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America's Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR)
U.S. Small Business Administration (multi-agency)
The U.S. government's largest source of non-dilutive early-stage R&D funding, run across 11 federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DoD, NASA, etc.). Phase I awards range roughly $50,000-$305,000 for proof of concept, with Phase II awards up to ~$2M+ for further development, and founders keep 100% equity and IP.
📍 United StatesUnpaid
Who can apply
U.S.-based for-profit small businesses (fewer than 500 employees) doing R&D-based technology development; specific technical topics vary by participating agency.
How to prepare
Use the sbir.gov search tool to find agency-specific solicitations that match your technology; read a successful sample Phase I proposal (many agencies publish redacted examples) before writing your own.
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