About this programme
Build to Scale (B2S) is a competitive grant program run by the U.S. Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE), authorized under Section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. It funds organizations that build and strengthen regional technology entrepreneurship ecosystems, with the goal of growing scalable, technology-driven businesses and creating high-skill, high-wage jobs in a region.
B2S is not a grant to individual startups or small businesses. The applicants are intermediary organizations — economic development organizations, universities, nonprofits, venture development organizations, and similar entities, applying with the backing of a state or local government. A funded organization then runs a program (an accelerator, a fund, an ecosystem-building initiative) that entrepreneurs and startups in its region benefit from.
Across recent fiscal-year cycles, EDA has run B2S with two named tracks — the Venture Challenge, which funds organizations that run technology-business accelerators, and the Capital Challenge, which funds organizations that build early-stage investor networks or operate equity investment funds. The exact structure (whether the two tracks run separately or as one combined competition) has varied by fiscal year, so a founder or an intermediary org researching B2S should confirm the current year's format on EDA's own funding-opportunities page before assuming a prior year's structure still applies.
EDA has funded B2S at roughly $50 million a year in recent cycles. Every award requires the recipient to bring non-federal matching funds — cash or in-kind — that has historically been a 1:1 match of the federal award amount.
How it works
In years where EDA has run the Venture Challenge separately, it has funded organizations that operate startup accelerator programs. Two request tiers have applied in recent cycles: a 'Build' tier for applicants requesting up to $750,000 over the period of performance, and a 'Scale' tier for applicants requesting more than $750,000, up to $2,000,000.
In years where EDA has run the Capital Challenge separately, it has funded two kinds of investor-ecosystem work: up to $400,000 to educate and connect early-stage investors or create new investment funds, and up to $750,000 to scale and operate an existing equity-based investment fund.
Every award requires the recipient organization to secure non-federal matching funds — cash and/or in-kind contributions from sources such as local government, private-sector partners, foundations, or state programs (e.g., State Small Business Credit Initiative funds). EDA's application review checks for matching-fund documentation before an application is considered complete.
EDA staff run an eligibility and technical-completeness review of every application received by the deadline. Applications from ineligible entities, or missing required forms and documentation, are excluded from funding consideration rather than being returned for correction.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants are: a U.S. state; an Indian Tribe; a city or other political subdivision of a state; or an entity whose application is supported by a state or a political subdivision of a state and that is itself a nonprofit organization, an institution of higher education, a public-private partnership, a science or research park, a federal laboratory, a venture development organization, an economic development organization (or similar entity focused primarily on science, technology, innovation, or entrepreneurship), or a consortium of any of the above.
Individual startups, small businesses, and sole proprietors are not eligible applicants in their own right — B2S funds the organization that runs the ecosystem-building program, not the businesses that later take part in it.
Nonprofit applicants must submit documentation proving their nonprofit status, such as articles of incorporation, a certificate of good standing, and bylaws, alongside the rest of the application package.
How to apply
- Read the current fiscal year's Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on eda.gov, which sets out the exact tracks, award ranges, and deadlines for that cycle — these have changed from year to year.
- Register the applicant organization in SAM.gov to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI); this is a prerequisite for any federal grant submission and can take several weeks, so start it well ahead of the deadline.
- Assemble matching-fund commitments (cash and/or in-kind) and the required nonprofit or entity-status documentation before drafting the narrative.
- Submit the application through EDA's grants portal (sfgrants.eda.gov) or Grants.gov, whichever the current NOFO designates, including the SF-424 and SF-424A federal forms, a budget narrative, and the project narrative the NOFO requires.
- Applications are reviewed for eligibility and technical completeness against the deadline in the current NOFO; incomplete applications are excluded rather than returned for correction, so completeness matters more than polish.
Documents you’ll typically need
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance).
- SF-424A (Budget Information — Non-Construction Programs).
- Budget narrative matching the figures on the SF-424A and the project narrative.
- Matching-fund documentation (cash and/or in-kind commitment letters from co-funders).
- Nonprofit status documentation for nonprofit applicants — articles of incorporation, certificate of good standing, bylaws.
- SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), required to submit.
Frequently asked
Can my startup apply to Build to Scale directly?
No. B2S grants go to organizations — economic development organizations, universities, nonprofits, venture development organizations, or units of state/local government — that run ecosystem-building programs, not to individual startups or small businesses. Startups benefit indirectly by taking part in the accelerator, fund, or program a B2S-funded organization operates.
What is the matching-fund requirement?
B2S has required a non-federal match — cash or in-kind — historically at a 1:1 ratio against the federal award. Sources have included local government, private-sector partners, foundations, and state programs. The exact match rules for the current cycle are set in that year's NOFO on eda.gov.
Do the Venture Challenge and Capital Challenge always run as separate competitions?
Not every year. In some fiscal years EDA has run them as two distinct tracks with their own award tiers; in at least one recent cycle EDA combined B2S into a single competition without separate Venture and Capital challenges. Confirm the current year's structure on EDA's funding-opportunities page before relying on a prior year's tracks or amounts.
How much can an applicant organization request?
Award ranges have varied by track and by fiscal year. In recent Venture Challenge cycles, 'Build' requests went up to $750,000 and 'Scale' requests ran from $750,000 up to $2,000,000; Capital Challenge requests ran up to $400,000 for investor-network work or up to $750,000 to scale an existing fund. Treat these as recent-cycle reference points, not a guarantee for the current NOFO, which sets its own ranges.
Who administers Build to Scale?
EDA's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE), under authority granted by Section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. EDA is itself a bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
What kind of documentation does a nonprofit applicant need?
Nonprofit applicants must submit proof of nonprofit status alongside the standard federal grant forms — typically articles of incorporation, a certificate of good standing, and bylaws — in addition to the SF-424, SF-424A, budget narrative, and matching-fund documentation every applicant submits.
Where is the authoritative source for this cycle's deadline and award amounts?
EDA's own funding-opportunities page (eda.gov/funding/funding-opportunities) and the current fiscal year's NOFO PDF, published there. Because B2S's structure and figures have changed across fiscal years, treat any deadline or amount from a source other than the current-year NOFO as unconfirmed.
Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.