Build to Scale

Build to Scale is the Economic Development Administration's ecosystem grant program for organizations that strengthen regional entrepreneurial systems for technology-driven businesses. It is the successor to the Regional Innovation Strategies program and exists to help intermediaries build the capacity that lets entrepreneurs commercialize new technology, reach capital, and create jobs. The program is open to nonprofits, universities, and research organizations, while for-profit applicants are not eligible. It is an annual competition built around three subcompetitions: Venture Challenge, Capital Challenge, and Industry Challenge. The FY 2024 notice of funding opportunity carried $50 million, and no FY 2025 or FY 2026 notice had been announced as of June 2026. The program is not designed to fund startups directly; it funds the regional organizations around them. That makes the strongest applicants the ones that can show durable partnerships, startup reach, and a practical theory for how an ecosystem platform will raise commercialization rates or capital access over time. Because the grant goes to intermediaries, applications need to read like an operating plan for a region, not a pitch for a single company.

No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.