Below is a running list of grants, programs and accelerators that can provide capital, mentorship, or community at the earliest stages. We’ll keep it updated as new opportunities emerge.
Have one to add? Email us.
Upcoming Deadlines:
- Antler Residency: Designed for solo founders and early-stage entrepreneurs looking for a co-founder and their first institutional investment. Antler’s residency model brings together ambitious founders to build companies from the ground up, offering mentorship, community, and the opportunity for pre-seed funding at the earliest stages. Apply by Sept 30
- BeyondCPG: curated, operator-led accelerator connecting scaling consumer brands with the people, relationships, and opportunities that change their trajectory. 12-week accelerator designed to help early-stage conscious CPG brands navigate critical growth challenges through hands-on mentorship, real-world playbooks, and direct access to experienced operators.
- Camelback Ventures Fellowship: The Camelback Fellowship is designed for early-stage entrepreneurs committed to tackling inequities. Over 16 weeks, you’ll receive $50,000 in capital, expert coaching, and join a community of like-minded changemakers. Applications are now open for the Winter 2027 Camelback Fellowship (Cohort 18) through September 18
- Chicago small Business Improvement fund: The Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) provides reimbursement grant funding for permanent building improvements and repairs across the city. Program participants can receive grants to cover between 30 percent and 90 percent of the cost of remodeling work, with a maximum grant of $150,000 for commercial properties and $250,000 for industrial properties. Apply by Oct 1
- Edge Grant Competition: EDGE is a competition for grant funding. STEM (Science/technology/engineering/math)-based companies and Entrepreneur Class (non-STEM) businesses are eligible for funding. Apply by Sept 11
- Enthuse Pitch Competition: Enthuse Foundation’s 8th Annual Pitch Competition celebrates women making their mark on the food, beverage, and CPG industries. Apply by Sept 23
- Entrepreneurs First: You might have an early idea, or be testing a cofounder. You might have nothing. What we’re most interested in is you and your potential. Apply by Oct 15
- Graham & Walker Chicago Founder Day: A one-day, founder-first bootcamp for early-stage entrepreneurs preparing to raise their first round of venture capital. Designed for outsiders, misfits and moldbreakers at the earliest stages of building. While all founders are welcome, we prioritize spots for founders of power-law/scalable/VC fundable companies who have raised from $0 to $1M in total outside funding. We will do our best to match participants with VCs expected to attend. The program will be limited to 30 founders to ensure depth, connection, and meaningful dialogue. Oct 15
- Her Agenda Grant: This $5000grant is fully community-funded, powered by the generosity of readers and dedicated INSIDER members. Apply by Sept 18
- Miller Center’s Global Impact Accelerator: Accelerate Your Social Impact. Make the leap from traction to scale with an accelerator program built for social enterprise leaders like you Apply by Oct 16
- NJ Accelerate: NJ Accelerate encourages the participation of New Jersey Entrepreneurs in high-quality accelerator programs, which increase the growing young, innovative companies in the state. Apply by Sept 19
- Operation Secrestos: small business grant to help fund your business mission. Apply by Sept 30
- TechRise x Founders Week: Pitch competition for Chicago founders. This annual event brings together our extended ecosystem to celebrate collective successes and build what’s next. Register by Sept 23
- The Breakthrough Grant – Her Agenda: $5000. Empowering the next wave of visionary women entrepreneurs to break through barriers. Apply by Sept 18
- Tundra Trails: Breaking Into Silicon Valley – with Danielle Steer: Tundra Trails virtual events bring VC insider knowledge to founders everywhere, especially the ones building outside the major startup hubs. This virtual session with GP Danielle Steer will focus on how founders outside the Bay Area break in, build relationships, and get on investors’ radar. Virtual event on Sept 10
- WBENC Pitch Impact: a series of pitch competitions and educational sessions to help women business entrepreneurs hone their business pitch, gain meaningful exposure, and compete for grants and other prizes to invest in their business. Different application dates for each region.
- Women’s Fast Pitch: Applications are now open for a national pathway connecting high-potential women founders with investors, visibility, and opportunities to raise capital. Apply by Sept 16
- Y Combinator: Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Fall 2026 Batch funding cycle. The batch will take place from October to December in San Francisco. Application deadline was July 27 but still accepting applications
Rolling Deadlines and Resources:
- .Tech Domains: get the best name for your startup on .tech. Sponsored for 10 years.
- 500 Global Flagship Accelerator: Startups and small businesses can apply year-round. This program offers businesses the opportunity for a four-month accelerator program based in San Francisco, along with a significant investment.
- AI2 Incubator: offers up to $500K in founder-friendly pre-seed funding and 12–18 months of deep technical support to AI-first startups. Backed by the Allen Institute for AI, the program includes cofounder matching, $1M+ in compute credits, expert product design, cutting-edge research access, and quarterly in-person weeks in Seattle.
- AfroTech Conference: AFROTECH™ Conference is a premier annual event at the intersection of technology, culture, and innovation. While rooted in uplifting Black professionals in tech and beyond, AFROTECH™ is a space where people of all backgrounds come together to celebrate Black excellence, share knowledge, spark innovation, and build meaningful connections
- Amber Grants: awards up to $10K monthly grants to women founders; rolling applications.
- CO—100 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Honors the top 100 small businesses making an outsized impact on the American economy, with a $25,000 grand prize, includes a special category for Tech Innovators recognizing companies using new technologies to scale, enhance customer experience, or innovate.
- Dream Ventures Accelerator: offers lifetime access to 6 self-paced fundraising modules, private resource library, a 1:1 strategy session with Annie Evans, investor pitch competition, weekly live office hours, founder accountability pods, and a NYC celebration dinner; $1,700 enrollment fee.
- ElevenLabs Start up Grants: The ElevenLabs Grants Program exists to give early-stage startups and small teams the tools they need to build the future of AI audio with the best tools available, without cost being a blocker. SF IRL has partnered with ElevenLabs to give founders 33 million in ElevenLabs credits or equivalent to $4k to build voice AI agents. Use code 11SFIRL723 for expedited review.
- Entrepreneurs First Residency: Whether you’re ready to go all in or still exploring ideas, residencies in San Francisco give you 3 months to build, experiment, and find the right cofounder. They accept applications on a rolling basis.
- Entreprenista Evolve Grant: Entreprenista’s quarterly grant supports women founders like you with funding for their next phase of growth. You are eligible to apply if you are a U.S.-based, woman-owned or led companies generating $100K+ annually and operating over a year.
- Forum Ventures Accelerator: offers $100K for 7.5% to early B2B SaaS startups with a 16-week remote program focused on growth, fundraising, and AI/health/fintech support.
- Founders Dojo Fund: A San Francisco residency program for founders already creating real outcomes.
- Founders, Inc.: offers $250K for 3–5% to emerging tech startups, along with a long-term SF campus membership. No pitch decks—just apply to build alongside top builders in AI, Web3, AR/VR, and more.
- Founder Institute: Network of startup incubators, accelerators, and investors. Our mission is to activate entrepreneurial potential and empower communities across the globe to build ventures with positive economic and societal impact.
- Freed Fellowship: Every month, we select a business owner in the US as a Freed Fellow. Each Fellow receives a $500 grant to invest in their existing business. No strings attached. No equity required.
- GanasVentures: Ganas Fund I invests $100K into pre-seed and seed community-driven startups building a better future across the US & Latin America. Fund II will invest globally.
- HerRise Microgrant: offers financial support to innovative women who struggle to secure funding for their community-impacting small businesses. Monthly applications.
- Her Village Grants: One Her Village grant is awarded annually to a partner organization that shares Boundless Futures Foundation’s mission of solving systemic inequities through transformational support for female founders.
- Hubspot’s The Hustle: No matter what stage of the founder journey you’re on right now, we know a little free press couldn’t hurt.Tell us all about your growing biz for a chance to have your startup featured in The Hustle, and connect with our 1.5m readers.
- KDD Startup Studio: is now accepting applications for its next founder cohort, launching in early 2026. The program is built for driven individuals who want to start companies from the ground up. No startup idea is required to apply. KDD supports founders by matching them with co-founders and providing structured guidance to help teams go from zero to one.
- Living Lab Open Call for Smart City Solutions: Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) invites technology companies and startups to pilot innovative solutions in our public spaces.
- The Lynx List: offers investors weekly spotlights on 1–2 NYC pre-seed/seed startups actively fundraising—with a short founder interview video and memo-style write-up.
- McKinney Innovation Fund: More than Capital: The Innovation Exchange is a physical and strategic hub designed to support founders.
- The Pitch by Deel: Founders: apply for a $1M investment on a rolling deadline
- Peachscore + Dealum Accelerator: the world’s largest data-driven accelerator platform offers rolling admissions and instant AI-led application reviews. Virtual and industry-agnostic, it supports startups from idea to Series A with $5M+ in perks, investor exposure to 30,000+ backers, and the ability to start in the same month you apply.
- Pegasus Angel Accelerator: A startup accelerator focused on connecting you to what matters most when scaling a venture— people.
- Philadelphia Catalyst fund: The Philadelphia Small Business Catalyst Fund provides direct capital to help growth-minded small businesses scale operations, increase production or service capacity, and expand to meet growing market demand.
- Grants of up to $50,000 along with advisory services per eligible business will be awarded based on demonstrated need, growth potential, and economic impact.
- Guide to Raising on Relationships,: Check out Goodword’s Guide to Raising on Relationships, written by CEO Caroline Dell, who’s raised over $5M in funding. It covers everything from building an investor list and getting warm introductions to running a process and navigating the mindset.
- RCF Social Impact Grant: offers $15K non-dilutive grants to social-impact founders; rolling applications.
- Right Side Capital 2026 Pre-Seed & Seed Active VC List: personally curated list of around 200 venture capitalists who actively invest at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages.
- Santander US Grant Program: offers $20K grants to East Coast founders; 2025 application details forthcoming.
- Small Business Improvement Fund: The Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) provides reimbursement grant funding for permanent building improvements and repairs across Chicago. Applications are submitted during monthly rollout periods for individual TIF districts.
- Secretsos small business grant: This quarterly grant program provides $2,500 in funding to help established businesses overcome challenges and fuel growth. Recipients have complete flexibility in how they use the funds, whether for hiring, operations, or implementing new strategies.
- Startup Leadership Program: Fellowship for first-time founders to become lifetime entrepreneurs.
- SoGal Black Founder Startup Grant: SoGal Foundation has teamed up with Winky Lux, bluemercury, twelveNYC, Twilio, and other sponsors to make a small step towards progress by providing several $10K and $5K cash grants to Black women or nonbinary entrepreneurs.
- Soma Fellowship: offers up to $1M on an uncapped SAFE to early-stage founders, with potential follow-on funding of $10M+. Backed by Soma Capital, the program provides access to a powerful network of unicorn founders, investors, and mentors to help build the next generation of iconic companies.
- StartOut Growth Lab Accelerator: making a real impact promoting diversity within startup communities across the nation. StartOut Growth Lab (“SGL”) hosts a new virtual cohort of early-stage companies every six months.
- Startup Battlefield 200 Masterclass: VC Unfiltered: Candid Advice to Help You Land the Check
- Techcrunch Founder Summit 2026: TechCrunch returns to Boston, MA with TC Founder Summit (formerly TC Early Stage and TC All Stage), a full-day gathering where founders of every stage connect with top VCs and gain tactical, how-to knowledge for building and scaling companies. Apply by June 26 for Early Bird special rates.
- Techstars: Join Techstars next spring and accelerate your company with:$220,000 improved investment offer to fuel your growth.
- TechRise Chicago Grants: awards $25K – $50K non-dilutive funding to Chicago founders via weekly pitch competitions; rolling applications.
- VC Match: Upload your pitch deck and get instantly matched with investors who are actively looking for companies like yours
- VU’s Venture Capital Investor Accelerator: cohort members “learn by doing” inside a top-performing VC fund (VU Venture Partners), and work alongside and receive mentorship from senior fund managers
- Warrior Rising Grant: Up to $20K for veteran entrepreneurs. Rolling deadline.
- Women Founder Grants: $5,000 GrantAwarded on a rolling basis.
- Y Combinator: Accepting applications for the Fall 2026 Batch funding cycle. The batch will take place from October to December in San Francisco. They are accepting late applications.
- Y Startup School: Learn how to start a company, with help from the world’s top startup accelerator – Y Combinator. Startup School is a free online course on how to start a startup.
Past Deadlines:
- Brooklyn Pitch Competition: The Social Justice Fund is launching the Brooklyn Pitch Competition to help local businesses access the growth capital, strategic support, and connections they need to scale. The competition will award a total of $450,000 in unrestricted grant funding to selected Brooklyn-based businesses, including a $150,000 grand prize and additional finalist awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000. Apply by Sept 4
- Chicago Community Development Grants: The City of Chicago helps support business and neighborhood vitality through Small, Medium and Large Community Development Grant (CDG) awards. Applications are open to business owners, property owners, non-profit organizations, community developers and entrepreneurs. Apply by Aug 14
- Coefficient Giving: Global Health and wellbeing in an era of AI grants for founders building at the interseccion of AI and global health. Apply by August 21
- Forbes 30 Under 30: More than a decade ago, Forbes set out to create the inaugural 30 Under 30 list. Now, it’s the definitive list of young people changing the world. Nominations are open until Sept 1
- Hey Helen: $10,000 in financial support to women founders building impactful, mission-driven businesses in the USA. Apply by August 30
- iF Social Impact Prize: The iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE supports projects that contribute to improving our society. If you work towards achieving one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, your project is eligible. Apply by Aug 19
- Imagine Award: $20K for changemakers with transformative ideas & firsthand insight in early childhood. Apply by Aug 28
- Milestone Accelaration program: A new accelerator-style program from the nonprofit Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center will offer NWA startups free coaching and then pair them with paid student interns. It supports U.S. based founders and their businesses; and designed to help you take your business to the next level. Program starts Aug 3
- ODF: an intense one-week in-person experience focused on meeting collaborators, exploring ideas, and gaining conviction. Apply by Aug 30
- VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator: help innovators from across America turn their vision into reality by supporting the development, commercialization, and adoption of new ocean data technologies and services for economic and societal benefit to the U.S. and our growing blue economy. Stage 1 Apply by July 7 and Stage 0 apply by Aug 25
- Project Female Founder: Global accelerator program, unlocking opportunities for female entrepreneurs to scale their ventures in fintech and enterprise technology. It’s part of UBS’s commitment to champion women’s wealth – and promote equal access to funding and opportunity worldwide. Next cohort starts in April, applications open now.
- Social Shifters Global Innovation Challenge: Young leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs everywhere are rising up to take action on the social and environmental issues that matter to them most. If you’re a young founder (aged 18-30 years) leading a project or startup already delivering social impact on the ground – the Global Innovation Challenge 2026 is for you. Apply by Aug 31
- Techstars Founder Catalyst: Three Techstars Founder Catalyst programs are now accepting applications and will kick off in September. Application dates for all three are in August
