America's Seed Fund (NSF SBIR/STTR)

Who qualifies

• US small businesses only: 500 or fewer employees, including affiliates, meeting SBA SBIR/STTR eligibility rules
• Deep-tech R&D with technical risk and commercial or societal impact, across nearly all technology areas
• The PI must be at least 51% employed by the company (more than 19.6 hrs/week elsewhere conflicts)
• STTR also requires a partner research institution

What you need

• A registered US small business
• A Project Pitch: technology innovation, technical objectives and challenges, market opportunity, company and team
• Research.gov account for the full proposal
• Mentioned on the official page; exact requirements may vary.

Typical approval time

• Full proposals go through NSF merit review
• Upcoming deadlines (5 p.m. local time): Nov 4, 2026; Mar 4, 2027; Jul 7, 2027

Step by step

1. Read NSF 26-510 and the Project Pitch page on seedfund.nsf.gov
2. Submit a Project Pitch (accepted any time; one pending pitch per company, max two per 12 months)
3. Wait for NSF's email: an invitation to submit, or feedback on why it isn't a fit
4. Submit the full Phase I proposal (up to $305K, 6 to 18 months) by a deadline; invitations stay valid for the next two deadlines
5. Phase I awardees can then apply for Phase II (up to $1.25M, about 24 months)

Common rejection reasons

• Pitches for straightforward engineering or incremental product development are not a fit; NSF funds R&D that reduces technical risk

Tips & fine print

• NSF takes no equity: you keep full ownership of your company and IP
• Fast-Track is also available: up to $1,555,555 combined Phase I and II
• Questions: sbir@nsf.gov