Startup Grants for Bootstrapped Founders (No Equity, 2026)

Short answer: Yes, there are startup grants that take no equity, but almost all of them pay for research and development, not for running a business. For a bootstrapped software founder in late 2026, the realistic options are US SBIR/STTR (reauthorized through 2031, with NSF's Phase I at up to $305,000), the EU's EIC Accelerator grant (up to EUR 2.5M), Canada's IRAP, R&D tax credits in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and a short list of small private grants. Pick one or two that match your product and country, and treat the rest as noise.

This guide covers what each program pays, who can apply, how long it takes, what it restricts, and how to decide whether an application is worth your time. Every amount, date and rule below comes from the program's own page or a named source, checked on 9 Nov 2026. The judgement calls are ours and are labelled "Our read".

TL;DR#

• US: SBIR and STTR lapsed on 30 September 2025 and were reauthorized on 13 April 2026 through 30 September 2031. NSF's Phase I pays up to $305,000 over six to 18 months, and Phase II up to $1,250,000 over 24 months. You start with a short Project Pitch.
• UK: Smart grants are closed. Their replacement, Velocity, opens in autumn 2027. In the meantime, use specific competitions and the merged R&D tax relief.
• EU: The EIC Accelerator offers a grant of up to EUR 2.5M. Short proposals can be sent at any time, and full proposal cut-offs are listed through 2027.
• Canada, Australia, New Zealand: IRAP gives advice and financial help. SR&ED, the Australian R&D Tax Incentive and New Zealand's 15% RDTI are tax incentives, not grants, but are often the most dependable option.
• Private microgrants: The Awesome Foundation ($1,000), 1517 Medici (minimum $1K), Amber Grant ($15,000 a month, women-owned US/Canada businesses) and NLnet (EUR 5,000 to 50,000 for open source).
• Scams: The FTC says "Offers of free money from government grants are scams." Never pay to receive a grant.

Disclosure: ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC. We have no relationship with any program in this guide, and we earn nothing if you apply. This is not legal or tax advice. Program rules change, so read the current call text before you apply.

How this guide fits with our other funding posts#

We already have a broad guide to ways to fund a product without venture capital. Its grants section explains how to read any grant (eligibility first, then scope, permitted costs, IP and reporting) and why "non-dilutive" does not mean "unrestricted". We will not repeat that here.

This post is the practical follow-up. It names specific programs, country by country, with amounts and eligibility, and adds the parts the broad guide does not cover: which programs suit software, how to estimate whether an application pays for itself, how to write one, and a 30-day plan.

Two related things are not grants, and we cover them elsewhere:

• Cloud and SaaS credits are discounts, not cash. See our list of free startup perks without VC.
• Equity-free accelerators sometimes include a stipend, but they are programs with cohorts and obligations. See accelerators that don't take equity.

What counts as a startup grant (and what does not)#

A grant is money you do not repay and that does not buy shares. In practice, the money that bootstrapped founders call "grants" falls into four groups, and it helps to separate them before you start searching.

Our read: the single biggest filter is technical risk. Government grants exist to fund work that might not succeed. NSF's Project Pitch asks you to describe "The Technology Innovation" and "The Technical Objectives and Challenges" before it asks about the market (NSF Project Pitch). If your product is a well-built SaaS that uses known techniques to solve a business problem, you are unlikely to win an R&D grant, however good the business is. That is not a judgement on the product, it is a mismatch with what the money is for.

Eligibility table: startup grants with no equity (checked 9 Nov 2026)#

Tax incentives (UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) are covered in their own section below because they work differently.

United States: SBIR and STTR#

What happened in 2025 and 2026#

SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) are the biggest pots of non-dilutive money a US software founder can realistically target. sbir.gov says the programs "award non-dilutive funding to develop your technology and chart a path toward commercialization" and lists "0%" for equity or IP ownership taken by the government.

If you read founder forums in late 2025, you will have seen that the programs stopped. That was true. According to law firm Crowell & Moring, "The programs' previous authorization expired on September 30, 2025", leaving a six-month interruption. The Senate passed a reauthorization bill on 3 March 2026 and the House on 17 March 2026 (AIP). On 13 April 2026 the President signed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act of 2026 (S. 3971), which extends the programs through 30 September 2031 (Crowell & Moring).

Our read: the programs are open again and secured for five years, which makes them worth planning around. Expect agency calendars to take time to settle after the gap, and check each agency's own page rather than relying on dates from 2024 or 2025.

How much SBIR pays#

Amounts vary by agency. sbir.gov's homepage gives typical ranges of $50,000 to $275,000 for Phase I (6 to 12 months) and $750,000 to $1.8 million for Phase II (24 months). Its About page adds that, as of 16 October 2026, agencies may issue a Phase I award up to $335,937 and a Phase II award up to $2,239,578 without seeking SBA approval (sbir.gov About).

For most software founders, the most accessible entry is NSF, known as America's Seed Fund. NSF says it will "invest up to $2 million in seed funding. And take zero equity". Per its program page (NSF):

Who can apply to NSF SBIR#

NSF's eligibility basics (Get started):

• "Your company must be a small business (fewer than 500 employees) located in the United States."
• "At least 50% of your company's equity must be owned by U.S. citizens or permanent residents."

You need a company, not just an idea. A bootstrapped founder who owns 100% of a US company is, on ownership alone, the easiest possible applicant. No investor approvals, no cap table to explain.

The NSF process: Project Pitch first#

NSF does not let you write a full proposal cold. You submit a short Project Pitch, and NSF either invites you to submit a full proposal or declines. The pitch has four sections, with limits in characters, not words (NSF Project Pitch):

1. The Technology Innovation (up to 3,500 characters)
2. The Technical Objectives and Challenges (up to 3,500 characters)
3. The Market Opportunity (up to 1,750 characters)
4. The Company and Team (up to 1,750 characters)

NSF says "Typically, it takes about 1-2 months to get an official response from NSF staff." You can submit one pitch per submission window, have only one under review at a time, send two pitches per 12-month period, and send three in total for the same project.

If invited, you write a full proposal against a dated deadline. NSF lists "November 4 2026" and "March 4 2027" as full proposal deadlines (NSF full proposal), so as of today the next one is 4 March 2027.

Our read: the pitch is about 10,500 characters in total, roughly 1,500 to 1,800 words. That is a weekend of focused work for a founder who understands their own technology. It is the cheapest way to find out whether your product is "SBIR-shaped", and the answer is useful even if it is no.

Is your software SBIR-shaped?#

NSF's pitch puts technology first, and the market third. Our read on what tends to fit and what tends not to, based on that structure:

If you are on the right-hand side, that is fine. Most good bootstrapped businesses are. Skip SBIR and spend the time on customers, then look at the tax incentives below if you do any genuine R&D.

State programs#

Many US states run their own innovation grants and SBIR matching programs. We could not verify current amounts and status for specific state programs today, so we have left them out. Search your state's economic development agency site directly, and check the date on any program page before you plan around it.

United Kingdom: Innovate UK, Scotland and R&D tax relief#

Smart grants are closed#

For years the default answer to "UK startup grants" was Innovate UK Smart. That is no longer the case. Innovate UK now says: "Smart grants are now closed for new applications as funding is being aligned to Innovate UK's new strategic direction."

The replacement is called Velocity. Innovate UK's page (updated 2 November 2026) says "Velocity opens for applications in autumn 2027", and describes a different model: "Rather than offering grants for one-off projects, we'll be supporting businesses in the round and over the long term." "Digital and technologies", including AI, is one of six priority areas.

Our read: if you are a UK software founder, there is no general-purpose Innovate UK grant to apply for until Velocity opens. Use the next year to build the evidence Velocity is likely to want (revenue, customers, a clear technical roadmap), and keep an eye on the competition list.

Innovate UK competitions#

Innovate UK still runs specific competitions on the Innovation Funding Service. On 9 Nov 2026, the clearest match for software was a set of BridgeAI Deployment Catalyst competitions (AI for Operational Systems, Decision Critical Systems, and Assurance and Compliance). They offer up to £5 million each, close on 8 December 2026, and are collaborations only: the lead must be a UK-registered AI SME with an existing AI or ML solution at TRL 5 to 6, and the project must include one UK medium or large deployer, with two or three organisations in total.

That is not a solo founder's first grant. It is a fit if you already have a working AI product and a large customer willing to deploy it with you. Most other open competitions were for areas like materials, low carbon concrete, vehicles and quantum.

A few rules that apply across Innovate UK funding:

• Collaborations: In collaborative projects, "no single organisation can claim more than 70% of the total project costs".
• Funding rates: "The funding rates you can receive will depend on the size and type of your organisation". Expect to cover part of the project cost yourself; check each competition brief for the rate.
• Subsidy control: Support is given under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. The minimal financial assistance route has a cap of up to £315,000 over a rolling three financial year period (funding rules).

Scotland: Scottish EDGE#

Scottish EDGE is a competition for early-stage Scottish businesses. Its standard award is "up to £100,000 on a split grant/loan basis", while Young EDGE and Wild Card EDGE are grant-only, up to £15,000. Round 28 ran from 5 August to 2 September 2026 and has closed; the site says "Round 29 opens in early 2027." The site's headline figures differ between pages, so read the brochure for the round you enter. We could not verify a current Wales-specific grant for software startups today, so we have not listed one.

UK R&D tax relief (not a grant)#

For accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024, UK companies claim R&D relief through the merged scheme or, if they qualify, Enhanced R&D Intensive Support (ERIS). Per gov.uk:

• Merged scheme: "The rate of R&D expenditure credit under the merged RDEC scheme is 20%." It is a taxable expenditure credit, liable to Corporation Tax because it is classed as trading income.
• ERIS: for loss-making R&D intensive SMEs. It gives an extra 86% deduction (186% in total) plus a payable credit "worth up to 14.5% of the surrenderable loss", and the payable credit "is not liable to tax".
• Intensity condition: relevant R&D expenditure must be "at least 30% of its total expenditure" to count as R&D intensive.
• PAYE cap: the payable amount is capped at "£20,000 plus 300%" of relevant PAYE and NIC liabilities.

Illustrative example (ours, simplified, not tax advice): a profitable UK company that spends £50,000 on qualifying R&D under the merged scheme gets a £10,000 expenditure credit (20%) before tax on that credit. Your accountant will work out the net figure, which depends on your tax position and the PAYE cap.

Our read: tax relief is not a grant. You spend first and claim later, and you need records that show what was technically uncertain. But it requires no competition and no assessor's approval, which is why it often beats grants on expected value for software companies doing real R&D.

European Union: EIC Accelerator and Horizon Europe#

EIC Accelerator#

The European Innovation Council's Accelerator is the EU's flagship program for single startups and SMEs. It offers:

• Grant component: up to EUR 2.5M for innovation activities (TRL 6 to 8).
• Investment component: EUR 1M up to EUR 10M for scaling up (TRL 6 to 9). This one is equity, so a bootstrapped founder who wants no dilution should look closely at the grant-only route.
• Grant only: available "under certain conditions" and only once during Horizon Europe (2021-2027).

Who can apply: SMEs established in an EU member state or a Horizon Europe associated country, and individuals intending to establish an SME. Small mid-caps (up to 499 employees) qualify only for investment-only or, exceptionally, blended finance.

How it works:

1. Short proposal, which can be submitted at any time. Feedback usually takes about four to six weeks.
2. Full proposal: a form of up to 20 pages plus a pitch deck and annexes, submitted against cut-off dates. The page lists 20 January, 17 March, 1 September and 4 November 2027.
3. Interview with the EIC Jury.
4. Grant agreement, and due diligence if there is an investment component. If due diligence finds you are not ready for investment, the page says you start with the grant.

Our read: the EIC Accelerator is a serious undertaking and a competitive one. It fits a European software company with a technically ambitious product that is past the prototype stage (TRL 6 means a demonstrated system, not a sketch). The short proposal is the low-cost test.

Horizon Europe#

The EIC sits inside Horizon Europe, the EU's research program, which has an indicative budget of EUR 93.5 billion for 2021-2027. Most Horizon Europe calls are for consortia of universities and companies. Our read: unless you already work with a research group, they are not a solo founder's route in. One exception worth knowing about is NLnet (below), which distributes EU-backed money to open source projects in small grants.

Canada: IRAP and SR&ED#

NRC IRAP#

The National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program describes itself as "Canada's leading innovation assistance program for small and medium-sized businesses", offering "financial assistance, advisory services and connections to the best business and R&D expertise in Canada". You do not apply through a public deadline. The page says to call toll-free at 1-877-994-4727 to learn more.

We could not load IRAP's detailed eligibility and funding page today, so we have not quoted its exact criteria or amounts. Check them on the NRC site before your first call.

Our read: IRAP is relationship-based. The first conversation is effectively the application, so go in with a one-page description of your technical problem, your team and how you would use the money.

SR&ED (tax incentive, not a grant)#

The Scientific Research and Experimental Development program is Canada's R&D tax incentive. The Canada Revenue Agency says businesses "may earn the credit at a basic rate of 15%", that "some corporations may claim an ITC at the enhanced rate of 35%", and that some businesses may also earn a refundable credit. Check CRA's eligibility rules for which corporations qualify for the enhanced and refundable credits.

One interaction matters if you use both programs: CRA notes that "if you receive NRC IRAP, it will reduce the amount of ITC you can earn" (CRA). Plan the two together.

Australia: R&D Tax Incentive and the Industry Growth Program#

R&D Tax Incentive#

For companies with turnover under $20 million, "The refundable R&D tax offset is equal to your corporate tax rate plus an 18.5% premium". You must register your activities "within 10 months of the end of the income year in which your R&D activities took place". The government has announced changes in the 2026-27 Budget that start from 1 July 2028 (business.gov.au), so check the rules for the year you are claiming.

Industry Growth Program#

The Industry Growth Program offers early-stage commercialisation grants of $50,000 to $250,000, plus larger commercialisation and growth grants of $100,000 to $5,000,000. It requires matched funding, turnover under $20 million in each of the three financial years before you apply, and a project in a National Reconstruction Fund priority area. You can only apply for a grant after receiving an Advisory Service report.

The catch on 9 Nov 2026: the page says "This program is currently paused to new applications", while also saying you can apply for the Advisory Service at any time. Our read: if you are an Australian software company in a priority area, getting the advisory report now positions you for when grants reopen. If you are not in a priority area, focus on the R&DTI.

New Zealand#

Callaghan Innovation is being disestablished. Its site says "many functions, people and services have now transferred to their future homes", and its disestablishment updates list the New to R&D Grant and Project Grants as transferred to MBIE, with active grants for existing customers to be transferred. We could not confirm whether either is open to new applicants today, so check business.govt.nz before you plan around them.

The steady option is the R&D Tax Incentive: "you can get a tax credit equal to 15% of eligible R&D expenditure". Like the UK, Canadian and Australian schemes, this is a tax credit, not a grant.

Private grants and microgrants open to software founders#

Private grants are small, but they are fast and often have very little paperwork. The amounts below come from each grant's own page today. Where a page does not state a detail, we say so.

Awesome Foundation#

The Awesome Foundation says "We award $1,000 grants every month" through 71 chapters in 11 countries, and "Your idea is yours alone. We don't want a stake in it." Each chapter picks its own winners. Our read: best for a side project, a community tool or a free resource rather than a company, and a good fit for open source or public-good software.

1517 Medici Project#

The Medici Project gives "a minimum $1K stipend" and calls it "a no strings attached grant", adding "we don't own you, your project, any IP generated, future equity in anything you generate." It works with high school students, college students and dropouts, cannot issue grants to teams outside North America, and says projects "do not have to be a startup". You apply by email with a five-minute Loom video and should hear back within two weeks.

Amber Grant#

The Amber Grant awards three $15,000 grants every month and three $75,000 grants at the end of each year. You must be a woman aged 18 or older, your business must be at least 50% women-owned, and it must be based in the US or Canada (FAQ). Startups qualify, including businesses still in the idea phase or with sales under $10,000. The deadline is the last day of each month. There is a $15 application fee, and you can ask for a waiver; the site also says "We NEVER ask for money to disburse our grants." Our read: a small, disclosed entry fee is different from a scam's "processing fee" to release money you have already "won", but it is still a cost to factor in if you apply every month.

NLnet (open source)#

NLnet funds open source work with "Between € 5 000 and € 50 000 for a first grant". Software must be released under open licences, and individuals can apply. EU-supported funds usually need applicants from Horizon Europe-eligible countries. The page says proposals "should be made by humans, not AI". The last deadline has passed; the next is 3 January 2027 at 12:00 CET. If you build open source infrastructure, this is one of the most accessible grant routes in Europe.

Emergent Ventures#

Emergent Ventures, run by the Mercatus Center, supports "thinkers and doers worldwide who pursue highly scalable, 'zero to one' ideas to meaningfully improve society". Applicants must be at least 13, and it runs dedicated tranches (including Africa and the Caribbean, India, UK Dynamism and US science policy). Its page warns: "We will test all submissions and reject those using AI for anything other than proofreading." It does not state amounts or equity terms on that page.

Not listed#

We tried to verify IFundWomen, Hello Alice and several national seed schemes (including India's Startup India Seed Fund Scheme) today and could not load their official pages. We have left them out rather than repeat figures we cannot confirm.

How to judge whether a grant is worth your time#

Every application costs founder time, and for a bootstrapped company founder time is the scarcest resource you have. Before writing a word, estimate the expected value.

A simple expected value check (ours)#

Expected value = (award amount × your honest chance of winning) minus (hours to apply × what an hour of your time is worth) minus (hours of reporting if you win × the same rate).

Illustrative example (our numbers, not program statistics):

The win rates in this table are placeholders to show the arithmetic, not real success rates. Replace them with your own honest estimate after reading the call and, ideally, talking to the program officer.

What this shows (our read):

• Microgrants rarely pay for themselves unless the application is very short or the project is already written up. Apply only when you have a clear fit.
• Pitch-first programs (NSF Project Pitch, EIC short proposals) are the best value, because a cheap step tells you whether the expensive step is worth it.
• Large grants can pay well even at low odds, but only if you can afford months without the money, plus the reporting afterwards.

Five questions before you apply#

1. Do I meet every mandatory condition today? Country, company type, ownership, size, stage. If not, stop.
2. Is my work in scope? Read the call's own words. If you have to stretch your roadmap to fit, our read is that you probably should not apply.
3. What will I have to give up? Time, focus, matched funding, or flexibility to change direction.
4. When does the money arrive? Months after the decision, in some cases in arrears against claims. Do not start grant-dependent work before you have a signed agreement.
5. What does winning commit me to? Reports, audits, milestones, and sometimes restrictions on where the work is done.

How to write a winning application#

Most of the advice below is ours. Where a program states its own requirements, we quote them.

Answer the question they asked, in their order#

NSF's Project Pitch has four sections with character limits. Innovate UK scores each question separately: "Each assessor submits a score for each scored question", and your application "may be assessed by five, three or one assessor depending on the competition criteria". Assessors score independently and the ranking uses the average.

Our read: this means every section has to stand alone. An assessor scoring "market" should not have to read your technical section to understand who will pay. Repeat the essentials where needed.

Lead with the technical risk, not the product tour#

R&D funders pay to reduce uncertainty. Write down:

• the specific thing you do not yet know how to do,
• why existing approaches do not solve it,
• the experiments or prototypes that will tell you whether you can,
• what success looks like in measurable terms.

A grant reviewer is not a customer. "Our dashboard is beautiful" scores nothing. "We need to cut inference latency from X to Y on commodity hardware and here is how we will test three approaches" is the kind of sentence R&D programs exist for.

Make the market section concrete#

Bootstrapped founders have an advantage here: real customers. Name the segment, show what customers pay today, describe how you sell, and include early revenue or letters of support if the program allows them. Do not invent market size figures; one well-sourced number beats five vague ones.

Show you can deliver#

Funders want to know the work will get done. Show who does what, the relevant experience, and a realistic plan. For a solo founder, be honest about capacity and name any contractors or advisors you will use.

Write it yourself#

At least two programs in this guide explicitly reject AI-written applications. Emergent Ventures says it will "reject those using AI for anything other than proofreading" (Mercatus), and NLnet asks that proposals "should be made by humans, not AI" (NLnet). Our read: even where a program is silent, a generic application reads as generic. Your specific knowledge of the problem is the thing that wins.

Use feedback#

Innovate UK says its feedback is "intended to be constructive", but also that "addressing assessor feedback does not guarantee a successful outcome" (UKRI). NSF limits how many pitches you can send for the same project. Treat a rejection as data and change the application, not just the date on it.

What grants restrict#

"No equity" does not mean "no strings". Our broad funding guide covers how to read award terms; here are the specific things to check in the programs above.

Our read: the restriction that hurts bootstrapped founders most is not IP or audit, it is focus. A grant locks part of your roadmap to a plan you wrote months ago. If customers pull you somewhere else, you may have to choose between them and the grant.

A note on tax treatment#

How a grant is taxed depends on your country and on the grant, so ask an accountant before you spend it. The UK's official guidance shows how much this varies even inside one scheme: the merged scheme's R&D expenditure credit is "liable to Corporation Tax as it is classed as trading income", while the ERIS payable credit "is not liable to tax" (gov.uk). Some grants also reduce the R&D tax credits you can claim, as CRA notes for IRAP and SR&ED.

How to avoid grant scams#

Grant scams target small business owners because "free money" is an easy hook. The US Federal Trade Commission is blunt: "Offers of free money from government grants are scams." It lists "home business expenses" among the things scammers claim a grant will cover, and advises: "Don't pay for a list of government grants", and not to pay any up-front fees either. It also notes that "Real government grants require an application, and they're always for a very specific purpose."

Grants.gov is a useful reality check too. It says "Federal agencies do not publish personal financial assistance opportunities on Grants.gov", and that its opportunities are for organisations running government-funded programs and projects.

Our red flags:

• Someone contacts you to say you have been chosen for a grant you did not apply for.
• You are asked for a fee, a gift card or bank details to "release" funds.
• A website sells a "complete list" of startup grants.
• The "grant" turns out to be a loan, a paid course or an equity deal.
• There is no official program page you can find yourself (do not click links in the message).

A 30-day grant plan for a bootstrapped founder (ours)#

This plan assumes 3 to 5 hours a week alongside your product work.

Week 1: shortlist#

• Day 1 to 2: Write a one-paragraph description of the hardest technical problem in your product. If you cannot name one, skip R&D grants and go straight to the tax and microgrant steps below.
• Day 3 to 4: Using the eligibility table above, list every program where you meet country, company and ownership rules today.
• Day 5 to 7: Read the official page for each one. Cross off anything with a mandatory condition you fail. Aim for one government program and up to two private ones.

Week 2: cheap first steps#

• US: Draft your NSF Project Pitch in a document, section by section, inside the character limits.
• EU: Draft an EIC Accelerator short proposal outline.
• Canada: Prepare a one-page brief and call IRAP.
• Australia: Request the Industry Growth Program Advisory Service if you are in a priority area.
• UK: Check the Innovation Funding Service for open competitions in your area, and sign up for Velocity updates.
• Everyone: Ask your accountant whether any of your past 12 months of work qualifies for R&D tax relief.

Week 3: write and review#

• Finish the first draft of your main application.
• Ask one technical person and one customer-facing person to read it. Ask the technical person, "What is the risk here?" Ask the other, "Who pays and why?"
• Apply to one microgrant that fits without extra work (for example, the Awesome Foundation chapter in your city, or NLnet if you build open source).

Week 4: submit and set up#

• Submit your main pitch or short proposal.
• Set up a simple record of R&D time and costs (a spreadsheet works) so future tax claims and grant reports are easy.
• Put next deadlines in your calendar: NSF full proposals on 4 March 2027, NLnet on 3 January 2027, EIC full proposal cut-offs in 2027, Scottish EDGE Round 29 in early 2027 and Velocity in autumn 2027.
• Then get back to customers. A grant is a bonus, not the plan.

Where grants fit in a bootstrapped funding plan#

Our read: for most bootstrapped software products, revenue from customers is still the best non-dilutive funding there is. It is faster than any grant, it proves demand, and it comes with no reporting. Grants work best as a supplement for a specific piece of technical work you would otherwise struggle to afford, while sales pay the bills.

If you have not launched yet, start there. Our guide on how to launch a bootstrapped app covers getting to your first users without a budget, and early traction will make any later grant application stronger. For the full menu of non-VC funding, from pre-sales to revenue-based financing, see ways to fund a product without venture capital.

Frequently asked questions#

Are there startup grants that don't take equity?#

Yes. Government R&D grants such as US SBIR/STTR, the EU's EIC Accelerator grant component and Canada's NRC IRAP take no equity. sbir.gov lists the equity or IP taken by the government as 0%, and NSF says it takes zero equity. Small private grants such as the Awesome Foundation's $1,000 awards and 1517's Medici Project also say they take no stake. The catch is eligibility, scope and reporting, not ownership.

Can a bootstrapped software startup get a government grant?#

Yes, if the software involves genuine technical risk or research. Programs like NSF SBIR fund technology innovation, not ordinary product development, so a standard CRUD SaaS is a poor fit while a product with a hard technical problem at its core can qualify. If your work does not meet that bar, R&D tax credits or small private grants are more realistic.

Is SBIR funding available in 2026?#

Yes. SBIR and STTR authority expired on 30 September 2025, and the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act of 2026 (S. 3971) was signed on 13 April 2026, extending the programs through 30 September 2031. NSF lists its next full proposal deadline as 4 March 2027, and you need an invitation from a Project Pitch first.

Are Innovate UK Smart grants still open?#

No. Innovate UK says Smart grants are closed for new applications as funding is aligned to its new strategic direction. Its replacement model, Velocity, opens for applications in autumn 2027. Until then, check the Innovation Funding Service for individual competitions, and look at the merged R&D tax relief scheme if you are a UK company doing R&D.

How do I spot a grant scam?#

Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering free government money, asks for a fee to release a grant, or sells lists of grants. The FTC says offers of free money from government grants are scams and that you should not pay for a list of grants or pay any up-front fees. Real grants require an application and are always for a specific purpose.

Launch while you wait#

Grant decisions take months. Customers do not have to. ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC, so submit your product for free and start building the traction that makes every application stronger. For more guides on funding and growing without investors, join the ZeroRaised newsletter.

Sources#

All sources last checked 9 Nov 2026.

• sbir.gov homepage
• sbir.gov About
• Crowell & Moring: SBIR/STTR programs reauthorized after six-month lapse
• AIP: Congress passes small business research reauthorization
• NSF America's Seed Fund
• NSF: Our program
• NSF: Get started
• NSF: Project Pitch information
• NSF: Full proposal
• Innovate UK: Guidance for specific funds
• Innovate UK: Velocity
• Innovation Funding Service: competition search
• Innovate UK: Your application
• Innovate UK: Funding rules
• Innovate UK: What happens after you have submitted your application
• gov.uk: R&D tax relief, the merged scheme and ERIS
• Scottish EDGE: Our competitions
• EIC Accelerator
• Horizon Europe
• NRC IRAP: About
• CRA: What are the SR&ED tax incentives
• business.gov.au: R&D Tax Incentive
• business.gov.au: Overview of the R&D Tax Incentive
• business.gov.au: Industry Growth Program
• Callaghan Innovation
• Callaghan Innovation: Disestablishment updates
• New Zealand R&D Tax Incentive
• Awesome Foundation
• 1517 Fund: Medici Project
• Amber Grant
• Amber Grant FAQ
• NLnet: Propose
• Mercatus Center: Emergent Ventures
• FTC: Government grant scams
• Grants.gov