United States / Funding / By state / Delaware
Funding for startups in Delaware
Delaware runs 9 programmes of its own, and 5 of them take applications right now. The 63 federal programmes further down are open to Delaware companies too. We read each one on its official site and note the date we checked.
Run by Delaware and local bodies
Accelerator and Seed Capital Program (DASCP)
Delaware Division of Small Business (SSBCI) · Delaware
High-impact Delaware startups with 100 or fewer employees can get a direct state equity investment of up to $1 million.
EDGE Grant Competition (Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion)
Delaware Division of Small Business · Delaware
Competitive matching grant (3:1 state match) for early-stage Delaware small businesses, split into STEM and Entrepreneur tracks; fall 2026 round open through Sept 11, 2026.
Grow NCC Fund
New Castle County Office of Economic Development · Delaware
Established New Castle County businesses with 10 to 500 employees can borrow up to $1 million at a below-market rate.
Small Business Loans
True Access Capital · Delaware
A Delaware CDFI lends underserved small businesses between $10,000 and $800,000 for working capital, equipment, or real estate.
The First Fund
Innovation Space · Delaware
Deep-tech startups get up to $240,000 in cash and lab space from a Delaware incubator, in exchange for moving in and a convertible note.
Summer Founders Program
University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship · Delaware
University of Delaware student founders get a summer stipend plus venture support and mentorship to build their startup in Newark.
Delaware Loan Participation Program (DELPP)
Delaware Division of Small Business (SSBCI) · Delaware
Delaware's state credit program helps a bank extend a five to ten year growth loan to a small business it otherwise could not fully collateralize.
Site Readiness Fund
Delaware Division of Small Business · Delaware
Delaware businesses developing a commercial or industrial site can apply for state grants or loans until this year's fund runs out.
WEDCO Small Business Loans
WEDCO (Wilmington Economic Development Corporation) · Delaware
Small businesses within the city of Wilmington can borrow $5,000 to $50,000 for working capital, equipment, or facility upgrades.
Want to filter these by amount or stage? Open them in the full directory.
Federal programmes open to Delaware 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 Delaware deadline funders will ask about
Most programmes above ask for financials and a company in good standing. In Delaware that means the annual report — Fixed: due June 1 each year.
This page exists because Delaware has at least 2 verified programmes of its own. See every state, or tell us about a Delaware 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 Delaware books in that shape year-round, so applying is an export rather than a rebuild.