Business Grants
Browse business grants, innovation vouchers, SME programs, export support, local incentives, and growth funding.
Business grants can support innovation, expansion, export development, workforce training, energy upgrades, resilience, digital adoption, equipment, research partnerships, and local economic development. Some are run by national agencies. Others are state, city, regional, university, chamber, or foundation programs with narrower eligibility.
The first filter is business fit. Check company size, revenue, age, location, ownership, sector, legal structure, and whether nonprofits or sole proprietors are allowed. Then check cost fit. A program may fund consulting but not equipment, prototypes but not marketing, training but not salaries, or reimbursement only after approved expenses are paid.
Many business grants require more administrative discipline than founders expect. You may need tax clearance, financial statements, quotes, project budgets, insurance, procurement documentation, job-creation estimates, environmental information, or proof that the business is in good standing. A simple grant can become slow if those records are scattered.
Use this page to find current business funding leads, then verify the official rules and prepare a practical application. Funders tend to favor businesses that can explain the opportunity, the barrier, the funded activity, and the measurable result in plain language.
Current matching opportunities
These listings are limited to open, rolling, or upcoming opportunities that match this guide. Check the official source before applying.
Vinnova Planning Grant for an International Proposal 2026: Up to SEK 500,000 to Write a Competitive Horizon Europe or Other International Bid, Closing 6 October 2026 at 14:00
Vinnova pays Swedish organisations up to SEK 300,000 as a partner or SEK 500,000 as a coordinator, covering a maximum of 80% of eligible costs, to run a planning project of up to 12 months that produces a proposal for a published international research and innovation call, with the final application period closing 6 October 2026 at 14:00.
RAMP Joint Transnational Call 2026: Around €40 Million From 39 Funders Across 27 Countries for Raw Materials Research, With Pre-Proposals Closing 22 September 2026
The Raw Materials Partnership's first Joint Transnational Call commits close to €40 million from 39 national and regional funders in 27 countries to transnational consortia working across the raw materials value chain, with pre-proposals due at 15:00 CEST on 22 September 2026 and invited full proposals due 15 February 2027.
Merck KGaA Research Grants 2026: Five Topic Calls Worth Up to €250,000 a Year for Two to Three Years, Plus SYNTHIA® Licenses, Closing 31 August 2026
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is running its 2026 Research Grants call across five named topics, with awards of up to €250,000 per year for up to three years plus three SYNTHIA® Retrosynthesis Software licenses, and a non-confidential first-stage application closing 31 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
Delaware EDGE Grant Fall 2026 Competition: $1.15 Million Split Between $50,000 Entrepreneur Awards and $100,000 STEM Awards, Closing 11 September 2026 at 4 p.m.
The Delaware Division of Small Business has reopened its EDGE Grant Competition with $1.15 million available — a $400,000 Entrepreneur pool paying up to $50,000 and a $750,000 STEM pool paying up to $100,000 — for Delaware businesses under seven years old with 15 or fewer full-time employees, with applications due by 4 p.m. on 11 September 2026 and a live pitch event on 10 November 2026.
Cyprus RIF PRE-SEED 2026 (PRE-SEED/0526): A €1 Million Call Offering Up to €119,999 per Early-Stage Startup, Closing 11 September 2026 at 13:00
The Research and Innovation Foundation of Cyprus has opened the PRE-SEED/0526 call, a €1,000,000 programme awarding up to €119,999 per project to startups still shaping a business idea or in the earliest stages of product development, with proposals due through the IRIS portal by 13:00 on 11 September 2026.
CETPartnership Joint Call 2026: Over €84 Million From Around 35 Funding Organisations for Transnational Clean Energy Projects, With Pre-Proposals Closing 8 October 2026
The Clean Energy Transition Partnership's Joint Call 2026 offers a total indicative budget of over €84 million across 11 call modules, funding transnational research and innovation consortia through national agencies, with 10-page pre-proposals due 8 October 2026 and full proposals due 11 March 2027.
Innovate UK Quantum Computing Applications for Large Scale Impact: £13 Million for Collaborative Quantum Software Projects Worth £300,000 to £4 Million, Closing 16 September 2026
Innovate UK is investing up to £13 million in collaborative R&D projects that build and validate quantum computing software for real industrial and public sector problems, with grant requests between £300,000 and £4 million, projects of 24 to 36 months, and applications closing at 11:00am UK time on 16 September 2026.
Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Business Grant 2026: A $1,000 Micro-Grant Plus a Free Accelerator Seat Worth Up to $1,699 for 20 Veteran-Owned Businesses, Closing 15 October 2026
Founders First CDC will award 20 U.S. military veteran business owners a $1,000 micro-grant and a no-cost seat in either Passport Community or Zebra Leadership, from a $20,000 national fund; the full application opens 15 September 2026 and closes 15 October 2026.
ESA University of Tomorrow Kick-Start 2026: Up to €75,000 at 75% Funding for a Six-Month Space-Enabled Feasibility Study, Closing 14 September 2026
ESA Space Solutions is funding six-month kick-start feasibility studies for satellite-enabled services aimed at universities — virtual labs, remote learning, connected campuses and open research data — with ESA covering 75% of costs up to €75,000 on a zero-equity basis, closing 14 September 2026.
UKRI Trust and Confidence in Policing R&I Consortium: One £2 Million Award to Build Real-Time Measures of Public Trust in UK Policing, Closing 27 October 2026
UKRI's Safer Streets R&D Missions Accelerator Programme will fund a single Research and Innovation Consortium at up to £2 million full economic cost over 36 months to develop and pilot dynamic ways of measuring public trust and confidence in policing, opening 1 September 2026 and closing 27 October 2026.
Canada–Japan 3+2 Call on AI and Automation for Agriculture 2026: Up to ¥58.5 Million per Japanese Team and CAD $600,000 per Canadian SME, With Canadian Registration Closing 26 August 2026
JST's SICORP programme and the National Research Council of Canada will fund about three Japan–Canada industry–academia consortia to apply AI, robotics and automation to agricultural productivity and resilience, with Canadian registration closing 26 August 2026 and the joint consortium proposal due 30 November 2026.
Conquer Cancer International Innovation Grant 2027: Up to $20,000 for a One-Year Cancer Control Project in a Low- or Middle-Income Country, With Letters of Intent Closing 27 August 2026
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, is accepting letters of intent for the 2027 International Innovation Grant, a one-year award of up to $20,000 paid to a nonprofit or government organization in a World Bank low- or middle-income country for hypothesis-driven cancer control research, with LOIs due 27 August 2026 and invited full applications due 10 December 2026.
Application guidance
Use the listings above as a shortlist, then build your application from the official instructions. Save the source page, deadline, eligibility rules, required documents, contact details, and any program-specific scoring criteria. If the deadline is rolling, apply early enough for review queues and budget limits. If the deadline is fixed, work backward from the closing date and leave time for recommendations, institutional approvals, financial documents, and portal errors.
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Business Grants FAQ
Are business grants only for startups?
No. Some support new companies, while others target established small businesses, exporters, manufacturers, local employers, or sector-specific firms.
Can grants cover payroll?
Sometimes, but many programs restrict payroll, owner compensation, overhead, capital purchases, or past expenses. Check eligible costs carefully.
What makes a business grant application stronger?
Clear use of funds, local or sector fit, credible financials, measurable outcomes, and proof that the business can complete the proposed work.