Open federal grants for small businesses
401 open opportunities as of Oct 16, 2026.
Independent platform. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Data from public federal sources.
Federal agencies list "small businesses" as eligible on many research, technology and economic development notices. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are the best known, but they are not the only ones. Most notices use the size standards of the U.S. Small Business Administration to decide what counts as small.
The list below shows every open opportunity in our database whose official notice lists small businesses as an eligible applicant type. Each listing links to a summary page and to the official notice.
Being in an eligible group is only the first check. Read the eligibility section of each notice for location, program focus, cost sharing and other conditions before you start an application.
Open opportunities
Bioengineering Research Grants (BRG) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-072
Causal Hypotheses on the Oral-Systemic Health Impacts of Human Behaviors among People with Chronic Conditions (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-057
NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation Cooperative Agreement (U01 Clinical Trial Required)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-064
NIDCR Prospective Observational or Biomarker Validation Study Cooperative Agreement (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-058
Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-062
Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for Mentored Research Career Development Award Recipients (R03) (Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-074
Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in Human Cancers for Years 2027, 2028, and 2029 (P50 Clinical Trial Required)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-28-022
Collaborative Program Grant for Interdisciplinary Teams (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-003
Early-Onset Cancers: Investigating Etiology, Mechanisms, and Early Detection Strategies (RP1 Clinical Trials Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-28-014
Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium: Research Units (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-28-056
Palliative Care Research Across the Lifespan: Leveraging the Palliative Care Consortium (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-090
NEI Translational Research Program for Therapeutics (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-28-072
Assessing the Feasibility of Incorporating Mechanisms in Multi-site Clinical Trials of Mind and Body Interventions on Whole Person Health Restoration (R33 Clinical Trial Required)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-28-091
NSF-DFG Lead Agency Opportunity in Chemistry and Chemical Process and Transport Systems
U.S. National Science Foundation · 25-537
RFI - DOE Infrastructure Work Scope Development
Idaho Field Office · DE-SOL-0008318
Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program
Rural Business-Cooperative Service · RDBCP-REAP-RES-EEI-2016
Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program
Rural Business-Cooperative Service · RDBCP-REAP-RES-EEI-2019
Water, Landscape, and Critical Zone Processes (WaLCZ)
U.S. National Science Foundation · 25-519
NSF's Eddie Bernice Johnson Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) Initiative
U.S. National Science Foundation · 22-622
Frequently asked questions
Does being listed as eligible mean my organization qualifies?
No. The applicant type is only the first filter. Most notices add more conditions, such as location, program focus, matching funds or prior experience. Read the eligibility section of the official notice before you apply.
Is GovGrantsUSA a government website?
No. GovGrantsUSA is an independent platform operated by VRLY Ventures LLC. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Opportunity details are summarized from public federal sources such as Grants.gov.
Does it cost anything to apply for a federal grant?
Searching for and applying to federal grants on Grants.gov is free. Be wary of anyone who asks for a fee to "release" a grant or guarantees an award.
How current is this information?
Listings are refreshed from public federal data every day, and each page shows when it was last updated. Agencies can change or cancel a notice at any time, so always confirm details in the official notice.
What do I need before I can apply?
Most applicants through Grants.gov need an active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity ID (UEI), a Login.gov account and a Grants.gov account linked to their organization. Registration can take several weeks, so start early.