Small Business Association (SBA) and SBIR/STTR Proposal Toolkit

Small Business Association (SBA) and SBIR/STTR

Created in 1953, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continues to help small business owners and entrepreneurs pursue the American dream. SBA is the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small business and provides counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nation’s only go-to resource and voice for small businesses. SBA provides limited small business grants and grants to states and eligible community organizations to promote entrepreneurship.

Small Business Grant Programs

Research and Development

If your small business is engaged in scientific research and development, you may qualify for federal grants under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. These programs encourage small firms to undertake scientific research that helps meet federal research and development objectives and have high potential for commercialization if successful. See below for more detailed information regarding SBIR/STTR.

Management and Technical Assistance

SBA's 7(j) Management and Technical Assistance Program is for capable small businesses in Regions I - X interested in providing management and technical assistance and guidance to eligible small businesses.

What you need to know about small business grants

SBA does not provide grants for starting and expanding a business.

SBA provides grants to nonprofit, Resource Partners, and educational organizations that support entrepreneurship through counseling and training programs.

SBA only communicates from email addresses ending in @sba.gov. If you are being contacted by someone claiming to be from the SBA who is not using an official SBA email address, you should suspect fraud and report it.

Grants for Community Organizations

SBA offers grants to community organizations that promote entrepreneurship, including those that support veteran owned and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses and Small Business Development Centers.

The SBIR and STTR Programs

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation's R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs.

Central to the STTR program is the partnership between small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. The STTR program requires the small business to formally collaborate with a research institution in Phase I and Phase II. STTR's most important role is to bridge the gap between performance of basic science and commercialization of resulting innovations.

Program Information

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