This NOFO is the fourth issued under NTIA’s Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund (PWSCIF or Innovation Fund). Titled “Solutions for AI-Native RAN,” the goal of this NOFO is to support the development of a secure compute environment to enable or leverage native artificial intelligence (“AI”) capabilities in the Radio Access Network (RAN) that generate revenue for operators, cost savings, and innovative third-party services, and demonstrate a business case for one or more services that leverage these capabilities, accelerating commercial deployments and the export of open, interoperable, and secure equipment.
Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund Grant Program – Solutions for AI-Native RAN
National Telecommunications and Information Admini · Opportunity number NTIA-PWSCIF-26-01
Details summarized from the official notice as of Sep 10, 2026. Always confirm eligibility, deadlines and requirements in the official notice before applying.
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Key facts
| Opportunity number | NTIA-PWSCIF-26-01 |
|---|---|
| Agency | National Telecommunications and Information Admini Department of Commerce |
| Assistance listing (ALN, formerly CFDA) | 11.038 |
| Posted | Jul 14, 2026 |
| Deadline | Sep 9, 2026 |
| Expected number of awards | 3 |
| Cost sharing or matching required | Yes |
| Funding type | Grant |
| Category | Science technology and other research and development |
| Last updated here | Sep 10, 2026 |
Summary from the notice
Who can apply
The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible:
- Others named in the notice (see the eligibility text)
Not listed as eligible
- Small businesses
- Nonprofits
- Colleges and universities
- State governments
- Local governments
- Tribal governments and organizations
- Larger for-profit companies
- Individuals
Unless the eligibility text in the notice names you, this opportunity is probably not for you.
Eligibility details from the notice
Applicants must demonstrate they are capable of developing and commercially selling and/or deploying a solution that leverages a secure compute environment to enable native AI capabilities in the RAN. The applicant must be organized under the laws of the United States or a State thereof, with its principal place of business in the United States. Eligibility requirements can be found in Section 2.2
Cost sharing: this notice requires cost sharing or matching funds. Check the notice for the required share and what counts toward it.
Registrations you will likely need
Most applications submitted through Grants.gov need the following. Registration can take several weeks, so start early. The notice lists the exact requirements.
- SAM.gov registration for your organization, which also gives you a Unique Entity ID (UEI). Registration is free.
- A Login.gov account, which Grants.gov uses for sign-in.
- A Grants.gov applicant registration linked to your organization's UEI.
Past awards for this program
Totals for assistance listing 11.038 from public USASpending.gov data, as of May 10, 2026. Past awards do not predict future funding.
| Year | Listing | Awards | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11.038 | 1 | $19,923,000 | $19,923,000 |
| 2025 | 11.038 | 1 | $42,729,740 | $42,729,740 |
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