The Best Business Grants in South Carolina
July 8, 2026
Updated:
Securing capital is often the biggest hurdle for any founder. While loans and credit cards are common, they come with the weight of repayment and interest. Grants are the ideal alternative because they generally don't have to be paid back. However, there is a catch: grants are highly competitive and can be very difficult to find. We've built this guide to help you understand the grant landscape in South Carolina.
South Carolina has built one of the most cohesive startup and innovation grant ecosystems in the country, anchored by the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), which runs a coordinated pipeline of six distinct programs supporting technology companies at every stage from university spin-out through commercial growth. Startups can move from the Academic Startup Grant (for companies spinning out of higher education) through Startup and Acceleration Grants for early-stage development, into Demonstration Grants for corporate partnerships, Federal Matching Grants supplementing SBIR/STTR awards, and even Relocation Grants for out-of-state companies moving to South Carolina. Award sizes range from $6,000 energy efficiency grants up to $75,000 for the state's flagship Relentless Challenge innovation grant, with most SCRA programs offering rolling deadlines.
State-level activity is concentrated at SCRA and the South Carolina Department of Commerce, which runs the SC Relentless Challenge Grant, a statewide competition funding approximately $1 million annually in projects that foster innovation ecosystems across the state. Beyond these tech-focused programs, Dominion Energy runs a Small Business Energy Solutions program for utility customers making lighting and HVAC upgrades, and Lowcountry Local First administers a Marketing Momentum Grant providing in-kind marketing services for small businesses in the Charleston-area Lowcountry region.
South Carolina businesses are also eligible for hundreds of national grant programs from federal agencies, corporations, and foundations. Those programs aren't covered on this page, but you can search our complete grant database to see every state and national grant your business qualifies for. You can also join our free weekly newsletter to get new South Carolina grants delivered to your inbox as soon as they open.
SOUTH CAROLINA GRANTS
SC Federal Matching Grant (formerly SBIR/STTR Phase I)
South Carolina Research Authority
Managed by the Academic Innovations Team, the objective of the Federal Matching Grant is further federal funds received by small businesses in South Carolina to advance translational research in support of one or more critical milestones towards commercialization. Preference given to SBIR/STTR awardees with initial datasets who identify gaps in commercialization activities that would help develop a compelling proposal for follow on funding. Other Federal matches will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Key milestones include developing the technology past the minimum viable product (MVP) and demonstrating product-market fit, in the DEVELOP stage of startup development. In the ACCELERATE stage of startup development, key milestones include enabling product execution through testing and demonstrations.
Federal Matching Grants can match funds up to 50% of a qualifying federal award, not to exceed $50,000.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$50,000
SCRA Academic Startup Grant
South Carolina Research Authority
The South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) Member Companies may apply for a variety of non-dilutive grants, each with its own eligibility and review criteria.
The Academic Startup Grant is focused on startups advancing intellectual property from institutions of higher education. Managed by the Academic Innovations team, the objective of the Academic Startup Grant is to provide earlystage funding to academic startups to support one or more critical milestones towards commercialization and to advance the company’s pursuit of follow-on funding. Key milestones include developing the technology past the minimum viable product (MVP) and demonstrating product-market fit, in the DEVELOP stage of startup development.
Academic Startup Grants provide funding for up to $25,000.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$25,000
SCRA Acceleration Grant
South Carolina Research Authority
The South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) Member Companies may apply for a variety of non-dilutive grants, each with its own eligibility and review criteria.
The objective of the Acceleration Grant is to provide early-stage funding to startups to accelerate a company’s technology and/or business model to the next level of maturity and market readiness. Acceleration Grants provide funding up to $50,000.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$50,000
SCRA Startup Grant
South Carolina Research Authority
The South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) Member Companies may apply for a variety of non-dilutive grants, each with its own eligibility and review criteria.
The objective of the Startup Grant is to provide early-stage funding to startups to support one or more critical milestones towards commercialization and to advance the company’s pursuit of follow-on funding. Startup Grants provide funding up to $25,000.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$25,000
Dominion Energy Small Business Energy Solutions
Dominion Energy
The Dominion Energy Small Business Energy Solutions program is designed to reduce energy use and costs through enhancements to lighting and HVAC systems. The program pays 90% of the cost, up to $6,000.
Applicants must be current Dominion Energy customers.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$7,500
Lowcountry Marketing Momentum Grant
Lowcountry Local First
The Marketing Momentum Small Business Grant Program provides Lowcountry, South Carolina small businesses with in-kind marketing services (rather than cash) delivered by professional marketing partners in the community. Administered by Lowcountry Local First (LLF), a nonprofit that supports independently-owned local businesses across the Charleston area, the program connects a small number of qualifying local businesses each year with marketing, branding, design, and PR experts who donate their services to help each recipient tackle a specific marketing challenge or opportunity.
Because the grant is delivered as pro bono professional services, project deliverables vary based on the partner and the recipient's needs, with past recipients receiving support in areas such as brand development, PR strategy, communications planning, and customer targeting. To qualify, applicants must be the owner of a for-profit business (501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) entities are not eligible), be at least 18 years old, have been in business and making sales for two years or less (or preparing to launch within the next six months), employ fewer than five full-time employees, and meet LLF's local business membership criteria: privately held, based locally in the Lowcountry with no corporate or national headquarters outside the region, majority owned by individuals who live in the Lowcountry, and operating independently in decisions about the business's name, purchasing, practices, distribution, marketing, and other expenses.
Applications are evaluated by an outside review committee based on eligibility, the clarity of the potential project impact on the business's growth and success, and the strength of the business's mission or community give-back. Recipients and their project partners are recognized each year at LLF's annual Good Business Summit in Charleston.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$10,000
SC Demonstration Grant
South Carolina Research Authority
The South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) Member Companies may apply for a variety of non-dilutive grants, each with its own eligibility and review criteria.
The objective of a Small Business Demonstration Grant is to provide a valuable solution to a corporate partner and a significant growth opportunity for a small business by developing a new product, distribution channel, customer, market, etc. The grant is intended to offer a bridge for the small business to its next inflection point in development, while also supporting a monetary and/or in-kind match by a corporate partner into a project with the small business.
Demonstration Grants are limited typically to $50,000 with rare exceptions.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$50,000
SC Relentless Challenge Grant
SC Department of Commerce
The South Carolina Department of Commerce provides the Relentless Challenge (RC) Grant Program. This is a statewide competitive scheme that plans to award approximately $1,000,000 for the 2026 funding cycle.
The RC grant funds projects that foster a sustainable innovation ecosystem and that focus on high growth/high impact entrepreneurship, talent development, access to capital, and university/industry collaborations. Matching funds are available up to a maximum of $75,000.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$75,000
SC Relocation Grant
South Carolina Research Authority
The Relocation Grant supports companies relocating to South Carolina by reimbursing them for moving costs. Businesses can get up to $50,000 to use on moving equipment, employee relocation costs, and upfitting facilities. To qualify for the grant, the business has to demonstrate strong technology job growth prospects in South Carolina and have a minimum of five employees located in the state after the relocation.
$ GRANT AMOUNT
$50,000
Don't stop at state-level funding
Most business grants aren't geographic, they're tied to your industry, your stage, or your team. Our database tracks 500+ programs across every category, and our free newsletter delivers new grants to your inbox each week.