Research and Innovation Funding and Support

© gettyimages/Hoxton/Tom Merton

Funding for research and innovation is available from a wide range of sources. Below, you will find a selection of resources to obtain research funding; however, this list is not exhaustive.

Federal Funding

The National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Humanities
The Smithsonian Institutes
U.S. Government Grants Database 
The National Science Foundation
The National Institutes of Health
The Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Energy
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Grants.gov provides basic information about acquiring grants and includes a “Grant Search” feature.

Nongovernmental Funding and Organizations

In addition to the governmental funding listed above, you can find a huge directory with information on non-profit groups and charities in the USA here. The Library of Congress also keeps a list of free databases that can be used to search for foundations and other nonprofits.

Much of the research and innovation work done in the US also happens through think tanks and non-governmental organizations. A list of think tanks that have worked with the government can be found here; a very thorough list of think tanks in the US from Harvard can be found here.

Starting up in the USA 

There are plenty of opportunities for those looking to bring their startup to the United States. Here you can find information about the different options available through the federal government, including the Small Business Administration, the Small Business Innovation Research Program, and the Small Business Investment Company. The Federal Business Opportunities page may also prove useful. You can find information on funding opportunities in each individual state here

In addition to government sources of funding, the US is also home to plenty of startup accelerators. If you’re looking to bring your startup into the US market from Germany, the following resources are a good place to start:

German Accelerator
STEP USA
The German Startups Association