Science & Research Grants for Small businesses

U.S. National Science Foundation · $475K–$7.5M

NSF's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program supports education of technicians for high-technology fields, with a focus on two-year colleges. Eligible applicants are limited to for-profit organizations (including small businesses) with research or education capabilities, non-profit non-academic organizations tied to education or research, state and local governments, accredited U.S. institutions of higher education, and federally recognized tribal nations; individuals are not listed as eligible. Two-year college faculty must hold significant leadership roles (PI or Co-PI). Awards range from roughly $475,000 to $7.5 million.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF INCLUDES program funds collaborative, national-scale efforts to broaden participation and build inclusive infrastructure in STEM, supporting pilots, consortia, alliances, network connectors, and conferences. Eligibility is relatively broad: for-profit organizations including small businesses, nonprofit non-academic organizations, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, and federally recognized tribal nations may apply. No specific award amounts are listed. This is a research and capacity-building opportunity open to a range of organizations, though not to individuals.

National Institute of Standards and Technology · Amount varies

This NIST CHIPS Incentives Program funds construction, expansion, or modernization of commercial facilities for semiconductor materials and manufacturing equipment. Applicants must be a 'covered entity,' defined as a nonprofit, private-sector entity, or a consortium of such entities with demonstrated ability to substantially finance and build large semiconductor-related facilities. This is aimed at established firms and consortia capable of major capital projects, not individuals, researchers, or small or new organizations; applications go through the CHIPS Incentives Portal. No award amounts are specified, but the program targets large-scale industrial projects.

Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Amount varies

Department of War (Defense Health Agency) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award funding studies that could meaningfully advance spinal cord injury research, patient care, or quality of life, from basic through translational science. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted/open to any entity type subject to clarification in the full notice; an early-career partnership option allows two principal investigators. No award amount is specified. The stated eligibility is broad.

Office of Naval Research · $250K–$500K

Office of Naval Research Broad Agency Announcement funding applied research on communications and networking technologies for naval operations. Open to academia, industry, and the research community worldwide, including small and large businesses; federal labs and FFRDCs cannot receive awards directly but may team with eligible applicants. Awards range from about $250,000 up to $500,000. Eligibility is broad, with the noted exclusions for certain government and federally funded entities.

Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Amount varies

Department of War (Defense Health Agency) Orthopaedic Research Program Applied Research Award funding applied research to improve treatment and restore function for service-related orthopaedic injuries. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted/open to any entity type subject to clarification in the full notice; preliminary data are required and clinical research is not allowed under this mechanism. No award amount is specified. Projects must demonstrate military relevance, but the stated eligibility is broad.

Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Amount varies

Department of War (Defense Health Agency) Toxic Exposures Research Program Translational Research Award funding research that moves promising military toxic-exposure findings toward clinical applications such as products, interventions, or practice guidelines. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted/open to any entity type subject to clarification in the full notice; a partnering principal investigator option supports two-PI collaborations. No award amount is specified. The stated eligibility is broad.

Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Amount varies

Department of War (Defense Health Agency) Toxic Exposures Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award funding studies on diseases and conditions linked to military-related toxic exposures, spanning basic, translational, and preclinical/human research. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted/open to any entity type subject to clarification in the full notice. No award amount is specified. The stated eligibility is broad, though projects must be relevant to military toxic-exposure research.

DARPA - Information Innovation Office · Amount varies

DARPA Information Innovation Office (I2O) office-wide Broad Agency Announcement for advanced information-science research, open to all responsible sources including academia, industry, and the research community. Note this BAA is currently under a temporary pause and is not accepting new abstract submissions until further notice, except from proposers with explicit written government encouragement. No award amount is specified. Eligibility is broad, but the active pause is a key limitation to verify before applying.

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency · Amount varies

This is a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Broad Agency Announcement seeking research on hard geospatial-intelligence problems in foundational GEOINT, advanced phenomenologies, and analytic technologies. Eligibility is open to any responsible source capable of meeting the government's needs, but the work is highly specialized defense/intelligence R&D and proposals are accepted only in response to specific Topic Calls, some of which are classified and require security clearance. No award amounts are stated. This suits research organizations and contractors with relevant technical and security capabilities rather than general nonprofits.

Office of Science · $500K–$16M

The DOE Genesis Mission funds interdisciplinary teams using novel AI models to accelerate scientific discovery in areas like advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear energy, quantum information, and semiconductors. Eligibility is broadly open to any entity type, subject to clarification in the RFA, with Phase I small-team and Phase II large-team awards. Awards are large, roughly $500,000 up to $16 million. It is aimed at research teams able to leverage national-laboratory, industry, and academic resources.

DARPA - Tactical Technology Office · Amount varies

This DARPA Tactical Technology Office Broad Agency Announcement seeks innovative proposals to build, adapt, and sustain defense platforms and systems, in focus areas such as Design/Build/Buy, Surge and Sustain, Long Range Effects, and Disruptive Innovation. Eligibility is broadly open to any responsible source capable of meeting the government's needs, but this is specialized defense R&D. No specific award amount is stated. It suits research organizations and contractors with relevant technical capabilities rather than general nonprofits.

Engineer Research and Development Center · Up to $1B

This Army Corps of Engineers ERDC Broad Agency Announcement is a continuously open call for R&D across many engineering and environmental fields, accepting pre-proposals year-round. Eligibility is broadly open to any entity type, subject to clarification in the solicitation. Award amounts are not meaningfully bounded in this record (the listed range spans from $0 to a placeholder maximum), so applicants should consult the announcement. It suits research organizations, universities, and firms with relevant technical capabilities.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $100K–$750K

An NSF program funding research on the coupling, energetics, and dynamics of the upper atmosphere, including ground- and space-based observations and modeling. Eligibility is relatively broad: U.S. for-profit organizations including small businesses, nonprofit non-academic research organizations, higher-education institutions, and federally recognized Tribal Nations may apply. Awards run roughly $100,000 to $750,000. While the entity types are broad, the work is specialized atmospheric science suited to research-capable applicants.

Munitions Directorate · Up to $750M

A Department of Defense (Munitions Directorate) Broad Agency Announcement for research on air-delivered effects. Eligible applicants include public and private higher-education institutions, 501(c)(3) nonprofits other than higher-education institutions, and small businesses. The listed maximum is very large, up to about $750,000,000, though actual awards depend on the specific proposal and topic. This is a defense research solicitation requiring relevant technical capability, not a fit for general nonprofits or individuals.

Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command · Amount varies

A U.S. Army (West Point / U.S. Military Academy) Broad Agency Announcement soliciting basic and applied research and analysis across science, engineering, education, policy, ethics, history, and economics. Eligibility is broad, including higher-education institutions, nonprofits, state and local governments, for-profit organizations (large and small businesses), and foreign organizations/public entities, with no restriction on place of performance. No award amount is specified, and funding depends on the specific proposal. Proposals must advance the state of the art or basic knowledge rather than target specific devices.

Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command · Amount varies

This U.S. Army Research Office broad agency announcement funds collaborative research and fellowships in quantum computing and qubit development through the LPS Qubit Collaboratory. Eligibility is broad, including individuals, universities, nonprofits, small businesses, other for-profits, and FFRDCs, with collaboration alongside a government laboratory. No award amount is listed.

USAF 347 Contracting Squadron · From $10K

This U.S. Army (DEVCOM) open broad agency announcement seeks fundamental research collaborations specifically in the Indo-Pacific region. A key restriction: the government supports engagements ONLY in the Indo-Pacific region and does not support work performed in the continental United States, so this is geographically narrow. The minimum award is around $10,000; the maximum is not specified. Eligibility terms are otherwise vague in the available text, so applicants should review the full announcement on SAM.gov to confirm who may apply and the geographic requirements.

Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Amount varies

This Defense Health Agency broad agency announcement (BAA) solicits extramural basic and applied medical research and development proposals that benefit both military and civilian medical practice. Eligibility is unrestricted, meaning any type of entity may apply, subject to clarifications in the notice. No award amount is specified. The selection process is highly competitive, and projects must focus on advancing scientific knowledge rather than developing a specific system or product.

Air Force -- Research Lab · Amount varies

This Air Force Research Laboratory opportunity (CHEERS) solicits white papers, and potentially later technical and cost proposals, on human performance research areas defined in attached statements of objectives. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to clarification in the full announcement, so a range of organizations including businesses, nonprofits, and universities may be able to apply. Applicants must reference the related Multiple Authority Announcement to obtain required attachments. Award amounts are not specified, and specific eligibility terms are somewhat vague, so review the full solicitation carefully.