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
NIA Academic Leadership Career Award (K07 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-24-321
Career Transition Award for NINDS Intramural Clinician-Scientists (K22 Clinical Trial Required)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-216
Career Transition Award for NINDS Intramural Clinician-Scientists (K22 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-215
Leveraging Network Infrastructure to Conduct Innovative Research for Women, Children, Pregnant and Lactating Women, and Persons with Disabilities (UG3/UH3 - Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-311
Toward Translation of Nanotechnology Cancer Interventions (TTNCI; R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-336
Innovative Screening Approaches and Therapies for Screenable Disorders in Newborns (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-265
Pilot Projects Investigating Understudied Proteins Associated with Rare Diseases (R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-122
Innovative Screening Approaches and Therapies for Screenable Disorders in Newborns (R21 - Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-266
Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-244
Pilot Studies of Biological, Behavioral and Social Mechanisms Contributing to HIV Pathogenesis Within the Mission of NIDDK (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-068
Chemical Countermeasures Research Program (CCRP) Initiative: Basic Research on The Deleterious Effects of Acute Exposure to Ultra-Potent Synthetic (UPS) Opioids (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-26-034
Accelerating the Pace of Substance Use Research Using Existing Data (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-26-055
Accelerating the Pace of Substance Use Research Using Existing Data (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-26-056
Catalyze: Product Definition for Small Molecules, Biologics and Combination Products - Target Identification and Validation, and Preliminary Product/Lead Series Identification (R61/R33 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-HL-26-017
Catalyze Product Definition Medical Device prototype design/testing and disease target identification and assay development (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-HL-26-019
Catalyze: Product Definition for Small Molecules, Biologics, and Combination Products - Preliminary Product/Lead Series Identification and Combination Product Prototype (R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-HL-26-018
Catalyze: Product Definition Medical Device Prototype Optimization (R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-HL-26-020
Catalyze: Enabling Technologies and Transformative Platforms for HLBS Research (R33 - Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-HL-26-016
NIDCR Behavioral and Social Intervention Clinical Trial Planning and Implementation Cooperative Agreement (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-188
NIDCR Drug, Biologic, Device and/or Procedure Intervention Clinical Trial Planning and Implementation Cooperative Agreement (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-057
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.