America's Seed Fund
NSF SBIR: up to $2M in non-dilutive funding for your technology
How the program works
Step 1
Project Pitch
A short pitch NSF reviews within weeks to confirm your fit. Get it wrong and you never reach the full proposal. We write pitches that clear this gate.
Step 2
Phase I full proposal
Invited proposals cover technical innovation, R&D plan, team and commercial opportunity. Awards are up to $305,000 over 6-12 months.
Step 3
Phase II
Phase I awardees can pursue up to $1M for development, with supplements and matching programs taking total NSF support toward $2M.
Award values follow the current NSF solicitation. Confirm figures and deadlines at seedfund.nsf.gov.
Guides to each NSF program
What each stage funds, what reviewers score and where applications lose marks.
NSF Project Pitch
Gateway to a Phase I invitation
What a strong NSF Project Pitch looks like and how to write one. Technical risk, innovation and commercial impact in three pages, with expert review.
Read the NSF Project Pitch guideNSF SBIR Phase I
Up to $305,000
NSF SBIR Phase I awards fund feasibility research with no equity taken. We write invited Phase I proposals for deep tech and life sciences startups.
Read the NSF SBIR Phase I guideNSF SBIR Phase II
Up to $1,000,000
NSF SBIR Phase II funds development and scale-up after a successful Phase I. We write Phase II proposals with the technical and commercial case reviewers score.
Read the NSF SBIR Phase II guidePhase II supplements
Additional funding on top of Phase II
NSF supplements can take total SBIR support toward $2M. We help Phase II awardees secure TECP, Phase IIB matching and partnership supplements.
Read the Phase II supplements guideNSF STTR
Same award levels as SBIR Phase I and II
NSF STTR funds startups partnering formally with a research institution. We structure the partnership, IP terms and proposal so the collaboration scores.
Read the NSF STTR guideWhat NSF reviewers actually assess
Intellectual merit
Is the innovation technically risky and genuinely novel? Reviewers look for a real research challenge, not incremental engineering.
Broader impacts
Commercial potential, societal benefit and the path to market. The section most technical founders under-serve.
Team & capability
Evidence that your team, facilities and partners can actually execute the proposed R&D plan.
The people who write your submission
Named PhD-level consultants who have written and won US SBIR submissions across NSF, NIH and DOE.
Jessica Vernon
Lead Innovation Consultant
Writes Project Pitch, Phase I and Phase II for NSF, NIH and DOE, plus ARPA-E. Has taken companies through successful Project Pitches and Phase I awards.
Dr Felix Warren
Lead Innovation Consultant
Writes NSF and NIH Project Pitches and Phase I proposals, and has reviewed more than 500 grant applications from the other side of the table.
Dr Thomas Kelly
Lead Innovation Consultant
Has written and won NSF Project Pitches and reviewed Phase I proposals, so he reads a draft the way a program director does.
Are you eligible?
- A for-profit US small business with fewer than 500 employees
- Majority owned by US citizens or permanent residents
- Performing the funded R&D work in the United States
- Proposing a technical innovation with real commercial potential
Beyond NSF, we also support NIH, DOE, DoD, DARPA, USDA and NASA SBIR/STTR applications, and we'll tell you which agency is the strongest fit before you invest weeks in a submission.
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
Thinking about an NSF Project Pitch?
Book a free consultation and we'll assess your fit against the current solicitation before you write a word.