Raleigh · Durham · Chapel Hill · RTP
Open non-dilutive funding relevant to startups in the Triangle: grant windows, SBIR/STTR deadlines, state programs, and the institutions behind them. Deadlines drop off this page when they pass. Entries last checked Jul 9, 2026.
Open · by deadline
NSF (America's Seed Fund) · Up to $305K
Requires a Project Pitch invitation first. Deep-tech focus under the relaunched NSF 26-510 solicitation ($250M committed).
NSF's relaunched program is the primary federal channel for non-biomedical Triangle deep tech; later full-proposal windows follow November 4, 2026 and March 4, 2027.
NIH (America's Seed Fund at HHS) · Phase I and Phase II budgets vary by institute; Phase I typically low six figures, Phase II seven figures
US small businesses; Phase I, Phase II, Direct-to-Phase-II, and Fast-Track under the parent solicitations across NIH, CDC, and FDA. STTR requires a research-institution partner.
The single largest non-dilutive channel for Triangle life-science and health companies; standard due dates recur September 5, January 5, April 5.
Open · no fixed deadline
NSF (America's Seed Fund) · Gateway step; no funding attached to the pitch itself
Short pitch, up to two submissions per company per year; windows of roughly three weeks open several times a year (resumed June 2, 2026 after the reauthorization pause).
The required first step before any NSF SBIR full proposal; costs a founder an afternoon.
North Carolina Biotechnology Center · $50K
New NC life-science ventures at company formation, typically university spinouts; NC registration and operating presence required.
Purpose-built for the Duke/UNC/NC State spinout path; NCBiotech is headquartered in RTP.
North Carolina Biotechnology Center · $150K–$350K
Early-stage NC life-science companies advancing commercially viable R&D; NC registration and significant operating presence required. Cyclical deadlines; check the current cycle.
The standard first institutional check for Triangle life-science startups between grant funding and a priced round.
North Carolina Biotechnology Center · Up to $650K
NC life-science companies further along than the Small Business Research Loan stage; NC registration and operating presence required.
The largest rung on NCBiotech's loan ladder before institutional venture rounds.
Next cycle not yet open
NC IDEA · $50K
North Carolina startups with a proven concept; profitability not required. One NC IDEA grant application (SEED or MICRO) per cycle.
Statewide foundation grant with a deep Triangle award record; prior cohorts are tracked in the directory.
NC IDEA · $10K
Early-stage North Carolina startups validating assumptions and developing a business model. One NC IDEA grant application per cycle.
The spring 2026 MICRO cohort included multiple Triangle companies already in the directory.
NC Department of Commerce (OSTI) · FY2026 supported ~25 matching grants from ~$1.88M; FY2027 amounts announced at cycle open
NC small businesses holding a federal Phase I SBIR/STTR award; bridges the Phase I to Phase II funding gap. FY2026 window closed June 30, 2026.
State match that stacks on the federal SBIR/STTR awards Triangle companies already win; watch for the FY2027 opening.
NC Department of Commerce (OSTI) · Reimburses eligible costs of preparing a federal Phase I SBIR/STTR application; ~$200K pool supported ~25 grants in FY2026
NC small businesses preparing a federal Phase I SBIR/STTR application. FY2026 window closed June 30, 2026.
Pays back part of the cost of writing the federal application itself; the on-ramp entry to the SBIR ladder.
The institutions
Non-dilutive grants to North Carolina startups: MICRO ($10K, validation stage) and SEED ($50K, proven concept), plus programs and partner grants.
Two grant cycles per year; spring opens late January, fall opens late July.
Recurring funder across the directory; the spring 2026 MICRO cohort alone included multiple tracked Triangle companies.
The One North Carolina Small Business Program: matching funds for federal Phase I SBIR/STTR winners and incentive funds reimbursing Phase I application costs.
Annual fiscal-year cycle; FY2026 ran until June 30, 2026 or fund exhaustion.
State match on the SBIR/STTR awards Triangle companies win every cycle; administered on behalf of the NC Board of Science, Technology & Innovation.
A loan ladder for NC life-science companies: Company Inception Loan ($50K), Small Business Research Loan ($150K–$350K), Strategic Growth Loan (up to $650K), plus Ag Tech loans.
Cyclical deadlines through the year; Strategic Growth Loan runs quarterly.
Headquartered in RTP; the standard early lender for Triangle life-science spinouts across decades of company funding.
Non-dilutive Phase I and Phase II awards for biomedical and health R&D across NIH, CDC, and FDA under the parent omnibus solicitations.
Standard due dates recur September 5, January 5, April 5.
The largest recurring non-dilutive source for Triangle biotech and healthtech; awards to local companies appear every cycle.
Non-dilutive deep-tech Phase I (up to $305K) and Phase II (up to $1.25M) awards under the relaunched NSF 26-510 solicitation, entered via a short Project Pitch.
Project Pitch windows several times a year; full-proposal deadlines July 27 and November 4, 2026, then March 4, 2027.
The primary federal channel for non-biomedical Triangle deep tech; program resumed June 2026 with $250M committed.
Non-dilutive R&D contracts across the service branches, released as broad agency announcements and topic batches through the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal.
Topic releases in batches through the year; each topic carries its own close date.
Recurring channel for Triangle defense-adjacent and dual-use companies; opportunities also surface through NCMBC's matching digests.
Not a funder: a free, official State of North Carolina service that matches NC businesses to federal contract opportunities (SAM.gov-sourced) and emails daily opportunity digests.
Daily opportunity digests to registered NC businesses.
Digests routinely carry Triangle-relevant federal opportunities, including the Army contracting office in Durham, ARPA-H, and NIH solicitations.