United States / Funding / By state / Alabama
Funding for startups in Alabama
Alabama runs 8 programmes of its own, and 5 of them take applications right now. The 63 federal programmes further down are open to Alabama companies too. We read each one on its official site and note the date we checked.
Run by Alabama and local bodies
Blazer App Accelerator
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) · Alabama
UAB program that validates software and app ideas from UAB creators before they seek further funding.
Blazer Bridge Fund
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) · Alabama
UAB fund that develops promising faculty and staff discoveries with commercial potential toward startup formation.
Boost (Innovation Depot)
Innovation Depot · Alabama
Rolling mentorship and growth-planning program for Birmingham, Alabama founders with an MVP or early traction, no funding attached.
Innovate Alabama Capital Access Fund
Innovate Alabama · Alabama
A $15 million evergreen fund making $100,000-$250,000 direct investments in pre-seed to Series A Alabama startups with a 1:1 private match.
LendAL
Innovate Alabama (State Small Business Credit Initiative) · Alabama
State-backed credit enhancement that lowers lender risk so more Alabama small businesses qualify for loans, applied for through partner lenders.
Alabama Launchpad
Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), in partnership with Innovate Alabama · Alabama
Alabama's longest-running pitch competition, awarding up to $100,000 plus $2,500 to every finalist in three industry tracks.
Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program
Innovate Alabama · Alabama
Matching grant up to $250,000 for Alabama companies with active federal SBIR or STTR awards, opened in periodic rounds.
Innovate Alabama Venture Studio
Innovate Alabama, with Harmony Venture Labs · Alabama
Studio model partnering with corporations to build new venture-backed companies in Alabama from concept to market.
Want to filter these by amount or stage? Open them in the full directory.
Federal programmes open to Alabama businesses
Grants 23
- AFWERX SBIR/STTR & Army xTechup to $15M
- Amber Grant for Womenup to $50k
- ARPA-E
- ARPA-H
- Comcast RISEup to $5k
- DHS SBIRup to $1M
- DoD SBIR/STTRup to $2.15M
- DOE SBIR/STTRup to $2.15M
- ED/IES SBIRup to $1M
- EDA Build to Scale (B2S)up to $5M
- EPA SBIRup to $400k
- Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program
- FedEx Small Business Grant Contestup to $50k
- NASA SBIR/STTRup to $1.27M
- NIH SBIR/STTRup to $4.19M
- NOAA SBIRup to $690k
- NSF SBIR/STTR — America's Seed Fund powered by NSFup to $1.25M
- Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) — Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiencyup to $25M
- SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC)up to $200k
- SBIR/STTR (America's Seed Fund)up to $2.15M
- US DOT SBIRup to $200k
- USDA NIFA SBIR
- Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG)up to $200k
Loans & guarantees 15
- CAPLines (SBA 7(a) Lines of Credit)up to $5M
- CDFI Fund — Certified Community Development Financial Institution Network
- DOE Loan Programs Office (Office of Energy Dominance Financing)
- Export Working Capital Program (EWCP)up to $5M
- International Trade Loan Program (ITL)up to $5M
- Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loan (MREIDL)up to $2M
- SBA 504 Loan Program (CDC/504)up to $5.5M
- SBA 7(a) Loan Programup to $5M
- SBA Community Advantage Loansup to $1M
- SBA Disaster Loans (Physical Damage & Economic Injury)up to $2M
- SBA Microloan Programup to $50k
- SBA-504 and 7(a) Combined Loan Cap ($10M)up to $10M
- EXIM Working Capital Guarantee Programup to $10M
- SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Programup to $14M
- State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)
Tax benefits 8
- Federal R&D Tax Credit (Section 41)
- New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC)
- QSBS Section 1202 Exclusionup to $15M
- Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ)
- R&D Payroll Tax Offset (Qualified Small Business Payroll Tax Credit)up to $500k
- Section 174A Domestic R&D Expensing Restoration
- State R&D Tax Credits (multi-state landscape)
- Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)up to $2.4k
Equity 7
- 500 Global Flagship Acceleratorup to $150k
- Antler US Residency
- gener8tor Investment Acceleratorup to $100k
- HAXup to $250k
- Neo Accelerator
- Techstars Standard Investment Termsup to $220k
- Y Combinator Standard Dealup to $500k
Support & credits 10
- AWS Activateup to $200k
- Google for Startups Cloud Programup to $350k
- Microsoft for Startupsup to $150k
- MassChallenge Accelerator Programs (Traction & Challenge)
- MBDA Business Center Network
- NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
- NVIDIA Inception
- Plug and Play Accelerator Programs
- SBA 8(a) Business Development Program
- Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program
The other Alabama deadline funders will ask about
Most programmes above ask for financials and a company in good standing. In Alabama that means the Business Privilege Tax Return (Form PPT) — functions as both tax return and entity-info report; no separate SOS annual report — Due the same day as the entity's federal tax return — typically March 15 for multi-member LLCs, April 15 for single-member LLCs. The initial BPT-IN is due within 2.5 months of formation.
This page exists because Alabama has at least 2 verified programmes of its own. See every state, or tell us about a Alabama programme we are missing via the contact page.
Funders read the books before the pitch
Every programme on this page asks for financials in a particular shape. We keep Alabama books in that shape year-round, so applying is an export rather than a rebuild.