1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
SBIR Ignite is NASA's commercially oriented SBIR track and it inverts the usual federal calculus: instead of asking a small business to bend its roadmap toward a NASA mission need, Ignite explicitly targets high-growth, product-oriented startups that have never worked with NASA and asks them to keep their own commercial strategy while NASA de-risks the early, high-risk technology development that private investors will not touch.
That framing is the reason it is worth a separate look from the main NASA SBIR Appendix A solicitation. Phase I runs up to USD 225,000 and Phase II up to USD 1,275,000, all non-dilutive as part of America's Seed Fund.
The subtopic set is small and unusually AI-heavy for a space agency: AI-Powered Design for Multidisciplinary Space Hardware, Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics for Space Applications, and Low-Cost Radar for Planetary Navigation and Autonomy.
The first of those is the clearest fit for machine learning teams working on generative or surrogate-model design tools, and the third rewards teams doing perception and autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments. Because Ignite scores commercial potential heavily, a proposal that reads like a research plan tends to underperform one that reads like a product plan with a credible non-NASA customer base.
Note that NASA is moving its overall SBIR/STTR programme from a traditional annual solicitation cycle to a Broad Agency Announcement structure, so the mechanics of the surrounding programme are in flux even though Ignite retains its own window.
Get a weekly digest of new grants like this
A free weekly digest of new foundation and federal funding opportunities as they're added to Granted. Unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Open to U.S. small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, majority-owned by U.S. citizens or permanent residents, with all funded work performed in the United States. Ignite specifically targets high-growth, product-oriented entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses that have not previously worked with NASA, and evaluates commercial potential heavily alongside technical merit. Phase I awards are up to USD 225,000; Phase II awards are up to USD 1,275,000. The 2026 Ignite solicitation opened 3 September 2026 and closes 15 October 2026. The 2025 solicitation carried three technology subtopics: AI-Powered Design for Multidisciplinary Space Hardware, Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics for Space Applications, and Low-Cost Radar for Planetary Navigation and Autonomy; applicants must confirm the current year's subtopic list, which changes between cycles. NASA is transitioning its SBIR/STTR programme from a traditional solicitation cycle to a Broad Agency Announcement, so applicants should verify the submission mechanism, registration prerequisites (SAM.gov, SBA company registry), current award ceilings and the exact closing time directly on the NASA SBIR/STTR site before preparing a submission. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows phase I awards are up to USD 225,000 and Phase II awards up to USD 1,275,000. amount_min of 225,000 is the published Phase I ceiling and amount_max of 1,275,000 is the published Phase II ceiling, so the range spans the two phases rather than a single award band. NASA does not publish a floor for either phase; smaller Phase I awards are possible where the proposed scope is narrower. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for NASA SBIR Ignite 2026 for Commercially Driven Small Business AI, Robotics and Autonomy Technologies are due October 15, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
NASA SBIR Ignite 2026 for Commercially Driven Small Business AI, Robotics and Autonomy Technologies is funded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), SBIR/STTR Program Office. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
The NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) program (NSF 25-543) supports foundational computing research and education with a strong emphasis on AI and machine learning. The program funds research that advances the foundations of computing including AI/ML theory, algorithms, systems, and applications. Future CoRe supports small to medium-sized research projects that can have significant impact on computing foundations. The program has target dates of February 5, 2026 and September 10, 2026 for proposal submissions (note: these are target dates, not deadlines, meaning proposals may be submitted at any time but will be reviewed in batches around these dates). Investigators may not serve as PI, co-PI, or Senior/Key Personnel on more than two proposals submitted within any consecutive 12-month period across all Future CoRe programs. This is one of NSF's primary mechanisms for funding fundamental AI and machine learning research at U.S. academic institutions, covering areas such as machine learning theory, natural language processing, computer vision, robotics foundations, and human-AI interaction.
The ONR Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (N00014-25-S-B001) is the Office of Naval Research's primary mechanism for soliciting research proposals across all naval science and technology priority areas. The BAA accepts proposals on a rolling basis through September 30, 2026 and covers ONR's full spectrum of research interests with particular emphasis on AI-related topics including autonomous maritime systems, human-machine teaming, machine learning for sensor fusion, cooperative autonomous swarm technology, undersea autonomy, and AI-enabled decision superiority. Proposals can be funded through multiple mechanisms including individual investigator grants, the Young Investigator Program (~$510K over 3 years for early-career faculty), and Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) awards ($1.5M/year for 3-5 years for research teams). ONR recommends contacting relevant program officers before submitting to discuss alignment with current research priorities. The BAA supports basic research (6.1), applied research (6.2), and advanced technology development (6.3) across the full range of naval-relevant science and engineering disciplines.
DE-FOA-0003600 is the DOE Office of Science's FY 2026 open, rolling solicitation for financial assistance, providing roughly $500 million across seven program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, and Isotope R&D and Production. AI and machine learning research is supported directly through Advanced Scientific Computing Research, while Biological and Environmental Research funds atmospheric process research, environmental systems process research, and earth-energy systems modeling — making this a major channel for AI-enhanced climate and earth system modeling work. DOE anticipates 200 to 350 new awards ranging from $5,000 to $5 million each, with project periods from six months to five years. The FOA opened September 30, 2025 and accepts applications on a rolling basis through the end of FY 2026.
For Program Year 2026, NASA replaced its single January SBIR/STTR solicitation with a Broad Agency Announcement that releases topics in appendices throughout the year — with proposal limits resetting each time. Phase I awards now run up to $225,000. Here is what the structural shift means, why it favors prepared companies, and how to build a year-round SBIR strategy around it.
Read articleNASA shifted its SBIR/STTR program from a single-cycle solicitation to a Broad Agency Announcement on April 17, 2026 — valid through September 30, 2027 — with subtopics released in rolling appendices. The structural change ends 41 years of predictable January-to-March deadlines and forces space startups to rebuild their proposal pipelines around continuous monitoring rather than annual sprints.
Read articleOn April 17, 2026, NASA released a SBIR/STTR Broad Agency Announcement valid through Sept 30, 2027 — replacing the legacy annual solicitation cycle with rolling appendices. The first two appendices closed May 21. A complete strategic analysis for space-tech founders adapting to the new model.
Read article