San Jose, CA

PLAYING AT LEARNING

EIN 20-1241878

Education & Youth Development STEM & Technology Education Children & youth

Mission

Inspire, excite and motivate youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through affordable and sustainable programs in partnership with FIRST.

IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity Contributions are tax-deductible

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About PLAYING AT LEARNING

Playing At Learning is a San Jose-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2004 that delivers technology‑based STEM enrichment and robotics programs for K–12 students across Northern California. The organization serves as the Northern California affiliate partner for FIRST programs (FLL Explore, FLL Challenge, and FTC) and supports FIRST robotics activities and teams in the region. Playing At Learning operates program infrastructure, competitions, trainings, camps and a dedicated cross-program makerspace (The Play Space) to support teams, coaches and volunteers. Recent seasons (2023/2024) reported large-scale activity: the organization estimates approximately 10,000 K–12 participants served, support for roughly 1,000 teams, engagement of over 2,000 event volunteers, and hundreds of tournaments, festivals, kickoffs and trainings.

Notable achievements

Regional FIRST affiliate

Serves as the Northern California program partner for FIRST LEGO League Explore, FIRST LEGO League Challenge and FIRST Tech Challenge, providing tournament infrastructure, training, and outreach.

Established cross-program makerspace (The Play Space)

Opened and operates a dedicated makerspace used by FIRST teams, coaches, volunteers and regional events to build skills, prototype and collaborate across programs.

Large-scale program impact (2023/2024 season)

Organized dozens of qualifying tournaments and festivals (including FLL Explore, FLL Challenge and FTC events), engaged over 2,000 volunteers, supported about 1,000 teams and reported serving ~10,000 youth in the 2023/24 season.

At a glance

Total assets: $385K
Annual revenue: $491K
Tax status: 501(c)(3)Public charity
EIN: 20-1241878
Location: San Jose, CA
Website: www.playingatlearning.org
On Mahalo since: May 2026

Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.

Recognition

IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) charity (tax-exempt status affirmed; EIN 20-1241878) since 2004.

Program and financial transparency: annual Form 990 filings are publicly available and recent filings show multi‑hundred‑thousand dollar annual revenues with positive net assets.

Official partner relationship with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), aligning PAL programs with nationally recognized robotics curricula and standards.

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