Vantage Ventures Accelerator Program

The Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation for the Astronomical Sciences (ATI) program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for the development of new technologies and instrumentation for use in ground-based astronomy and astrophysics.The program supports achieving the science objectives of the Division of Astronomical Sciences. The development of innovative, potentially transformative, technologies and instruments are sought, even at high technical risk.Supported categories include (but are not limited to):advanced technology development, concept feasibility studies, and specialized instrumentation to enable new observations that are difficult or impossible to obtain with existing means.Proposals may include hardware and/or software development and/or analysis to enable new types of astronomical observations.

The LaunchKC Grants Competition awards early-stage startups with $60,000 in equity-free grant funding plus a year of support services in exchange for relocating their business to Kansas City, Missouri for at least one year. Administered by LaunchKC (a nonprofit community benefit organization funded largely through the State of Missouri, the Missouri Technology Corporation, and the Kansas City community) the competition invests more than $500,000 into startups annually and searches nationwide for innovative, scalable, technology-enabled early-stage companies. In addition to the cash grant, recipients receive free office space in Downtown Kansas City for one year, one-on-one mentorship with industry experts, curated programming and fundraising support, and access to the LaunchKC network of investors and partners. Eligible applicants must be for-profit entities with technology-based products or services, operate a scalable business model, and be at the validated-idea stage or later (with a minimum viable product, customer discovery, or other market validation). Applicants may come from anywhere in the U.S. or abroad but must agree to locate their headquarters or significant operations — including at least one full-time founder and 51% of full-time staff — in Kansas City, MO for the duration of the year-long program. Retail businesses with brick-and-mortar storefronts, residential real estate businesses, investment vehicles, sports venues, gaming and gambling businesses, lodging establishments, entertainment-related establishments, and past LaunchKC cash-prize winners are not eligible. Applicants are selected through a competitive three-round judging process that culminates in live in-person pitches at the LaunchKC Finals.

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) offers annual Farmer Resilience Grants to projects that have a positive social, environmental, and economic impact in their community. Farmers can earn between $2,000 and $5,000 for their projects.

The Commercial Development Authority (CDA) of the City of Jacksonville, Alabama, in its continuing effort to support the development of commercial business in Jacksonville, has created a Business Development Grant Program for business owners and tenants. The Business Development Grant Program will continue the process of creating an atmosphere conducive to conducting business in Jacksonville while attracting new commercial development. The following outlines the details of Jacksonville’s Business Development Grant Program. Business Development Grants are awarded by the CDA to encourage entrepreneurship, investment, and business success in the City of Jacksonville for new, expanding, and transitioning businesses. Grants are contingent on the availability of funding. Businesses must be located within the City of Jacksonville and meet the eligibility requirements.

The Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) Grant is a $396 million statewide industrial decarbonization grant program that provides Pennsylvania industrial facilities with reimbursement grants to fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas and co-pollutant emissions. Administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Energy Programs Office and funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the program is designed to lower emissions from Pennsylvania's industrial sector (which accounts for just over 30 percent of the state's total greenhouse gas emissions) while creating jobs, reducing energy costs, and strengthening manufacturing competitiveness. RISE PA awards funding through three competitive tracks tailored to project size: a Small-scale Award Track (SAT), administered in partnership with PennTAP (Penn State's Technology Application Program), for smaller decarbonization projects with multiple funding rounds; and Medium and Large-scale Award Tracks (MAT/LAT), administered through the DCED Enterprise eGrants system, for larger industrial projects. Eligible project types span industrial electrification, energy efficiency and process emissions reductions, switching to low-carbon fuels, on-site renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, and reducing fugitive emissions from natural gas and oil systems and coal mining. Grants are issued on a reimbursement basis, with medium and large-scale projects reimbursed for up to 90 percent of the Base Grant Award as costs are incurred and the remaining 10 percent disbursed once measurement, monitoring, and verification (MMV) of the project's emissions reductions is complete. Applicants can also receive a reimbursement of up to 1 percent of total project cost (capped at $70,000) to offset MMV expenses. Eligible expenses incurred on or after October 1, 2024 may be reimbursed, and all projects must be completed by the program's federally mandated sunset date of April 1, 2029.