Your live resource for startup grants and non-dilutive funding. Currently tracking 485 open, founder-relevant opportunities from Grants.gov and SBIR.gov — refreshed nightly.
Live Grants.gov opportunities open to individual founders and small businesses
Federal grants apply nationwide — find your state's official economic development agency for state-specific programs
Browse All 50 States + DCGrants represent the holy grail of startup funding: capital that you don't have to repay and comes with zero equity dilution. Unlike venture capital or loans, grants are awarded to support innovation, research, or economic development aligned with the grantor's mission.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs fund innovative research with commercial potential across federal agencies. The SBA's current guideline caps (without a special waiver) are up to $323,090 for Phase I and up to $2,153,927 for Phase II — individual agencies can exceed these by up to 50% at their discretion, or more with an SBA waiver, so always check the specific solicitation for its actual award ceiling.
Beyond SBIR/STTR, Grants.gov lists thousands of federal funding opportunities across every agency. We filter this database down to the small fraction that are actually open to individual founders or for-profit small businesses, rather than governments, universities, or nonprofits.
Based on currently open, founder-relevant opportunities in our database:
This site tracks two live, verifiable federal funding sources: general Grants.gov opportunities open to individual founders or small businesses, and SBIR/STTR solicitations. Each has different eligibility requirements and application processes.
No, grants are non-dilutive funding that you do not need to repay. However, you must use the funds for the specified purposes and may need to report on progress and outcomes.
Grant competition varies by program. SBIR Phase I historically sees roughly a 1-in-5 acceptance rate at many agencies, though it varies year to year — check the specific solicitation for its own review criteria.
Grant applications typically take 1-3 months to prepare and 3-9 months for review. Federal grants often have longer timelines (6-12 months) than smaller programs.
Yes, you can apply for multiple grants as long as you disclose other pending applications and ensure no overlap in funding for the same activities.
The counts and deadlines above are queried live from our database, refreshed nightly from Grants.gov and the official SBIR.gov API. We only show founder-relevant, non-expired opportunities.