Grants for Small Businesses

Centers for Disease Control-GHC · $0

The CDC's Global Health Center funds partners to strengthen public health surveillance systems abroad, improving outbreak detection, workforce, lab integration, and emergency preparedness in partner countries. Eligibility is broad, open to many entity types including nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), governments, tribal organizations, institutions of higher education, and both small businesses and other for-profits. The award amount is not specified in the listing, and the work involves close coordination with Ministries of Health and CDC country offices. The deadline is July 15, 2026, within about a month.

Administration for Community Living · $970K–$975K

Eligibility is broad, including states, public and private agencies and organizations (for-profits included), institutions of higher education, and Indian tribes; foreign entities are not eligible. The program funds a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center to research, develop, and evaluate AI-driven assistive and rehabilitation technologies for people with disabilities over a 60-month period, with awards around $970,000 to $975,000. The deadline is within about three weeks.

DOC NOAA - ERA Production · $1–$250K

Eligible applicants are broad, including U.S. higher-education institutions, nonprofits, state/local/tribal governments, U.S. territories and Pacific Island institutions, and for-profit organizations; foreign researchers must apply as subawards through an eligible U.S. entity, and investigators must be employees of an eligible entity. The program funds development of point-of-use technologies to detect harmful algal bloom toxins in seafood, with projects expected around $100,000 to $250,000 per year (not to exceed $750,000 per project). The deadline is within about three weeks.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $3M–$4M

Eligibility is unrestricted and open to any type of entity, subject to clarification in the full solicitation. This NSF program funds State/Territory Coordination Hubs (one per state, DC, or territory) to accelerate AI readiness and adoption across businesses, public-serving organizations, and individuals, with awards from about $3 million up to $4 million. Because only one hub is supported per state/territory, coordination with state priorities is expected. The deadline is within about three weeks.

Health Resources and Services Administration · $0–$500K

Open to a broad set of applicants including 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits, small businesses and other for-profits, public and private institutions of higher education, state, county, city/township, and special-district governments, Federally recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations, and independent school districts. This HRSA program funds community-based produce prescription programs and related nutrition education for maternal populations at risk of poor health outcomes due to nutrition insecurity. The maximum award is about $500,000. The application deadline is July 17, 2026, which is soon.

Health Resources and Services Administration · $0–$3M

Open to all domestic public, private, nonprofit, and for-profit entities, where domestic includes the 50 states, D.C., U.S. territories, and the freely associated states. This HRSA program funds maternal health emergency management training to strengthen the capacity of clinicians and first responders who care for pregnant and postpartum women in non-delivery or low-resource clinical settings. The maximum award is about $3 million. The application deadline is July 20, 2026, which is soon.

National Institute of Corrections · $0–$175K

Open to nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profits), and institutions of higher education; all recipients, including for-profits, must waive any profit or fee, and 501(c)(3) proof or a tribal resolution is required. Foreign governments and international organizations are not eligible. This National Institute of Corrections program funds a 36-hour security-audit training program in which teams conduct hands-on prison security audits and produce findings reports. The maximum award is about $175,000. The application deadline is July 20, 2026, which is soon.

Department of Education · Up to $1M

Open to a broad set of applicants, including state educational agencies, Part C lead agencies, local educational agencies (including charter schools that are LEAs), institutions of higher education, other public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, freely associated states, Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations, and for-profit organizations. This Department of Education program funds a National Assessment Center to improve the participation and performance of children with disabilities on state and districtwide assessments. The maximum award is about $1 million. The application deadline is July 20, 2026, which is soon.

Centers for Disease Control-GHC · $0

This CDC global health program supports Ukraine's Ministry of Health Public Health Center in sustaining HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services amid instability, including community-based case finding, mobile services, and differentiated service delivery. Eligibility is listed very broadly, spanning governments, tribal entities, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, institutions of higher education, small businesses, and other for-profit organizations. The Year 1 award ceiling is listed as zero, though CDC anticipates roughly $10,000,000 total for Year 1 subject to available funds. The work is centered on Ukraine, which is an important practical constraint.

Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation · $0–$4M

This State Department Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund program funds projects to develop safeguards countering proliferation risks from AI-enabled chemical and biological molecular models. Eligibility includes domestic non-profit and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, for-profit organizations, and U.S. federal government entities, but organizations must be based in the U.S. Awards run up to roughly $4 million. The U.S.-based requirement and specialized subject matter narrow the realistic applicant pool.

Small Business Administration · $1–$180K

The SBA Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program funds organizations to provide outreach, technical assistance, and support to small businesses to increase SBIR/STTR applications and awards. Eligible applicants may be a public or private entity, organization, or individual, but must be endorsed by the state governor as the only approved applicant from that state, and must be located in one of a specific list of states and territories. Awards run up to about $180,000. The single-applicant-per-state endorsement and the limited list of eligible states make this very narrow.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF's SBIR/STTR program, with a pilot emphasis on scientific instrumentation, funds startups and small businesses developing next-generation instrumentation and enabling technologies. Eligibility is limited to small business concerns (up to 500 employees including affiliates), and STTR proposals must include a partner research institution. Phase I requires an invitation following a Project Pitch, and Phase II is limited to prior NSF Phase I awardees. Specific award amounts are not stated here, and the invitation and prior-award gates restrict who can apply.

Natural Resources Conservation Service · $250K–$5M

This NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants On-Farm Trials program funds projects where awardees recruit agricultural producers and provide technical assistance and incentive payments to test innovative conservation practices. For-profit entities qualify if their primary business relates to agriculture, and nonprofits qualify if they have experience working with agricultural producers; individuals, partnerships, and foreign organizations are not eligible. Awards range from about $250,000 to $5 million. Applicants must already have access to a network of producers to recruit, which narrows who can realistically apply.

Natural Resources Conservation Service · $250K–$2M

The NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants Classic program funds development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies tied to agricultural production. It is open to all non-foreign, non-federal entities and individuals based in the United States, though applications must be submitted by a single entity (partners may be subrecipients). Awards range from about $250,000 to $2 million. Eligibility is fairly broad aside from the exclusion of federal and foreign applicants.

Bureau of Counterterrorism · $4.9M

This State Department Bureau of Counterterrorism program funds work to help law enforcement counter online recruitment by U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations such as think tanks and NGOs, public and private educational institutions, for-profit organizations, public international organizations, and governmental institutions. The award amount is about $4.93 million. Funding is pending the availability of funds.

Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Amount varies

This Department of War (Defense Health Agency) Kidney Cancer Research Program Concept Award supports highly innovative, untested, high-risk basic kidney cancer research that could open new avenues of investigation. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, open to any type of entity, subject to clarification in the full announcement. Preliminary data are not allowed, and the review is double-blinded, so applications must not identify the investigator or organization. Specific award amounts are not provided here.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Developmental Sciences program funds basic research on perceptual, cognitive, social, emotional, language, and biological development across the lifespan. A relatively broad set of applicants is eligible, including U.S. institutions of higher education, non-profit non-academic research organizations, for-profit organizations including small businesses, state and local governments, Tribal Nations, and (for cooperative projects) foreign organizations for the U.S. portion only. PIs must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent. Budgets vary widely and no fixed award amount is specified; the program does not fund clinical trials or health-outcome research.

Department of Education · Up to $4M

This Department of Education program funds a National Technical Assistance Center addressing postsecondary, vocational, and continuing education needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. A broad set of applicants is eligible, including state and local educational agencies, eligible institutions of higher education, other public agencies, private nonprofits, Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations, and for-profit organizations. The statute requires at least $4,000,000 annually for this purpose, and the listed maximum award is about $4 million.

Community Oriented Policing Services · $0–$250K

This COPS Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act program funds new or expanded mental health and wellness services for law enforcement officers and their families. Categories 1 and 2 are limited to state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies (Category 1 excludes prior LEMHWA awardees), while Category 3 is open to for-profit and nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, community groups, and faith-based organizations. Awards run up to about $250,000. Eligibility depends on the category, with the agency tracks being narrowly restricted.

National Institute of Corrections · $0–$200K

This National Institute of Corrections program funds delivery of virtual instructor-led staffing analysis training for federal, state, local, and tribal corrections agencies. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal), for-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education, but all recipients must waive any profit or fee and provide proof of 501(c)(3) status or a tribal resolution. Foreign and international organizations are not eligible. Awards run up to about $200,000.