FY26 · THE SCALE OF THE WORK
10,235
Students building robots this season
493
Teams across DC, Maryland and Virginia
61%
Of FIRST alumni major in engineering or computer science, versus 26% of peers
$601K
Value of 18,912 volunteer hours last year
Sources: FY26 Impact Report. Alumni outcomes from the Brandeis University FIRST Longitudinal Study, 10-year follow-up against a matched comparison group.
THREE WAYS TO PARTNER
Fund access. Meet your hires. Bring your people.
SPONSORSHIP
Put your name behind access.
Title a championship or present a qualifier. Adopt a Geared Up team where there isn’t one. Anchor a STEM Hub or fund a Rising Tides cohort. Category exclusivity at the top tiers.
TALENT PIPELINE
Meet your next hires in the middle of the work.
Post roles to 7,500+ alumni on our job board. Recruit on the floor at the Tech Mixer. Get internship and apprenticeship referrals from our mentor corps.
VOLUNTEER COHORTS · NO COST
Bring your whole team.
Send a judging cohort for one weekend, with training provided. Host a robot showcase at your site or open your shop as a Machine Shop Hub. Hours count toward Dollars for Doers and matching.
WHERE A CHESAPEAKE KID LANDS
He joined an FRC team in Pasadena. Now he owns the machine shop.
Austin Plummer came up on a FIRST Robotics Competition team in Pasadena, Maryland. Today he owns Plummer Industries, a machine shop whose marine division builds for the towing industry and the U.S. Navy. He still mentors his old team, and Plummer Industries partners with us at the Tech Talent level.
What he built
Plummer Industries, with a marine division serving the towing industry and the U.S. Navy.
How he partners
Plummer Industries is a Tech Talent Partner, hiring from the region it helps build.
THE ROOM YOU WOULD BE JOINING
Why partners stay.
Dominion Energy and Booz Allen Hamilton both started with employees judging on a Saturday. Neither has left. Our average partner tenure is more than seven years.
“This isn’t just about robotics. You’re learning how to solve problems, how to work in teams, how to fail, adapt and try again.”
Eric Lin · Director, Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity
Google.org · Aramco Americas · Qualcomm · U.S. Department of Energy · Booz Allen Hamilton · Leidos · Argosy Foundation · Andreessen Horowitz
LEAD PARTNERS
Huntington Ingalls Industries · Newport News Shipbuilding · Dominion Energy · Bechtel · Arcfield · Plummer Industries · Ball Corporation · Sony · Volvo · Waymo · Norfolk Southern · and more
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU SAY YES
A partnership built around your goal.
Tell us what you want to move: workforce readiness, recruitment, employee engagement, visibility or regional access. We build the partnership from there.
Alex Bryant, President · partners@firstchesapeake.org · 804.370.4128
01 · WITHIN TWO WEEKS
A 15-minute check-in. No pitch, just direction.
02 · WITHIN ABOUT 30 DAYS
A bespoke proposal built from the tiers and custom paths around the outcomes you named.
03 · WHEN YOU’RE READY
A simple MOU, then we activate. One point of contact all season, and an impact report to close the loop.
START A PARTNERSHIP
Tell us the goal.
Two minutes. We’ll set up a 15-minute check-in within two weeks.
PARTNERSHIP TIERS · FROM $10,000
Founding Partner · Lead the movement
Category exclusivity and a recognition video at every event.
Innovation Partner · Title the district’s biggest stage
Title sponsor of one FRC event or the FTC Championship.
Research Partner · Host the connection
Host and speak at an exclusive VIP event.
Tech Talent Partner · Fuel the pipeline, meet your hires
Presenting sponsor of one FTC Qualifier.
STEM Partner · Open the next step
Job and internship postings to 7,500+ alumni.
Ecosystem Partner · Join the network
Exhibit space at the Tech Mixer.
Custom paths
Adopt a Geared Up team and fully resource a new FTC or FRC team. Anchor a STEM Hub, a year-round home for STEM in your region. Fund a Rising Tides cohort of ten paid college mentors. Every tier includes a year-end impact report, ESG and CSR ready, within 60 days of season close.