Grants for Small businesses - Federal

Agency Description: The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260): (A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that (i) reduce imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reduce energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; (iii) improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; (iv) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (v) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. ARPA-E issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. 16538. The FOA and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this FOA are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established learning curves where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. In contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development. The Office of Management and Budget defines applied research as an original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledgedirected primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective and defines experimental development as creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes. Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts) should contact the DOEs Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (http://www.eere.energy.gov/), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). FOA Description: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a circular economy refers to an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design, enables resources used in such processes and activities to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, and systems. Further, a circular economy reduces material use, redesigns materials, products, and services to be less resource intensive, and recaptures waste as a resource to manufacture new materials and products. Successfully achieving a circular economy requires implementing the above principles to the supply chains of numerous products. Specifically, creating a circular EV battery supply chain focuses on optimizing the full vehicle life cycle. Thus, the emphasis must shift from production and sales within an ownership model to a model focusing on customers mobility needs and access in the form of leasing, as it exists today, vehicle-on-demand (e.g., Zipcar), and mobility-on-demand (e.g., robotaxis). These different business models may coexist but will require increasing collaboration and transparency among different actors, while costs and revenues will be distributed across the supply chain. A circular supply chain offers new revenue streams and business opportunities by providing services to maximize EVs lifetime performance through: Enhancing regular predictive maintenance; Repairing and remanufacturing of battery modules and packs; Improving the reuse and recovery of EOL parts and materials; and Minimizing carbon footprint and maximizing resource efficiency. A circular supply chain also offers opportunities to reduce production and operating costs by: Improving the quality and stability of critical minerals supply chains through cell regeneration, reuse, and recycling; Facilitating rework, reuse, repair, and remanufacture of batteries through modular designs, reversible manufacturing materials and methods; and Reducing asset costs per unit amount of energy delivered owing to the retention of the embedded manufacturing value of batteries, their prolonged lifetime, and the extended use of EVs. The overarching goal of the CIRCULAR program is to successfully translate the above definition of a circular economy to the domestic EV battery supply chain by supporting the development of innovative solutions that can overcome both the technological and economic barriers to broad commercial adoption. CIRCULAR acknowledges that simultaneous advancements in multiple technological domains may be required to accomplish this ambitious objective. Therefore, the program is intentionally structured into four technology development categories designed to converge towards the creation of a domestic circular supply chain for EV batteries. The CIRCULAR program recognizes that conventional recycling is not the only, nor primary, pathway to closing the supply chain loop. Therefore, the primary objective of this program is to catalyze the creation of a circular EV battery supply chain in North America. The program will support the development and deployment of foundational technologies capable of maintaining materials and products in circulation at their highest level of performance and safety for as long as possible. Achieving this goal will directly impact ARPA-E mission areas as follows: Decrease Energy-Related Imports: The CIRCULAR program aims to reduce the import of critical battery materials, cells, packs, and EVs by establishing new supply chain loops within the U.S. Currently, individual steps in the battery supply chain (mining, material processing, cell component assembly, battery cell manufacturing, and recycling) are concentrated mostly outside of the U.S. Reduce Emissions: The CIRCULAR program aims to decrease the domestic energy burden and carbon footprint of the EV battery supply chain by extending the service life of battery cells and packs and by maintaining manufacturing value to the greatest extent possible through regeneration, repair, reuse, and remanufacture. The program will also reduce emissions associated with battery recycling by minimizing the amount of waste and by recycling only pack components that have reached their EOL. Improve Energy Efficiency: The CIRCULAR program aims to minimize energy and material consumption within the battery supply chain and to exploit opportunities to improve energy efficiency through innovative battery design, material regeneration, and/or manufacturing strategies. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a circular economy refers to an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design, enables resources used in such processes and activities to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, and systems. Further, a circular economy reduces material use, redesigns materials, products, and services to be less resource intensive, and recaptures waste as a resource to manufacture new materials and products. Successfully achieving a circular economy requires implementing the above principles to the supply chains of numerous products. Specifically, creating a circular EV battery supply chain focuses on optimizing the full vehicle life cycle. Thus, the emphasis must shift from production and sales within an ownership model to a model focusing on customers mobility needs and access in the form of leasing, as it exists today, vehicle-on-demand (e.g., Zipcar), and mobility-on-demand (e.g., robotaxis). These different business models may coexist but will require increasing collaboration and transparency among different actors, while costs and revenues will be distributed across the supply chain. A circular supply chain offers new revenue streams and business opportunities22 by providing services to maximize EVs lifetime performance through: Enhancing regular predictive maintenance; Repairing and remanufacturing of battery modules and packs; Improving the reuse and recovery of EOL parts and materials; and Minimizing carbon footprint and maximizing resource efficiency. A circular supply chain also offers opportunities to reduce production and operating costs by: Improving the quality and stability of critical minerals supply chains through cell regeneration, reuse, and recycling; Facilitating rework, reuse, repair, and remanufacture of batteries through modular designs, reversible manufacturing materials and methods; and Reducing asset costs per unit amount of energy delivered owing to the retention of the embedded manufacturing value of batteries, their prolonged lifetime, and the extended use of EVs. To view the FOA in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

This funding opportunity supports small businesses in conducting early-stage clinical trials for innovative treatments of vision-related disorders, ensuring safety and collaboration with the National Eye Institute.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations working in Zambia to improve HIV and TB prevention, care, and treatment services through innovative and sustainable quality improvement strategies.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for research projects that enhance data collection and analysis related to breast cancer, specifically targeting gaps in existing clinical studies and involving consumer advocates in the research process.

The "Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund: Resilient Communities Program" grant aims to use $1B in funding to enhance Puerto Rico's energy resilience and clean energy economy, particularly focusing on mitigating power outage impacts on low-income residents, ensuring energy reliability for healthcare services in disadvantaged communities, and supporting the growth of the clean energy workforce, through the installation of solar PV and battery storage in subsidized multi-family properties and community healthcare facilities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for research projects that implement effective treatments for opioid and stimulant use disorders, focusing on improving care systems and addressing health disparities.

This funding opportunity supports small U.S.-based businesses in developing innovative solutions for population genomic screening to improve primary care practices and enhance patient outcomes.

This funding opportunity is designed for U.S.-based small businesses to develop innovative, cost-effective drug detection devices that can quickly identify both known and new drugs without relying on traditional antibody-based methods.

This funding opportunity is designed to establish a center that will coordinate and manage data for collaborative research on rare diseases, supporting various research consortia and engaging stakeholders to improve diagnosis and treatment.

This program funds projects that improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail. The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program is authorized under 49 U.S.C. 22907. The purpose of the CRISI Program is to invest in a wide range of projects within the United States to improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability; mitigate congestion at both intercity passenger rail and freight rail chokepoints to support more efficient travel and goods movement; enhance multi-modal connections; and lead to new or substantially improved Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation corridors. This program invests in railroad infrastructure projects that improve safety, support economic vitality (including through opportunities for small businesses), create good-paying jobs with the free and fair choice to join a union, increase capacity and supply chain resilience, apply innovative technology, and explicitly address climate change, gender equity and racial equity. The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for the competitive CRISI Program provided in Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, division L, title I, Public Law 117–328 (2023 Appropriation), Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, division F, title I, Public Law 118–42 (2024 Appropriation) and the 2023 and 2024 advance appropriation in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, division J, title II, Public Law 117–58 (2021).

OVC seeks field-generated proposals that offer innovative solutions that will increase access to victim services and expand the options available to crime victims, especially in underserved communities. This solicitation encourages prospective applicants to partner with nontraditional partners that may not be typically associated with the victim services field.

This ISO seeks solution summaries and proposals for projects that fall within the general scope of the ARPA-H Scalable Solutions mission office. SSO expands what is technically possible by developing approaches that will leverage an interdisciplinary approach and collaborative networks to address challenges of geography, distribution, manufacturing, data and information, thereby improving health care access and affordability. In the United States, many communities and remote areas lack access to timely and quality health care, which leads to disparities in health outcomes for those populations. Bottlenecks during the manufacturing processes of products and health technologies also lead to delays and limited availability, preventing effective distribution of health care solutions to areas of need, especially in emergencies.ARPA-H SSO seeks solutions to improve the scalability and affordability of health care solutions, bridge gaps in underserved areas, and extend remote access to expertise by developing location-specific interventions, telemedicine solutions, and mobile health clinics. Solutions should focus on rapid innovation and the use of partnerships, as well as flexible distribution networks and streamlined manufacturing processes. The following SSO interest areas categorize the ground-breaking solutions we seek to support:Scalable Technologies and Interventions: Approaches to improve affordability and equitable access to health care that are adaptable to various geographic, demographic, economic contexts and can be rapidly deployed at scale (e.g., drug-repurposing*, telemedicine, point-of-care diagnostics, and modular health care infrastructure). Tailored solutions for the pediatric population that provide parity in access to treatments and other health care interventions with the adult population and adapt to the pediatric patients changing physiology and developmental status over the course of years. Transformational approaches to reduce or eliminate health disparities, including tools and models for product design and care delivery that scale novel approaches in human factors and human-centered design to respond to full diversity of patients. Tools to enable the scaling of provider and institutional capabilities (e.g., school nurses and schools, walk-in clinics, homesteading care) to address unmet health care access needs and expand availability of critical services. Foundational capabilities to accelerate diagnoses and reduce the cost of treatments for rare diseases wherever patients are, without the need for specialized facilities or healthcare expertise.* Solution summaries and proposals that focus on testing drugs for effectiveness for other disease states or use cases, are unlikely to be funded unless including additional R, or providing gains in cost reduction, accessibility, and/or equity.Collaborative Distribution Networks: Methods for standardization, automation, and democratization of complex procedures 5 including, but not limited to, histopathology, rare disease diagnosis and treatment, and surgical interventions to ensure access and delivery to populations diverse in demographics, geographies, and resources at scale. Approaches to enhance delivery of effective healthcare solutions in rural or low resource settings, including but not limited to "last mile delivery, at-home monitoring, imaging, drug delivery, telehealth augmentation, and support for remote medical procedures with limited need for specialized training. Technologies to enable the deployment of critical healthcare resources rapidly, equitably, and securely at scale to the point of need in permissive and non-permissive (i.e., damaged infrastructure, cyber-denied) environments during a public health crisis or natural disaster. Solutions to scale education and training of critical healthcare resources for health care providers and patients to ensure information integrity to prevent negative impacts to resource use/uptake. Innovative information technology, data and analytic products and technologies to enable ordering, inventory management, situational awareness, allocation planning and demand forecasting of critical healthcare resources during a public health crisis or natural disaster.Biomanufacturing Innovations*: Innovative manufacturing technologies and approaches that reduce cost, shorten the timeline for production, advance domestic competitiveness and reduce supply chain risk of biologics, cellular and gene therapies, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and personal protective equipment. New approaches to support predictable, programable biological production of conventional and novel materials reliability at scale in a cost-effective sustainable manner. Novel solutions to reduce the reliance on specialized handling and cold chain management of pharmaceuticals and biologics. Scalable innovations to advance and strengthen biomanufacturing supply chain and resolve bottlenecks including:o Advances in production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, process consumables, and other critical materials (i.e., enzymes, cell lines, etc);o Novel biomanufacturing-related data products, technologies or models to integrate into supply chain situational awareness systems;o Alternative materials and new manufacturing capabilities for personal protective equipment; ando Improvement of capabilities sustainably re-shore manufacturing and utilize a broad array of readily accessible and cost-efficient feedstocks as part of strengthening the local and national industry base. Analytics and novel sensor systems to precisely manage bioproduction, real-time release assays, and predictive capabilities to inform tuning of biological chassis for efficient and effective scale-up of manufacturing to industrial scale.*ARPA-H is not interested in approaches that merely increase capacity reservation.Other high-quality submissions that propose revolutionary technologies that meet the goals of SSO will be considered even if they do not address the topics listed above.Proposals are expected to use innovative approaches to enable revolutionary advances in medicine and healthcare, and the science and technology underlying these areas. While approaches that are disease agnostic are encouraged, ARPA-H welcomes proposals that bring radically new insights to address specific diseases including, but not limited to, cancer, diabetes, neurological diseases, pediatric and maternal/fetal health, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular disease.Specifically excluded are proposals that represent an evolutionary or incremental advance in the current state of the art or technology that has reached the clinical trial stage. An example of this type of proposal might include the request to fund clinical trials of an otherwise developed product. Additionally, proposals directed towards policy changes, traditional education and training, or center coordination, formation, or development, and construction of physical infrastructure are outside the scope of the ARPA-H mission.

The "Single Source for the Continuation of the Human Pancreas Analysis Program (HPAP) for Type 1 Diabetes (HPAP-T1D)" grant is intended to fund the University of Pennsylvania's ongoing research into understanding and combating Type 1 Diabetes, by studying human pancreatic tissues and immune cells, and sharing their findings through an open-access database.

The GEL-ICS program will build a cohesive group of leaders working on issues in cyberspace who are committed to the UN-affirmed Framework of Responsible State Behavior and will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and global connections to be effective advocates and champions of the Framework through the fellowship and other activities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to non-profits, local and tribal governments, and businesses for projects that promote renewable wood energy and innovative wood products, particularly in underserved communities and areas with high unemployment.

This grant provides funding to a wide range of organizations, including NGOs and private sector entities, to strengthen local health systems in Guinea, focusing on improving healthcare quality and accessibility in targeted regions.

This funding opportunity supports innovative research projects that aim to improve HIV prevention and care strategies, targeting a wide range of organizations and individuals involved in health and social sciences.

This grant provides funding to organizations in India to improve the quality and accessibility of HIV and STI testing services through enhanced laboratory networks and continuous quality improvement initiatives.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to develop, organize, and oversee the 2025 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Summit, pending the availability of funds. The four-day Summit (exclusive of arrival and departure dates) in 2025 will gather over 150 YSEALI exchange program alumni from across ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste. The award recipient is expected to design a youth-focused, high-energy, and dynamic Summit that will provide the next generation of Southeast Asian leaders the opportunity to build networks, discuss ideas, and develop solutions to contemporary challenges. The YSEALI Summit in Malaysia will be conducted in English. The content of the program should touch on each of the four pillars of YSEALI and include leadership, mentorship, and teamwork training. The Summit will enable participants to see how YSEALI members have become leaders in Southeast Asian communities through community service, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and education. The Summit should feature panels and presentations by prior YSEALI participants from each country who have become changemakers in their fields. The Summit should feature sessions giving participants the opportunity to work together to develop possible solutions to current environmental, social, political, and economic challenges in the region. Participants should learn innovative approaches to promote relations among ASEAN countries and with the United States through presentation, case studies and simulations. The Summit will also provide leadership and other soft skills training on topics such as advocacy, negotiation, and personal branding, which are core soft skills YSEALI alumni need to become successful leaders. Participants will also have a chance to join cultural activities, and other site visits that support the Summits theme. The Summit will include a mix of informational sessions, discussions and challenges, and break-out sessions on different topics and group presentations, as well as site and cultural visits.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations working to improve HIV prevention, care, and treatment services for key populations in Central America, aiming to achieve significant health outcomes by 2030.