DICES (Diversity in Cleantech — Early Stage)

DICES

Runs DICES to back underrepresented Massachusetts cleantech founders with mentoring and grant support for early venture development.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

DICES — Diversity in Cleantech Early Stage — is MassCEC's equity-focused early-stage grant, offering up to three awards of $75,000 each per round to cleantech founders who are underrepresented in the clean energy industry or who face economic barriers to participation. The program runs on the same application cycle and portal as MassCEC's Catalyst grant and is co-administered with MassVentures. The Spring 2026 round closed on 13 March 2026. Because only three awards are made per round, the effective award rate is narrow, making a compelling personal and technical narrative equally important.

Eligibility requirements mirror those of Catalyst with one additional gate: the founding team must demonstrate that it is underrepresented in the cleantech sector or faces economic barriers to clean energy participation. Massachusetts presence is required. For-profit applicants must have no more than four full-time employees. Nonprofit research institutions and student-led teams with a faculty principal investigator may also apply. Technology Readiness Level must be 2 through 4 at time of submission — concept through lab validation. All clean energy technology areas are in scope.

Applicants submit through the MassVentures platform and all finalists, whether or not funded, receive pitch coaching and business mentoring. Founders from underrepresented racial, ethnic, gender, or economic backgrounds should present both the technical merits of their cleantech concept and a clear statement of how their profile meets the DICES diversity or economic-barrier criterion. Given the cap of three awards per round, applicants who would also qualify for Catalyst should consider applying to both programs simultaneously to maximise their chances of receiving funding in the same cycle.