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Funding

You have an idea - how do you finance it?

You're likely here because you are working on a particular technology or have a specific idea and are looking for funding to advance it. Two key steps to find funding through the SBIR/STTR programs:

  1. Identify a participating agency or agencies interested in your topic area.
  2. Apply to a specific solicitation.


Identify a participating agency or agencies interested in your topic area.

Different participating agencies fund different sectors and technology areas, so a first step is to see which agency or agencies fund projects relevant to you. Agencies also differ in how narrow or broadly they define their topic areas.

Current Topics - Search technology topic areas that agencies are interested in funding right now.

Don't be discouraged if you don't pull up a topic that matches your interests - new topics are published periodically. You can search past topics of interest as well as what projects agencies have funded before.

Past Awards - Find out if your areas of interest have been funded before and which agencies invested.


Apply to a specific solicitation.

You must respond to a funding solicitation from a particular agency, because the SBIR/STTR programs do not accept “unsolicited” proposals. Solicitations are known by many names including Request for Proposals (RFP), Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), or simply Solicitation. No matter what it's called, this document provides the rules and guidance on how to prepare a response, also called an application or a proposal. Solicitation documents include Proposal Preparation Instructions, Application and Submission guidance, and Evaluation criteria.

Some agencies have multiple solicitations throughout the year, while others may only have one solicitation release each year. Once you identify a relevant agency to target, learn more about that specific agency’s process.

See more about solicitations here, including an overview of the schedule


Utilize Technical and Business Assistance (TABA).

Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) provides an opportunity to assist small businesses participating in the SBIR and STTR programs with commercializing its technology. Learn more here.

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