Founders keep asking us for 'the NASA startup grant,' and there isn't one. There are at least six real programs, each run by a different part of the agency, each with its own portal, deadline, and idea of what it wants. The information is scattered across a dozen pages on nasa.gov that rarely link to each other. Here's the map.
This is where most space startups begin. It's non-dilutive: NASA doesn't take equity. Phase I (~$225K) proves feasibility; Phase II (~$850K) builds and tests a prototype. As of 2026 it runs as a rolling Broad Agency Announcement, with subtopics released in appendices, so there's no single annual deadline anymore. STTR is the same money with a required research-institution partner. See NASA SBIR/STTR.
Tipping Point ($1M–$20M+) is for technology close to a commercial 'tipping point' that needs a demonstration to get over the line. It's milestone-based and firm-fixed-price, and it requires a corporate cost share (commonly ~25%). This is not idea-stage money — you need real hardware maturity.
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts funds architecture-level ideas 10+ years out. Companies win it, not just universities. Phase I is ~$175K for a 9-month study; Phase II ~$600K; a rare Phase III ~$2M. Read the NIAC page.
Before you promise NASA a demonstration, get the physics simulated. We can arrange an Ansys evaluation and live engineering support so your proposal's technical case holds up.
See if you qualify for an Ansys eval The MVP playbook →TechFlights (up to ~$1M) pays for test flights, not the tech itself — you buy suborbital or orbital flight time from a commercial provider. ACO transfers no cash at all; instead NASA gives you access to its test facilities and engineers under an unfunded Space Act Agreement. InSPA funds in-space manufacturing on the ISS with the ISS National Lab. Each is a different tool for a different problem.
Match the program to where you are: idea → NIAC or SBIR Phase I; prototype → SBIR Phase II; need test access → ACO or TechFlights; ready to demonstrate → Tipping Point; making product in orbit → InSPA. Then read our guides on funded vs unfunded Space Act Agreements and Tipping Point.
Official sources: NASA SBIR/STTR · Space Tech Industry Partnerships · STMD Solicitations. Figures change; confirm on the official page before relying on them.
