Grants for Small Businesses

Office of the National Coordinator · Amount varies

This is a forecasted Leading Edge Acceleration Projects for Health IT (LEAP) opportunity from the Office of the National Coordinator, which funds development of innovative health information technology to address emerging needs in health data exchange and use. Such awards typically go to organizations with health IT research and development capacity, such as universities, nonprofits, and companies. Eligibility, funding amounts, and deadlines have not yet been published for this cycle.

Department of Commerce · $1–$1.5M

The Department of Commerce / Economic Development Administration Research and National Technical Assistance (RNTA) program funds research and technical assistance projects that support economic development in economically distressed areas of the U.S. Eligibility is broad, including district organizations, tribes, states, local governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits acting with local officials, private individuals, and for-profit organizations. Awards range up to about $1.5 million, and applications use a two-step process (concept proposal first, then invited full application) submitted through EDA's EDGE platform. No deadline is stated.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This NIH forecast notice announces a planned Small Business Translator funding opportunity for MedTech and digital health technologies, aimed at small businesses. Full eligibility, funding amount, and deadline details are not yet published since this is only a forecast, not an open solicitation.

Natural Resources · $30K–$2M

Government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses can apply for this Illinois Natural Resources grant funding invasive carp removal and monitoring activities in the Upper Mississippi River. Awards range from $30,000 to $2,000,000.

Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery · $500K–$4M

Businesses and nonprofits located in California can apply for this CalRecycle program, which funds rail-transportation projects that move empty glass beverage containers to certified California glass processing facilities. Grants range from $500,000 to $4,000,000 and can cover equipment, materials, transportation costs, rail line construction, and related personnel. Eligibility is geographically restricted: both the applicant and the transportation activity must be based in California, making this unsuitable for out-of-state organizations.

CA Department of Food and Agriculture · $1–$190K

Businesses, individuals, nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments can apply for this CA Department of Food and Agriculture program funding research into new management methods for controlling the beet leafhopper and curly top virus, with awards up to $190,000. Proposals must be submitted 30 days before posted Beet Curly Top Virus Control Board meetings, and funding priority goes to no-pesticide or DPR-approved pesticide approaches, making this a narrow, specialized agricultural research opportunity.

Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command · Amount varies

This is an advance notice to industry of a draft solicitation for the U.S. Army Materiel Command's Trusted Partner Program. As a draft/advance notice, it is informational for industry partners and not yet an open application; eligibility, funding amounts, and deadlines are not defined. Interested defense-industry organizations should monitor for the formal solicitation when it is released.

Air Force Office of Scientific Research · Up to $10M

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research funds basic research aligned with Air Force priorities across engineering, information science, and physical and biological sciences, with awards reaching up to about $10 million. Eligibility is governed by the announcement itself ('See Announcement'); these programs commonly fund universities, research institutions, and industry labs. Applicants should review the specific AFOSR announcement for detailed eligibility, restrictions, and submission requirements before applying.

State Water Resources Control Board · Amount varies

Open to small businesses (fewer than 20 employees) in California that own or operate underground storage tanks (USTs) needing to comply with state upgrade, removal, or replacement requirements. Grants range from $3,000 to $70,000 (up to $210,000 for certain remote fueling stations), covering up to 100% of qualifying project costs. Eligibility is narrow: applicants must meet specific gasoline sales thresholds and compliance history requirements.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF STEM K-12 program funds fundamental, applied, and translational research that advances STEM teaching and learning across formal and informal settings. Proposals may only be submitted by U.S.-based for-profit organizations (including small businesses) with R&D capacity, non-profit non-academic organizations tied to education or research (e.g., museums, research labs, professional societies), state and local governments, accredited U.S. institutions of higher education, and federally recognized tribal nations. Individuals and most general nonprofits without a research/education tie are not eligible; no specific award amount or deadline is listed here.

State Water Resources Control Board · $1–$1M

This California Orphan Site Cleanup Fund grant is limited to current property owners of eligible sites with unauthorized petroleum underground storage tank (UST) releases, covering assessment, investigation, and cleanup costs up to $1,000,000 per site. It is not open to nonprofits or the general public — only businesses and individuals who currently own the affected property qualify.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This is a forecasted NIH opportunity to develop candidate medical countermeasures and technologies against chemical or radiation/nuclear threats. It is not yet open, and eligibility, budget, and deadline have not been posted. NIH medical-countermeasure research awards generally go to universities, research institutions, and companies with relevant scientific capacity, so this is aimed at the research and development community.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This forecasted NIH IGNITE opportunity funds early translational research for assay development and identification of candidate therapeutic agents, supporting the earliest stage of drug discovery. Eligibility, award amounts, and deadlines are not yet published; these awards generally support universities, research institutions, and small businesses doing therapeutic discovery. Review the official notice of funding opportunity when released to confirm eligibility and terms.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds foundational robotics research and is explicitly open to any type of entity, though proposals must clearly justify the research as centered on robots and address fundamental gaps in robotics science rather than routine engineering. No specific award amount or deadline is listed. Best suited to researchers and research institutions rather than general nonprofits or businesses, despite the broad formal eligibility language.

Natural Resources · $20K–$6M

Government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses can apply for this Illinois Natural Resources grant funding invasive carp management and control in Illinois waterways, supporting Great Lakes restoration priorities. Awards range from $20,000 to $6,000,000.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This forecasted NIH IGNITE opportunity supports early translational research to characterize therapeutic agents and conduct preclinical efficacy studies, helping move candidate treatments toward development. Eligibility, award amounts, and deadlines are not yet announced; these awards typically support universities, research institutions, and small businesses engaged in therapeutic development. Check the official notice of funding opportunity for eligibility and application details before applying.

Natural Resources · $20K–$6M

Government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses can apply for this Illinois Natural Resources grant funding invasive carp management and control in Illinois waterways, supporting Great Lakes restoration priorities. Awards range from $20,000 to $6,000,000.

Natural Resources · $50K–$500K

This Illinois Department of Natural Resources program funds government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations to protect and restore habitat and species within the Great Lakes Basin, with awards from $50,000 to $500,000. Eligibility is broad, covering most organization types with a Great Lakes conservation project. No application deadline is listed.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

Eligibility is unrestricted (open to any entity type, subject to NSF clarifications) for this National Science Foundation Dynamics, Control and Systems Diagnostics program. It supports fundamental theoretical, computational, and experimental research on modeling, analysis, diagnostics, and control of dynamic systems. No fixed award amount or deadline is listed; PIs are encouraged to email a one-page project summary for feedback, and standard NSF limits on foreign organizations apply, so awards generally go to U.S. institutions.

Idaho Field Office · Amount varies

This is a Request for Information (not a funded opportunity) from the DOE Idaho Field Office, seeking input from universities, national labs, industry, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), and small businesses on future nuclear energy research priorities, submitted via NEUP.gov. There is no monetary award tied to this notice. For-profit organizations other than small businesses are not eligible to respond as such.