Grants for Small Businesses

Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery · Amount varies

California's CalRecycle Recycling Market Development Zone Revolving Loan Program offers financing (a loan, not a grant) to recycling-related businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies that prevent, reduce, or recycle waste through value-added processing or manufacturing. Applicants must be California-based and located within a designated Recycling Market Development Zone, which limits eligibility geographically. Award amounts are not specified.

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

Businesses and nonprofits in California may apply to CalRecycle's Empty Glass Beverage Transportation Grant Program, which funds projects that move empty glass beverage containers by rail to CalRecycle-certified glass processing facilities. Eligible costs include rail transportation equipment, supplies, transport costs, new or upgraded rail lines, and directly related personnel. Awards range from roughly $500,000 to $4,000,000, but all projects and transportation must be located in and originate from California, a significant geographic restriction. No deadline is stated.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This is a forecasted NIH small-business opportunity, the Small Business Transition Grant for New Entrepreneurs (Parent R43/R44 SBIR, clinical trial optional), intended to help new entrepreneurs transition into small-business research. Eligibility, funding amount, and deadline are not yet published, so it is not currently open. SBIR awards are limited to U.S. small businesses meeting size and ownership requirements and typically exclude foreign firms; review the full notice of funding opportunity for exact eligibility.

CA Energy Commission · Amount varies

The California Energy Commission provides cost-share funding to help applicants match awards they receive (or follow-on funding) from eligible federal clean energy funding opportunities such as DOE grants. It is broadly open to businesses, individuals, nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments, but you must first apply for or have an active eligible federal award — retroactive cost share for already-completed federal awards is not eligible. The list of qualifying federal opportunities is updated continuously; no award range or deadline is listed.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

Eligibility is unrestricted (open to any entity type, subject to NSF clarifications), but this National Science Foundation program funds crosscutting materials-research activities such as diversity and inclusion efforts, international cooperation, education, workshops, summer schools, and conferences rather than traditional research projects. Award amounts and deadlines are not specified, and program directors recommend contacting them before submitting any full proposal exceeding $50,000. Foreign organizations face the usual NSF limitations, so most awards go to U.S. institutions.

Department of Water Resources · Amount varies

This forecasted California Department of Water Resources program will provide grant funding to repair, retrofit, and rehabilitate state-jurisdictional dams with safety deficiencies, helping reduce downstream risk and recover lost water storage. The listed eligibility is broad, including businesses, individuals, nonprofits, other legal entities, public agencies, and tribal governments, but applicants realistically need to be dam owners or operators of affected California dams. Award amounts and the deadline have not yet been published.

DOC NOAA - ERA Production · $250K–$30M

Institutions of higher education, nonprofits, for-profit companies, U.S. territories, and state, local, and tribal governments may apply to this NOAA program for fish habitat restoration in the Great Lakes. Federal agencies and their employees are not eligible. Applicants can be located anywhere, but the proposed work must take place within the Great Lakes basin in one of the eight U.S. Great Lakes states (NY, PA, OH, MI, IN, IL, WI, MN). Awards range from about $250,000 to $30 million, making this a large-award opportunity with a strong geographic restriction.

Department of Fish and Wildlife · Amount varies

California's Department of Fish and Wildlife offers this Wolf-Livestock Compensation program to reimburse livestock producers for confirmed or probable direct losses (death or injury) from wolf depredation, verified through a CDFW investigation. Eligible applicants are broad, including businesses, individuals, nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments, but the program is geographically limited to California and tied to documented wolf depredation incidents. Recipients are expected to consult with the Department afterward on deterrent strategies; no award amounts or deadline are posted.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This forecasted National Eye Institute program (R61/R33, clinical trial not allowed) supports translational research to develop therapeutics for eye diseases through a phased milestone-driven award. Eligibility, funding amounts, and deadline are not yet posted. R61/R33 awards typically fund universities, research institutions, and sometimes small businesses; clinical trials are not permitted under this opportunity. Review the full notice for confirmed eligibility.

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.

Department of Housing and Community Development · Amount varies

Businesses, nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments may apply for this California HCD Multifamily Finance Super NOFA, which makes roughly $101 million available (mostly as loans) for affordable and supportive rental housing, transit-oriented development, veterans housing, and related infrastructure. Awards are restricted to projects located in Los Angeles County and tied to recovery from the January 2025 wildfires, so it is geographically limited. Most funding is delivered as loans rather than outright grants. No application deadline is listed here; review the NOFA for program-specific requirements.

Administration for Community Living · Amount varies

This forecasted SBIR Phase II opportunity from the HHS Administration for Community Living supports small businesses advancing innovations relevant to community living and people with disabilities or older adults. SBIR awards are limited to eligible U.S. small for-profit businesses, and Phase II normally requires a prior Phase I award. Formal eligibility, funding amounts, and deadlines are not yet posted; confirm prior-award and size requirements when the announcement is released.

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.

Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery · Amount varies

This is a loan program (not a traditional grant) from California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), open to businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies. It funds projects that reduce greenhouse gas and landfill methane emissions, improve air and water quality, benefit disadvantaged communities, and create jobs, supporting the goals of California's AB 32. No amount or deadline is listed; because funds are provided as a loan rather than a grant, applicants should review repayment terms and California-specific requirements.

NASA Headquarters · Amount varies

NASA's umbrella SpaceTech-REDDI-2026 announcement funds space technology research, development, demonstration, and infusion, with specific topics released as appendices throughout the year. Participation is broad — educational, industry, and nonprofit institutions, FFRDCs, UARCs, and other entities — and includes U.S. and, to the extent practicable, non-U.S. organizations, but NASA Centers, NASA civil servants, and JPL cannot receive awards. Each appendix may add its own eligibility limits and deadlines, so applicants must check the individual topic solicitation on NSPIRES.

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.