Distributed Ledger Grant

Distributed Ledger Grant is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). This program provides grant funding for startups developing novel, distinctive, and disruptive innovations across all areas of distributed ledgers, including blockchains, directed acyclic graphs (DAGs), and related capabilities (cryptography, smart contracts).

Applications across various industries and commercial uses are appropriate.

Distributed Ledger Grant – Apply Today | NSF SBIR For proposal preparation and submission instructions, click here . The SBIR/STTR program looks forward to receiving the submission of new Project Pitches in response to the new solicitations beginning on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Please direct any questions to sbir@nsf.

gov . The Neural Analytics Lucid™ M1 transcranial Doppler Ultrasound System is indicated as an adjunct to the standard clinical practices for measuring and displaying cerebral blood flow velocity within the major conducting arteries and veins of the head and neck. Additionally, the Lucid™ M1 System measures the occurrence of transient emboli signals within the blood stream.

The Distributed Ledger topic area covers a wide range of technology areas of current and emerging commercial significance and impact spanning all areas of distributed ledgers, including blockchains, directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and related capabilities (cryptography, smart contracts, etc.). Applications of these technologies and approaches across any range of industries and commercial uses are appropriate for this topic area.

Proposed projects should involve novel, distinctive approaches and/or disruptive innovations with high potential impact and competitive advantages in their field of use. These subtopic areas are meant to serve as examples of what entrepreneurs may propose in this space; all distributed ledger proposals with technical innovation and significant commercial potential are welcome, regardless of the specific area of focus of the project.

Application process for funding Eligibility for funding + 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. NSF does not fund companies that are majority-owned by multiple venture capital firms, private equity firms, or hedge funds, to participate in SBIR and STTR.

All funded work, including work done by consultants and contractors, needs to take place in the United States. The project’s principal investigator (tech lead) must be legally employed at least 20 hours a week by the company seeking funding. The principal investigator doesn’t need any advanced degrees.

The principal investigator needs to commit to at least one month (173 hours) of work on a funded project per six months of project duration. Evaluation Criteria: What We Look for When Evaluating proposals + Take our project assessment to see if your work might be a good fit for NSF funding. We invest up to $2 million in seed funding and take zero equity.

We’re looking for companies that are transformative, high-risk, have a market pull, and are scaleable.