Grant · Alexandria, Virginia, United States

NSF SBIR/STTR (America's Seed Fund)

Federal grants for US small businesses commercialising deep technology. NSF invests up to US$2 million per company across phases and takes no equity; applicants start with a Project Pitch.

Open · closes 4 Nov 2026 Run by U.S. National Science Foundation

Apply on the programme's site Programme website

Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages

Terms

Funding: not published Up to US$2 million in non-dilutive seed funding across Phase I and Phase II
Instrument: Grant
Equity taken: None (equity-free)
Programme fee: not published
Duration: not published
Cohort size: not published
Cohorts: not published
Delivery: Remote
Stages: Pre-seed, seed
Sectors: Deep tech
Open to founders from: United States
Perks: not published

Current solicitations: NSF 26-510 (deep technologies) and NSF 26-511 (scientific instrumentation pilot). Each company may submit two Project Pitches per 12 months.

Application dates

Open · closes 4 Nov 2026November 2026 full-proposal deadline

Usual timing: Full proposals are due each year on the first Wednesday in November and the first Thursday in March, plus a July deadline, by 5pm submitter's time. Project Pitches have been accepted since 2 June 2026.

Every window we track
Cohort	Opens	Closes	Starts	Demo day
November 2026 full-proposal deadline	not published	4 November 2026	not published	not published
March 2027 full-proposal deadline	not published	4 March 2027	not published	not published

Who can apply

Small business with fewer than 500 employees, located in the United States
At least 50% of equity owned by US citizens or permanent residents
Not majority-owned by multiple venture capital, private equity or hedge fund firms
A Project Pitch must be invited before a full proposal
Stage: pre-seed, seed

What founders should check

The programme says it takes no equity. Still read the agreement for warrants, revenue shares or rights in a later round.
It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
It runs remotely. Check the time zone of live sessions.
Applications are open until 4 November 2026. That is less than a month away, so start the form now.

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The US defence department's SBIR and STTR programmes for US small businesses, run through annual Broad Agency Announcements and Commercial Solutions Openings with topics released monthly.