Department of Energy funding
DOE SBIR Grant Writers for Energy & Advanced Manufacturing Startups
How DOE SBIR funding is structured
Phase I
Feasibility
Roughly $200K to $250K over 6 to 12 months to show the concept answers the subtopic. Technical merit against the stated DOE need carries the score.
Phase II
Prototype and scale-up
Commonly $1.1M to $1.6M over two years to build, test and de-risk the technology, with commercialisation and market evidence expected in the application.
Phase II sequential and IIC
Extended funding
Additional DOE funding for technologies that need longer development or that can attract third-party matching funds toward commercial deployment.
Award amounts, topics and deadlines change each cycle. Confirm current topics and Letter of Intent dates at the DOE SBIR/STTR programs office.
What DOE reviewers score
Fit to the subtopic
DOE reviewers read your application against the exact subtopic text written by the program office. Work that is close but not aligned is screened out early.
Technical merit and innovation
A specific technical approach, quantified performance targets against the current state of the art, and an honest treatment of the hardest risk.
Energy and mission impact
What changes at scale if this works: efficiency gained, emissions avoided, grid resilience, cost per kilowatt hour or manufacturing throughput.
Team, facilities and partners
Evidence that the principal investigator, equipment and any national laboratory or university partners can deliver the work plan on the stated timeline.
DOE SBIR eligibility
- A for-profit US small business with 500 or fewer employees
- More than 50% owned by US citizens or permanent residents
- Principal investigator primarily employed by the company (SBIR)
- At least two-thirds of Phase I work performed by the small business
- Research performed in the United States
- Letter of Intent filed before the published deadline
Working with a university or a national laboratory? The DOE STTR route formalises that partnership and sets a minimum share of the work for the research institution. We will tell you which route fits your team before you start writing. Compare SBIR and STTR.
Our DOE SBIR writing process
01
Topic and subtopic fit
We read the DOE topics release with you, identify the subtopic that genuinely matches your technology, and tell you plainly when the fit is weak.
02
Letter of Intent
We draft and file the Letter of Intent ahead of the deadline so the full application stays open to you, and set the schedule back from that date.
03
Technical narrative and budget
Our writers build the technical approach, milestones, performance targets and budget with your team, then run a review that mirrors DOE scoring.
04
Submission and resubmission
We handle SAM.gov, the DOE portal and formatting compliance. If the first attempt misses, we rebuild around reviewer comments for the next cycle.
The people who write your submission
Named consultants with federal review experience across energy-adjacent sectors: clean energy, advanced materials, semiconductors and manufacturing.
Jessica Vernon
Lead Innovation Consultant
Writes Phase I and Phase II applications across NSF, NIH and DOE, with deep experience framing energy and hardware technology for federal reviewers.
Dr Thomas Kelly
Lead Innovation Consultant
Has written and won SBIR submissions and reviewed Phase I proposals, so he reads a draft the way a reviewer does.
Dr Felix Warren
Lead Innovation Consultant
Writes SBIR Phase I applications across federal agencies and has reviewed more than 500 grant applications from the other side of the table.
DOE SBIR questions founders ask us
Who is eligible for DOE SBIR funding?
For-profit US small businesses with 500 or fewer employees, majority owned by US citizens or permanent residents, performing the research in the United States. DOE also runs STTR, which requires a formal partnership with a US research institution such as a university or national laboratory.
How much funding does DOE SBIR provide?
Phase I awards are typically around $200K to $250K for roughly 6 to 12 months of feasibility work, with Phase II awards commonly in the region of $1.1M to $1.6M over two years. Phase II sequential and Phase IIC awards can extend funding further for technologies with matching partners.
Do I need a Letter of Intent for DOE SBIR?
Yes. DOE requires a Letter of Intent before the full application for most Phase I funding opportunities, and it must match the topic and subtopic you intend to apply to. Missing the Letter of Intent deadline removes you from the cycle entirely, so we work back from that date.
How is DOE SBIR different from NSF or NIH SBIR?
DOE funds against published topics written by its program offices, covering energy efficiency, fusion, nuclear, grid, advanced manufacturing, carbon management and basic energy sciences. Your proposal must map directly to a specific subtopic and its stated technical need, rather than making a broad commercial case as NSF invites.
Can I work with a national laboratory on a DOE award?
Yes. DOE actively encourages collaboration with national laboratories, and a subcontract or a facility agreement can strengthen the credibility of your technical plan. The STTR route formalises the partnership and sets a minimum share of the work for the research institution.
Free download
NSF SBIR Phase I readiness checklist and federal deadline calendar
Two pages, no email required. Every registration, eligibility test and proposal section you need before you write, plus the next deadline for NSF, NIH, DoD, DOE, NASA and USDA with the date you realistically need to start.
- 37-point readiness checklist
- Six agency deadlines with lead times
Planning a DOE SBIR submission?
Book a free consultation and we will assess your fit against current DOE subtopics and Letter of Intent dates before you write a word.