NH high school gym. It was followed by FIRST LEGO League (Grades 4-8) in 1998, FIRST Tech Challenge (Grades 7-12) in 2007 and FIRST LEGO League Jr (Grades K-3) in 2004. Today with the support of 230,000 volunteers, FIRST serves more than 400,000 students on 44,000+ teams.

Financial Overview — FY 2025

$84.9M

Total Revenue

$88.9M

Total Expenses

$65.4M

Net Assets

218

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 82.7%

Fundraising Efficiency N/A

Operating Reserve 8.83x

Liability-to-Asset 10.4%

Revenue Diversification 51.5%

Executive Compensation $3.1M

Compared with Peers

FY 2025

Compared with 36 similar organizations (United States, Science & Technology, $10M–$100M in expenses), FY 2025.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	82.7%	82.8%	P10P90	Below median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	14.1%	14.5%	P10P90	Above median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	3.2%	0.4%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	8.8 mo	12.2 mo	P10P90	Below median
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	10.4%	31.2%	P10P90	Top quarter
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	51.5%	84.6%	P10P90	Top quarter
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	0.1%	-0.8%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	8.0%	3.2%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	-4.7%	0.6%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2025	$84.9M	$88.9M	$65.4M	82.7%	218
2024	$84.8M	$82.3M	$68.7M	86.3%	220
2023	$87.0M	$79.9M	$66.0M	85.5%	210
2022	$73.0M	$73.5M	N/A	—	203

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Organization Details

EIN: 22-2990908
State: NH
City: MANCHESTER
ZIP: 03101-1132
Classification: U400
Category: Science & Technology
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1992
Foundation Code: 15
Form 990: On File

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CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

★★★★★ 80–100 ★★★★☆ 60–79 ★★★☆☆ 40–59 ★★☆☆☆ 20–39 ★☆☆☆☆ 1–19

A pillar with no data counts as zero. Without impact metrics the score is capped at 59 (three stars): only the charity can supply that data.
The coverage grade (A to D) says how much filing data the score rests on; NONE means there is not enough to rate.
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"Compared with peers" places the charity's key ratios against organizations of the same country, sector and size.

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