Photonics grants in the United States
Explore Photonics grants for companies in the United States. This list brings together funding for lasers, optics, integrated photonics, imaging and optical communications from US innovation agencies, research funders and foundations, international programs open to applicants in the United States, and competitions any company can enter, with the deadline, award size and eligibility on every listing. Grants aimed at Photonics in the United States come first.
Showing 1-24 of 261 grants
AFRL/RX Functional Materials Open BAA
🇺🇸Air Force · United States
Supports advanced functional materials research in the United States through Air Force opportunities.
NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I, Phase II, Fast-Track Programs: A Pilot Emphasis on Scientific Instrumentation
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds startups building next-generation scientific instruments — up to $2 million per company, no equity taken.
ARO DURIP (Annual Cycle)
🇺🇸ARO · United States
Supports United States universities acquiring research equipment for defense-relevant scientific research.
DURIP (AFOSR)
🇺🇸AFOSR · United States
Supports United States universities acquiring major research equipment for defense-relevant research capabilities.
Draper TIF
🇺🇸UW Entrepreneurship Hub + WiSys · United States
Funds WARF-disclosed UW Madison inventions through patent and licensing preparation for market-ready transfer.
MPS Astronomical Sciences Research Programs (MPS Astro)
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds astronomy research, instrumentation and new approaches through one door — a $100 million pool.
AFOSR YIP
🇺🇸AFOSR · United States
Supports early-career researchers in the United States through long-term federal science initiatives.
EMERGING FRONTIERS IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (EFRI-2026/27): Wave-Based Computing ( EFRI-WBC)
🇺🇸NSF · United States
Funds computing that runs on wave dynamics rather than switches — exploratory grants, or four-year projects up to $2 million.
NEI SBIR Phase I — Feasibility
🇺🇸NEI · United States
Supports United States. small businesses testing vision concepts through feasibility-focused grants.
NEI SBIR Phase II — R&D
🇺🇸NEI · United States
Supports United States. small businesses scaling vision concepts into full development pathways.
NEI STTR Phase I — Feasibility
🇺🇸NEI · United States
Funds small business and research-partner teams on feasibility vision tools for future commercialization.
NEI STTR Phase II — R&D
🇺🇸NEI · United States
Funds collaborative small-business partnerships to mature vision innovation into market-ready healthcare technologies.
ARO MURI
🇺🇸ARO · United States
Supports multidisciplinary university teams pursuing long-range defense research collaborations and shared outcomes.
MURI (AFOSR)
🇺🇸AFOSR · United States
Supports multidisciplinary university consortia tackling mission challenges in Air Force research domains.
ARL BAA
🇺🇸ARL · United States
Supports continuous Army science research for universities, companies, and nonprofits across broad disciplines.
ARO Core BAA — Single Investigator
🇺🇸ARO · United States
Offers core basic research grants across physical, engineering, and information science domains in the Army.
ARO Early Career Program (YIP)
🇺🇸ARO · United States
Supports early-career faculty pursuing Army basic research through direct funding pathways.
Molecular Imaging of Inflammation in Cancer
🇺🇸NIH · United States
Funds molecular imaging that shows how inflammation and cancer interact inside a living body, rather than in a dish or a slide.
AFRL/RD Tactical BAA
🇺🇸Air Force · United States
Funds directed energy development from early concept through advanced demonstration in defense applications.
AFRL/RD DETER ARA
🇺🇸Air Force · United States
Supports directed energy concept teams through AFRL DETER by backing proposals in an open pathway model.
Montana STEP Export Grant
🇺🇸MT Commerce · United States
Funds Montana small businesses exporting deep-tech products internationally through reimbursement of trade shows, compliance testing, IP filings, e-commerce, and market research costs.
NEMC PROPEL Round 4
🇺🇸NEMC · United States
Funds microelectronics prototype development in the northeastern United States through staged support.
NIH Common Fund Venture Program — Open Funding (Seed)
🇺🇸NIH Common Fund · United States
Supports high-potential short- to medium-range initiatives that can seed major breakthroughs.
NIST BAA — Cooperative Agreements
🇺🇸NIST · United States
Offers external-research support through NIST-linked opportunities in measurement science and standards.