Grant programs
US grant programs we work on
There are thousands of federal, state and private grants live at any moment, and most of them are wrong for a research-driven company. These are the programs that actually move the needle for deep-tech and life-science founders, with the awards, timing and fit explained by people who write these applications every week.
Deadline tracker
What is open right now, and when you need to start
Agency dates move. These are the windows we are actively writing toward, with the date you realistically need to begin to submit something competitive rather than something rushed.
Last verified Jul 28, 2026
| Program | Agency deadline | Ideal start window | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBIR/STTR standard due date (omnibus)NIHOfficial page | Sep 5, 202639 days awayExpected date, based on the published annual cycle | Talk to us now6-10 weeks of runway | Standard cycles fall on 5 September, 5 January and 5 April. Register in eRA Commons and SAM.gov well before this. |
| NIFA SBIR Phase IUSDAOfficial page | Oct 1, 202665 days awayExpected date, based on the published annual cycle | Aug 6, 2026 - Aug 27, 20265-8 weeks of runway | Topic areas cover food science, forestry, rural development and agricultural engineering. |
| DoD SBIR/STTR BAA cycleDoDOfficial page | Oct 21, 202685 days awayExpected date, based on the published annual cycle | Sep 9, 2026 - Sep 23, 20264-6 weeks of runway | Topics are released roughly a month before open, with a pre-release Q&A period you should use. |
| SBIR/STTR Phase I full proposalNSFOfficial page | Nov 4, 202699 days awayExpected date, based on the published annual cycle | Sep 9, 2026 - Sep 30, 20265-8 weeks of runway | Submission window for pitches invited in the current cycle. Full proposals take 6 to 8 weeks to build properly. |
| NASA SBIR/STTR Phase INASAOfficial page | Jan 13, 2027169 days awayExpected date, based on the published annual cycle | Nov 18, 2026 - Dec 9, 20265-8 weeks of runway | Subtopics are published in the autumn; fit to a subtopic matters more here than almost anywhere else. |
| DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 2DOEOfficial page | Feb 8, 2027195 days awayExpected date, based on the published annual cycle | Dec 14, 2026 - Jan 4, 20275-8 weeks of runway | A Letter of Intent is mandatory and closes several weeks before the full proposal deadline. |
| SBIR/STTR Project PitchNSFOfficial page | RollingAccepted continuously; invitation issued within about 3 weeks | NowRolling window | You must have an invited Project Pitch before you can submit a full proposal, so this is almost always the first move. |
Always confirm dates on the agency page before you plan around them. Solicitations are amended and cycles shift.
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Federal R&D: SBIR / STTR
America's Seed Fund and its sister programs: non-dilutive federal awards for technical risk reduction and commercialization. This is where most of our work sits.
NSF SBIR/STTR
National Science Foundation
Open-topic program for deep-tech startups. Begins with a Project Pitch, then a full proposal by invitation.
Best for: Any US deep-tech or life-science startup with a technical unknown to de-risk.
Official program page$305K Phase Iup to $1M Phase II
NIH SBIR/STTR
National Institutes of Health
Health-focused awards across 24 institutes and centers, with three standard receipt dates a year.
Best for: Therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices and digital health.
Official program page$314K Phase I$2.09M Phase II (waivers higher)
DoD SBIR/STTR & AFWERX
Department of Defense
Topic-driven solicitations across the services, plus AFWERX Open Topic and DARPA programs.
Best for: Dual-use hardware, autonomy, sensing, comms and materials.
Official program page$100K-$250K Phase I$1M-$1.9M Phase II
DOE SBIR/STTR
Department of Energy
Annual topic release covering energy, advanced materials, fusion, grid and basic science instrumentation.
Best for: Clean energy, storage, grid technology and advanced manufacturing.
Official program page$200K Phase I$1.6M Phase II
NASA SBIR/STTR
NASA
Subtopic-based program aligned to NASA mission directorates, with Post-Phase II sequential funding.
Best for: Space systems, propulsion, sensing, robotics and in-space manufacturing.
Official program page$150K Phase I$850K Phase II
USDA SBIR
US Dept. of Agriculture (NIFA)
Ten research topic areas spanning agriculture, food science, forestry, rural development and biofuels.
Best for: AgTech, food systems, animal health and rural innovation.
Official program page$175K Phase I$650K Phase II
DHS SBIR
Department of Homeland Security
Two solicitations a year addressing operational needs across DHS components.
Best for: Detection, cyber resilience, border and emergency response technology.
Official program page$150K Phase I$1M Phase II
NIST SBIR
NIST
Small annual program built around measurement science, standards and manufacturing technology.
Best for: Metrology, standards-adjacent hardware and quality infrastructure.
Official program page$100K Phase I$400K Phase II
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Beyond SBIR: larger federal programs
Once a company outgrows Phase I, the bigger federal instruments come into play. We plan these into a multi-year funding roadmap rather than treating each as a one-off.
- ARP
ARPA-H
Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
Programmatic and open BAA funding for high-risk, high-reward health breakthroughs.
Best for: Ambitious biomedical platforms beyond incremental improvement.
Official program pageVaries, often $1M+ - DoE
ARPA-E
Department of Energy
Transformational energy technology programs, plus OPEN and SCALEUP solicitations.
Best for: Energy technologies with a credible path to grid-scale impact.
Official program page$500K-$10M NSF Translation programs
National Science Foundation
Partnerships for Innovation, Convergence Accelerator and Regional Innovation Engines for university-linked ventures.
Best for: Spinouts and teams with active academic collaborators.
Official program pageVaries by trackNIH R01 / R41 / R43 family
National Institutes of Health
Investigator-initiated research grants often run alongside SBIR to fund underlying science.
Best for: Companies with academic partners and a strong preclinical package.
Official program pageVaries by mechanism- Afa
Grants.gov opportunities
All federal agencies
The central listing for every federal funding opportunity. Thousands live at any time, most of them noise.
Best for: Systematic scanning; we filter it so founders do not have to.
Official program pageVaries
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State, regional and matching funds
Many states top up federal awards or fund the proposal itself. These are frequently missed and can add six figures to a federal win.
- Sed
State SBIR matching programs
State economic development agencies
Dozens of states match or supplement a federal Phase I or Phase II award for companies based in-state.
Best for: Any company with a federal award and a US operating footprint.
Official program page$25K-$500K - SBA
FAST Program partners
SBA
SBA-funded state organizations providing proposal assistance and technical support to first-time applicants.
Best for: Founders new to the federal system.
Official program pageAdvisory support - EDA
EDA Build to Scale
Economic Development Administration
Regional programs funding venture development and capital access in emerging tech hubs.
Best for: Companies anchored in a regional innovation cluster.
Official program pageVaries - SBA
SBA funding programs
Small Business Administration
Loan guarantees, microloans and support programs that complement, but do not replace, grant funding.
Best for: Working capital alongside a non-dilutive grant strategy.
Official program pageVaries
Not sure which of these fits you?
Picking the wrong program costs months. Our PhD-level team maps your technology, stage and timeline against live solicitations and tells you honestly where you are competitive, and where you are not.
Find the right grant, first time
Talk to us about your federal funding plans and we'll help you make it happen through effective, results-driven grant writing.