The FCA Foundation, the charitable arm of FCA US LLC, today announced $250,000 in grants to FIRST Robotics Competition (grades 9-12) and FIRST Tech Challenge (grades 7-12) teams in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. The grants, which will offset the costs associated with items such as registration fees, parts and team apparel, coincide with the official start (Jan. 9) of the 2016 FIRST Robotics design and build season. During this six-week phase, teams will build, program and test robots with the guidance of adult mentors. It’s estimated that more than 3,100 teams comprised of 78,000+ students from around the world will compete for glory in First Stronghold, this year’s design challenge. Qualifying teams advance to the 2016 FIRST Championship April 27-30 in St. Louis, Mo.