Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP)

Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP)

Supports Virginia small businesses through proposal help, professional services, and matching resources for federal innovation awards.

The Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP) is a support service operated by the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) — the nonprofit operations arm of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority — designed to help Virginia-based small businesses successfully compete for federal SBIR and STTR grants. FFAP does not award funds directly; instead, it provides Virginia companies with the guidance and resources needed to win federal Phase I awards ($100K–$225K, six to twelve months) and Phase II awards (up to $750,000 over two years) across more than $2.5 billion in annual federal SBIR/STTR appropriations.

Support services provided under FFAP include proposal consultation, software access, coverage of legal and intellectual property fees, and accounting services. For select first-time applicants, VIPC also provides direct match funding to reduce out-of-pocket preparation costs. Eligibility follows federal SBIR/STTR rules: applicants must be for-profit U.S. businesses with 500 or fewer employees, at least 51 percent U.S.-owned and independently operated, and conducting all work in the United States. VIPC's own FFAP services are available specifically to small businesses located in Virginia. Individual federal agencies each operate one to three SBIR/STTR solicitation cycles per year, each lasting one to two months; deadlines are tracked via sbir.gov.

FFAP is sector-agnostic — any Virginia small business applying for any federal agency's SBIR or STTR solicitation may request assistance. The program sits within VIPC's broader startup funding portfolio alongside Virginia Venture Partners direct investments (up to $1 million seed-stage), the Lab-to-Launch Initiative (up to $50,000 for university licensees), and the VIPC Launch Program non-dilutive grants. Virginia companies preparing their first federal research proposal should engage VIPC FFAP early in the solicitation cycle to maximize access to proposal review and support services.