About Nyc First
NYC FIRST inspires and empowers students from diverse communities across New York City to engage with STEM and robotics in meaningful and joyful ways. We create authentic learning experiences that encourage young people to think critically and creatively, and to persevere.
Focus Areas
STEM educationRobotics educationK-12 youth developmentTeacher professional developmentOut-of-school learning / after-school programs
Who They Fund
league program teamsinternal nonprofit staff/teams
Funding Style
capacity buildingstaff/operational supportprogrammatic/organizational support
Topics
About Nyc First
A single $91,600 grant to For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) stands out in NYC FIRST Inc’s 2024 giving and shows how closely the funder is tied to league program team support. The organization directs its grantmaking toward STEM education and robotics education for K-12 youth, with a practical emphasis on the teams, staff, and programs that make those experiences possible. Recent awards also went to public schools and robotics groups in New York City, including Fund for Public Schools Inc, John Dewey High School, Steamworks Robotics LLC, and Queens Metropolitan High School. Those grants were all listed as League Program Team Support, which aligns with the foundation’s stated focus on programmatic and organizational support. Beyond school-based robotics, NYC FIRST Inc also connects its work to out-of-school learning and teacher professional development, indicating that it funds both student participation and the infrastructure around it. The presence of sponsorship, donations, and partner pathways in its active programs also fits a funder that supports its own programming through community and organizational backing.
What Nyc First Funds
NYC FIRST Inc’s giving centers on league-level robotics participation. In 2024, it awarded $9,400 to Fund for Public Schools Inc for League Program Team Support, alongside smaller awards to John Dewey High School for the same purpose. That pattern suggests direct support for school-based robotics teams rather than broad institutional grants. The foundation also backs access to kit-based STEM learning: its Robot-in-a-Box program is described as an ultra-low-cost robotics kit and kit-based learning program for children in NYC. In addition, it supports out-of-school learning through STEM Centers and robotics leagues, and its benefit programming points to fundraising for those activities. The organization’s stated focus on teacher professional development and K-12 youth development adds another layer to the work, connecting student robotics with adult learning and school capacity.
How Nyc First Gives
Typical grants are tightly clustered around the same range: the 25th percentile is $7,000, the median is $7,500, and the 75th percentile is $9,400. That profile matches a funder making relatively modest, program-focused awards rather than a wide spread of grant sizes. The recipient list is concentrated in 2024, and the grants shown are all to U.S. organizations, with repeated emphasis on League Program Team Support. NYC FIRST Inc also accepts unsolicited support through online donations and partner/sponsorship pathways, which suggests a mixed funding model that includes public contributions alongside its grantmaking.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.1M
Total Assets
$5.7M
Total Revenue
$7.7M
Total Expenses
$7.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $7K and $9K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$9K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Michael Zigman
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