Business & Community Impact
How to present your team's finances, sustainability, and community work.
This part of the portfolio covers how you manage your team's money, keep things running long-term, and give back to your community. It breaks down into two main areas that judges look at:
Finances & Sustainability
Judges want to see that your team handles money well and has a plan to keep going year after year.
How much did you spend? Where did the money come from?
Why did you choose certain components or materials?
How does your team fund operations year after year?
How do you train new members and develop skills?
How does your team maintain continuity as members graduate?
How do you partner with local businesses?
Community Impact
Show how your team gives back to the community and promotes STEM.
Demo days, STEM camps, school visits
How you help younger or newer teams
Efforts to inspire students in science and engineering
Collaborations with schools, libraries, or organizations
Community service and volunteer hours
Allocation Guidelines
Combined, these topics usually take up 1-3 pages depending on your team's strengths. Here's how different team types might split their space:
How to Stand Out
Don't just list bullet points. Show judges the real difference you made:
"We raised $15,000" or "Reached 200 students this year"
Outreach events, team members in action, community moments
Real examples of how you helped someone or grew as a team
Did you inspire students to join FIRST? Strengthen your community?
Judges can tell when stories are real. Don't overthink it - sincerity goes further than polish.
Sample Impact Page
Here's how to lay out your business and community information effectively: