Public Announcement: IRS Filings for 2023

San Antonio, Texas – Immediate Public Release

We were alerted to a potential clerical error in the categorization of expenses in our IRS filings for 2023, which may have inaccurately represented FIRST in Texas in certain financial aspects. We are grateful to the individual who utilized our public reporting tool on our website to bring this matter to our attention.

We have already taken action to resolve these issues  and are committed to ongoing improvements. In accounting, there are judgment calls in expense classification, and we have traditionally taken a conservative approach. Our priority is ensuring that funds raised directly benefit program delivery, minimizing overhead that doesn’t directly impact our children. However, certain essential overhead activities such as accounting, audit services, grant administration, and fundraising are necessary for our organization’s operations. We continually seek efficiencies while maintaining transparency. All relevant documents to include, third-party audits, are posted on our website for full disclosure to sponsors, donors, and the public.

FIRST in Texas is proud to be a key contributor to growing access to STEM education, reaching more than 30,000 students this year across our great state.  Thanks to the gracious support of our sponsors and volunteers, we are continuing to grow every year in key demographics, and improving overall participant satisfaction. This year we reached two major milestones: our largest season of participation and most funds distributed to teams.  We look forward to bringing FIRST robotics programs to even more counties, schools, and community organizations in the years to come!

FIRST in Texas