🌍 US
U.S. Small Business Administration / NSF
grant
America’s Seed Fund (NSF / NIH SBIR & STTR Phase I)
Non-dilutive federal grants from NSF, NIH, DoD and DoE to transform scientific discoveries into commercially viable products.
Maximum Funding
$275,000 – $305,000 Non-Dilutive R&D Grant
100% Match Rate
Assessor Audit Rule
Standard Invoicing
Direct proof of EFT payment
Eligibility Limits
< 500 Staff
< 120 mo trading
Review & Speed
4–6 Months Evaluation
Non-Repayable Grant
Scheme Overview & Underwriting Criteria
America’s Seed Fund awards more than $4 billion annually in non-dilutive capital through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to US-based deeptech startups.
Approved vs. Ineligible Expenditure Schedule
Approved Costs (Assessor Will Fund)
- •Principal investigator and research staff salaries
- •Laboratory supplies, reagents, and test materials
- •Specialized scientific instrumentation and computational access
- •Subcontracting research institutions (up to 33% in Phase I)
Strictly Ineligible (Instant Rejection)
- •Sales, marketing, and business development expenditures
- •Work performed outside of the 50 United States or territories
- •Standard operational overhead unrelated to research deliverables
Required Documents & Assessor Submission Pack
Must be >50% owned by US citizens or lawful permanent residents
Active registrations on SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and SBA.gov
Submission of Project Pitch and formal Phase I technical proposal
Common Disqualification Red Flags
Conducting scientific work outside the United States without prior waiver
Failing to maintain active SAM.gov Entity Unique Identifier (UEI) registration
Submitting commercial software with no fundamental scientific research
Assessor Underwriting Warning & Cashflow Timing
Requires >50% US citizen/permanent resident ownership and all R&D work performed inside the United States.
Startup Preflight Evaluator
Test your venture against this grant in 60 seconds
Startup Preflight cross-references your concept canvas, headcount, location, and technical work packages against America’s Seed Fund (NSF / NIH SBIR & STTR Phase I) underwriting criteria before you apply.
Official Agency Resources
Official Program PortalNeed 3 quotes? Module D & E include the built-in 3-Quote Concierge to generate compliant RFPs and attach assessor-ready supplier quotes.