One NC Small Business Program

The One North Carolina Small Business Program sits under the North Carolina Department of Commerce and combines two related routes for companies pursuing federal SBIR and STTR awards. One track reimburses proposal-preparation costs before a federal Phase I submission, and the other provides matching support after a Phase I win so companies can carry the work toward Phase II. The program operates statewide in North Carolina on an annual cycle through the CyberGrants Management System. The incentive side reimburses a share of proposal costs, while the matching side tops up federal Phase I awards and ties part of the payment to the Phase II proposal milestone. In the available data, the program has produced 51 incentive awards and 51 matching awards in FY2025, with the matching side averaging about $72,285 and the incentive side about $8,213. The program is built for small businesses that already understand the federal SBIR/STTR path or are close to it. Applicants do best when they can show a real technical project, a plausible federal agency target, and enough execution capacity to move from proposal to award and then into the next stage. The state structure favors practical commercialization support over broad operating subsidy.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.