NSF SBIR/STTR (America's Seed Fund)

NSF SBIR/STTR — also branded as America's Seed Fund — is the most discipline-agnostic SBIR program among US federal agencies. Where NIH funds biomedical and DoD funds defense-relevant work, NSF funds nearly every other area of deep tech: AI, semiconductors, robotics, quantum, energy, advanced materials, biological technologies, photonics, environmental tech, manufacturing, and more (26 published topic codes). Each year NSF awards $200M+ to about 400 startups. Phase I pays up to $305,000 for 6-18 months of feasibility R&D. Phase II pays up to $1,250,000 for 24 months of development, with supplements up to $500K available. The Fast-Track Pilot (NSF 24-582) combines both phases in a single application for projects where the Phase II plan is already well-defined. SBIR and STTR share the same NSF solicitation document and the same scoring process. The defining difference: STTR requires a formal partnership with a non-profit US research institution, with at least 40% of work performed by the small business and at least 30% by the partner. SBIR proposals do not require such a partnership. Unlike NIH SBIR, NSF SBIR is closed to venture-capital-majority-owned companies entirely. Following the April 2026 SBIR/STTR reauthorization, NSF is preparing successor solicitations; Project Pitches and full proposals are currently paused.

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