Business Grants That Require No Matching Funds
In the GrantCompass catalog as of October 1, 2026, 104 of the 153 open US business grant programs required no matching funds from the applicant. The other 49 required a cost share, and a cost share is not a formality: it is your money, spent on the project, before or alongside the grant. Every private grant and every foundation grant open today — 25 programs — requires no match. Among government money the picture flips: 45% of open local grants, 40% of open state grants and 29% of open federal grants made you pay a share.
Updated October 1, 2026 — the table, counts, medians and level split below were recomputed against the GrantCompass catalog on October 1, 2026, using the same open-now rule as every other page on this site. The matching-funds flag was last cross-read against each program’s own page text on August 24, 2026, and the six programs named in prose were re-read on their official sources that day. Recomputed monthly, permanent URL.
See every program you qualify for — free →A two-minute eligibility check ranks all 736 US programs against your business, cost share and all. No card.
Every open US business grant, labelled by its matching requirement
All 153 open grant programs are printed below, the 104 that need no match first. Set the match filter to “No matching funds” to see only those. The table is server-rendered in full, so it reads the same with scripts off as on; the filters are a convenience, not the content.
Showing 153 of 153 open grant programs · 104 of them need no matching funds
| Program | Maximum award | Matching funds | Intake | Level | Apply time | Win Layer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARPA-H Innovative Solution Openings (ISOs) — Health Technology OT Agreements | Varies — typically $1M–$50M | No match | Rolling | Federal | 60 hrs | 7 locked |
| North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant | 25% of qualifying NC spend | No match | Rolling | State | 32 hrs | 6 locked |
| OSD ManTech Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program | $150,000–$8,800,000 | No match | Rolling | Federal | 80 hrs | 6 locked |
| DOE Office of Science — FY2026 Continuation of Solicitation for the Financial Assistance… | $50K–$5,000,000/year | No match | Sep 30, 2027 | Federal | 96 hrs | 6 locked |
| One North Carolina Fund | Varies — typically $100K–$5M | No match | Rolling | State | 60 hrs | 7 locked |
| Tennessee FastTrack Economic Development Fund | Negotiated; $250K–$5M typical | No match | Rolling | State | 60 hrs | 6 locked |
| Wyoming Business Ready Community Grant & Loan Program | Up to $5,000,000 | No match | Rolling | State | 50 hrs | 6 locked |
| LPS Qubit Collaboratory (LQC) | Up to $800K/yr | No match | Apr 30, 2027 | Federal | 60 hrs | 0 locked |
| SBIR Phase II — NIH (PHS Omnibus) | Up to $2.15M (Phase II) | No match | Jan 5, 2027 | Federal | 220 hrs | 7 locked |
| STTR Phase II — NIH (PHS Omnibus) | Up to $2.15M (STTR Phase II) | No match | Jan 5, 2027 | Federal | 175 hrs | 7 locked |
| SBIR Phase II — Department of Defense | Up to $2M (Phase II) | No match | Rolling | Federal | 120 hrs | 7 locked |
| Minnesota Job Creation Fund | Up to $1,000,000 (performance-based rebate) | No match | Rolling | State | 50 hrs | 6 locked |
| SBIR Phase II — NSF (America's Seed Fund) | Up to $1M (Phase II) | No match | Rolling | Federal | 80 hrs | 7 locked |
| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program | $1–$750,000 per project | No match | Rolling | Federal | 16 hrs | 6 locked |
| Idaho Workforce Development Council — Employer Training Grant | Up to $500,000 | No match | Dec 4, 2026 | State | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| Oregon Business Expansion Program (Business Oregon Expansion Fund) | Negotiated; income-tax-based | No match | Rolling | State | 25 hrs | 6 locked |
| Texas Skills Development Fund | Up to $500,000 | No match | Rolling | State | 25 hrs | 6 locked |
| U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program | $1–$500,000 per project | No match | Rolling | Federal | 18 hrs | 6 locked |
| NOAA National Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP) — FY 2026/27 | $50,000–$400,000 | No match | Jan 22, 2027 | Federal | 42 hrs | 6 locked |
| SBIR Phase I — NIH (PHS Omnibus) | Up to $323,090 | No match | Jan 5, 2027 | Federal | 160 hrs | 7 locked |
| STTR Phase I — NIH (PHS Omnibus) | Up to $323,090 (STTR Phase I) | No match | Jan 5, 2027 | Federal | 180 hrs | 7 locked |
| SBIR Phase I — NSF (America's Seed Fund) | Up to $305K (Phase I) | No match | Nov 4, 2026 | Federal | 104 hrs | 1 locked |
| STTR Phase I — NSF | Up to $305,000 | No match | Nov 4, 2026 | Federal | 160 hrs | 1 locked |
| Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation — Impact Funding | Up to $300K over 3 yrs | No match | Rolling | Foundation | 35 hrs | 7 locked |
| SBIR Phase I — DARPA | Up to $250K (Phase I) | No match | Oct 21, 2026 | Federal | 130 hrs | 7 locked |
| SBIR Phase I — U.S. Air Force / AFWERX | Up to $250K (Phase I) | No match | Rolling | Federal | 90 hrs | 7 locked |
| STTR Phase I — Department of Defense | Up to $250K (Phase I) | No match | Oct 21, 2026 | Federal | 140 hrs | 7 locked |
| Minnesota Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) | $5,000–$9,000 per new job | No match | Rolling | State | 10 hrs | 6 locked |
| Colorado Existing Industry Customized Training Program | Up to $1,500/employee; $150K max | No match | Rolling | State | 15 hrs | 6 locked |
| Connecticut Innovations Proof-of-Concept Fund | $50K–$100K convertible note | No match | Rolling | State | 20 hrs | 6 locked |
| West Sacramento Small Business Assistance Program | $5,000–$75,000 (component-dependent) | No match | Rolling | Local | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| Wyoming Workforce Development Training Fund — Business Training Grants | Up to $4,000/trainee/year | No match | Rolling | State | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Amber Grant for Women | Three $10,000 grants monthly + three $50,000 year-end | No match | Rolling | Private | 2.5 hrs | 7 locked |
| Elevate Vermont — SBIR/STTR Matching Grant | Up to $50,000 | No match | Rolling | State | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| NJEDA Main Street Acquisition Support Grant | Up to $50,000 (one grant per business EIN) | No match | Rolling | State | 7 hrs | 3 locked |
| Philadelphia COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grant / Commerce Department Small Business Gr… | Up to $50,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| SCRA Technology Startup and Acceleration Grants | $25K–$50K non-dilutive | No match | Rolling | State | 20 hrs | 6 locked |
| WEDnetPA — Pennsylvania Workforce and Economic Development Network | Up to $2,000/worker; $50K company cap | No match | Rolling | State | 10 hrs | 6 locked |
| California Underserved and Small Producer Program (CUSP) | Up to $20K each (drought + extreme weather) | No match | Rolling | State | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| Auburn Downtown Façade Improvement Grant Program | Up to $30,500 (Category II graduated match); Category I projects up to $5,000 require no match | No match | Rolling | Local | 7 hrs | 6 locked |
| Patagonia Environmental Grants | $5K–$30K | No match | Rolling | Private | 10 hrs | 6 locked |
| IFundWomen Universal Grant Application | $10,000–$25,000 (varies by sponsor) | No match | Rolling | Private | 4 hrs | 7 locked |
| Kentucky Bluegrass State Skills Corporation (BSSC) — Skills Training Investment Credit &… | Up to $25,000/company/yr | No match | Rolling | State | 12 hrs | 6 locked |
| Maryland TEDCO Rural Business Innovation Initiative (RBII) | $25,000 | No match | Rolling | State | 30 hrs | 6 locked |
| NYC Small Business Services — Small Business Opportunity Fund | Up to $25,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| Phoenix Business Grant Program — Office of Economic Development | Up to $25,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| San Antonio Economic Development Foundation — Small Business Grant | Up to $25,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 7 hrs | 6 locked |
| Oklahoma STEP Fund — State Trade Expansion Program | Up to $24,000/year | No match | Sep 29, 2027 | State | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| Antares REACH Grant Program & Boost Camp | Up to $20,000 | No match | Rolling | Private | 4 hrs | 6 locked |
| San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation — Small Business Grant | Up to $20,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| Alaska STEP — State Trade Expansion Program | Up to $15,000/yr | No match | Rolling | State | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund — Apprenticeship Program | Up to $15,000 per apprentice | No match | Rolling | State | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| Florida STEP — State Trade Expansion Program | Up to $15,000 | No match | Rolling | State | 12 hrs | 7 locked |
| Kansas City Outdoor Dining Enhancement Grant Program | Up to $15,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 3 hrs | 6 locked |
| Colorado State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) Grant | Up to $10,000 per year | No match | Rolling | State | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Hey Helen Grant | $10,000 (monthly) | No match | Oct 31, 2026 | Private | 2.5 hrs | 7 locked |
| Los Angeles BusinessSource Small Business Grant | Up to $10,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 7 hrs | 6 locked |
| Portland Small Business Repair / Restore Grant | Up to $10,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 4 hrs | 6 locked |
| SF Shines Storefront Improvement Grant | Up to $10,000 | No match | Rolling | Local | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| Entreprenista Evolve Grant | $5,000 (quarterly) | No match | Nov 11, 2026 | Private | 2.5 hrs | 7 locked |
| Her Agenda Breakthrough Grant | $5,000 | No match | Jan 19, 2027 | Private | 1.5 hrs | 7 locked |
| Utah Technology Innovation Funding (UTIF) — SBIR/STTR Microgrant | Up to $5,000 (Microgrant) | No match | Rolling | State | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Women Founders Grant | $5,000 | No match | Oct 31, 2026 | Foundation | 2 hrs | 7 locked |
| Colorado Green Business Network (CGBN) Efficiency Grant | Up to $1,500-$4,500 depending on Colorado EnviroScreen score | No match | May 1, 2027 | State | 6 hrs | 3 locked |
| Foundation for Contemporary Arts — Emergency Grants | $500–$3,000 | No match | Rolling | Foundation | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Royal Credit Union Small Business Grant | $3,000 | No match | Oct 1, 2026 | Private | 4 hrs | 6 locked |
| Tampa Entrepreneur Support Hub Microgrant | $1,500–$3,000 | No match | Feb 15, 2027 | Local | 10 hrs | 6 locked |
| AdIQ Cares Small Business Grant Program | $2,500 (quarterly) | No match | Rolling | Private | 15 min | 7 locked |
| Freed Fellowship Grant | $500/mo + $2,500 year-end | No match | Rolling | Private | 2 hrs | 7 locked |
| Galaxy Grant for Women and Minority Business Owners | $2,500 | No match | Oct 31, 2026 | Foundation | 15 min | 7 locked |
| Secretsos Small Business Grant | $2,500 (quarterly) | No match | Dec 31, 2026 | Foundation | 2.5 hrs | 7 locked |
| Shophand $5k Small Business Boost Grant | $2,500 cash + $2,500 Shophand services | No match | Nov 30, 2026 | Private | 1 hrs | 6 locked |
| Business Freedom Grant | $1,000 | No match | Dec 31, 2026 | Private | 1 hrs | 7 locked |
| Coach K Legacy Grant | $1,000 (monthly) | No match | Oct 17, 2026 | Private | 45 min | 7 locked |
| HerRise MicroGrant | $1,000 per month | No match | Rolling | Foundation | 30 min | 7 locked |
| Kenneth B. and Stephen L. Tadlock Veteran Small Business Grant | $1,000 | No match | Oct 15, 2026 | Foundation | 2 hrs | 6 locked |
| Skip — Small Business Instant Grants | $1,000 per winner | No match | Rolling | Private | 30 min | 7 locked |
| The Awesome Foundation Micro-Grant | $1,000 monthly | No match | Rolling | Foundation | 2 hrs | 7 locked |
| The Hustle Grant | $1,000 (monthly) | No match | Rolling | Private | 1 hrs | 7 locked |
| USDA Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) | Up to $750 per certification scope | No match | Dec 31, 2026 | Federal | 2 hrs | 7 locked |
| Colorado Green Business Network (CGBN) Pre-Approved Equipment Grant | Up to $500 per business per grant cycle | No match | May 1, 2027 | State | 4 hrs | 3 locked |
| Etsy Seller Relief Fund | Up to $500 | No match | Rolling | Private | 1 hrs | 6 locked |
| Texas Enterprise Fund | Negotiated; $500K–$50M+ | No match | Rolling | State | 80 hrs | 7 locked |
| NRL Long Range Broad Agency Announcement for Basic and Applied Research | Varies by scope | No match | Dec 30, 2026 | Federal | 70 hrs | 0 locked |
| Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program | 5% of new OK payroll, 10 years | No match | Rolling | State | 25 hrs | 6 locked |
| Arkansas CREATE Rebate Program | 3.9%-5% of AR payroll, 10 yrs | No match | Rolling | State | 20 hrs | 6 locked |
| Michigan Business Development Program (MBDP) | $10,000–$10M+ (negotiated) | No match | Rolling | State | 40 hrs | 6 locked |
| New Mexico Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) | 50%-90% of wages, up to 6 mo | No match | Rolling | State | 12 hrs | 6 locked |
| USDA Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) | $4,000–$40,000+/year | No match | Rolling | Federal | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| 1517 Fund Medici Grant | $1,000+ no-strings grant | No match | Rolling | Private | 1.5 hrs | 7 locked |
| MassCEC Heat Pump and HVAC Training Network | Strand B: rolling (amount TBD) | No match | Rolling | State | 40 hrs | 6 locked |
| Mississippi Advantage Jobs Program | Up to 4% of payroll, 10 yrs | No match | Rolling | State | 30 hrs | 6 locked |
| NJEDA Small Business Lease Grant | 2 × 20% of annual lease | No match | Rolling | State | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| NOAA Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund | Up to $11M total program (no per-award cap published) | No match | Oct 21, 2026 | Federal | 44 hrs | 6 locked |
| North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) | 25–75% of new-hire withholding | No match | Rolling | State | 80 hrs | 6 locked |
| Oklahoma 21st Century Quality Jobs Program | Up to 10% of new payroll/yr, 10 yrs | No match | Rolling | State | 20 hrs | 6 locked |
| Oklahoma Small Employer Quality Jobs Program | Up to 5% of new payroll, 7 yrs | No match | Rolling | State | 15 hrs | 6 locked |
| Tennessee FastTrack Job Training Assistance Program (FJTAP) | Discretionary; tied to job count | No match | Rolling | State | 25 hrs | 6 locked |
| Tennessee Film and Entertainment Incentive (F&E Incentive) | Up to 30% of qualifying TN spend | No match | Rolling | State | 20 hrs | 6 locked |
| Tennessee Music Scoring Incentive Program | Up to 25% of qualifying TN spend | No match | Rolling | State | 10 hrs | 6 locked |
| Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP) | 5–31% of qualified TX spend | No match | Rolling | State | 25 hrs | 6 locked |
| Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) | Negotiated (millions) | No match | Rolling | State | 80 hrs | 6 locked |
| Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP) | Customized per project | No match | Rolling | State | 25 hrs | 6 locked |
| West Virginia Governor's Guaranteed Work Force Program | Up to $2,000 per trainee | No match | Rolling | State | 20 hrs | 6 locked |
| DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Funding Opportunity Announcem… | $500K–$20M+ per award | Match required | Rolling | Federal | 110 hrs | 6 locked |
| EDA Public Works & Economic Adjustment Assistance (PWEDA) | $100K–$10,000,000+ | Match required | Rolling | Federal | 120 hrs | 6 locked |
| EDA Economic Adjustment Assistance — Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program | $800K–$1.4M (to RLF operator) | Match required | Rolling | Federal | 120 hrs | 6 locked |
| NYSERDA FlexTech — Flexible Technical Assistance Program (Energy Studies) | 50-75% cost-share, up to $1M | Match required | Rolling | State | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| CDC/NIOSH Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research Cooperative Agreement | $150K–$975K | Match required | Jan 26, 2027 | Federal | 70 hrs | 6 locked |
| Arizona Job Training Program | Up to 75% of training costs | Match required | Rolling | State | 18 hrs | 6 locked |
| Ben Franklin Technology Partners — Seed Investment Program | $50,000–$500,000 | Match required | Rolling | State | 25 hrs | 6 locked |
| City of Dallas Small Business Assistance Program (SBAP) | Up to $400,000 | Match required | Rolling | Local | 20 hrs | 6 locked |
| DOE ITAC Implementation Grant — Small Manufacturer Energy Efficiency | Up to $300,000 | Match required | Rolling | Federal | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| Chicago INVEST South/West Small Business Grant | Up to $250,000 | Match required | Rolling | Local | 14 hrs | 6 locked |
| Chicago Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) | Up to $250,000 | Match required | Rolling | Local | 19 hrs | 6 locked |
| Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) | Up to 50% of training costs | Match required | Rolling | State | 30 hrs | 6 locked |
| Wyoming SBIR/STTR Match Grant | Up to $100K (Ph I) / $200K (Ph II) | Match required | Rolling | State | 10 hrs | 6 locked |
| Chicago Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) | Up to $150,000 | Match required | Rolling | Local | 10 hrs | 7 locked |
| Connecticut Innovations Pre-Seed Investment Program | Up to $150K pre-seed | Match required | Rolling | State | 15 hrs | 6 locked |
| Nebraska Innovation Fund Prototype Grant | Up to $150,000 | Match required | Rolling | State | 22 hrs | 6 locked |
| Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund Voucher Program (MVP) | $6,250–$100,000 | Match required | Rolling | State | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| WorkInvestNH (New Hampshire Job Training Fund) | $750–$100,000 (50% match) | Match required | Rolling | State | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Facilities (AMF) Grant | Up to $75,000 (1:1 match) | Match required | Rolling | State | 9 hrs | 6 locked |
| Illinois Innovation Voucher Program | Up to $75,000 | Match required | Rolling | State | 30 hrs | 6 locked |
| Indiana FAST Program — SBIR/STTR Matching Grant | Up to $75,000 per Phase II award | Match required | Rolling | State | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund — Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Program | $2,500–$50,000/yr (50% match) | Match required | Rolling | State | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| Indiana Skills Enhancement Fund (SEF) | Up to $50,000/biennium | Match required | Rolling | State | 15 hrs | 6 locked |
| Maine Technology Institute (MTI) Business Innovation Seed Grant | $5,000–$50,000 | Match required | Rolling | State | 12 hrs | 6 locked |
| Montana SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Program | Up to $30,000/phase | Match required | Rolling | State | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| Philadelphia Storefront Improvement Program (SIP) | Up to $20,000 ($30,000 corner properties) | Match required | Rolling | Local | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Barberton Façade Improvement Grant Program | Up to $25,000 per property/business per year (80% reimbursement) | Match required | Rolling | Local | 8.5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Colorado Rural Jump-Start Grant and Tax Credit Program | Up to $15,000 ($25K Just Transition) | Match required | Jun 30, 2028 | State | 20 hrs | 6 locked |
| Global NY Fund Grant Program | Up to $25,000 (companies) | Match required | Rolling | State | 21 hrs | 6 locked |
| Michigan Industry 4.0 Technology Implementation Grant | Up to $25,000 (50% match) | Match required | Rolling | State | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| South Dakota Proof of Concept Program | Up to $25,000 | Match required | Rolling | State | 18 hrs | 6 locked |
| Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund — Additive Manufacturing Voucher Program | Up to $20,000 (matching) | Match required | Rolling | State | 8 hrs | 6 locked |
| Mountain View Façade Improvement Grant Program | Up to $17,500 ($2,500 design + up to $15,000 physical improvements) | Match required | Rolling | Local | 8.5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Downtown Austin Alliance Façade Improvement Grant | $6,000–$15,000 per tiered award (plus $2,000 for architectural design services if required) | Match required | Rolling | Local | 9.5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Colorado Advanced Industries Export Grant | Up to $15,000 | Match required | Rolling | State | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| Botetourt County Small Business Grant Program | $2,000–$10,000 (up to $75,000 total pool) | Match required | Oct 2, 2026 | Local | 4.5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Delaware Compass Grant | $10,000 per fiscal year per company (50% reimbursement) | Match required | Rolling | State | 3.5 hrs | 2 locked |
| Global NY STEP — New York State Trade Expansion Program | $2,000–$5,000 per activity | Match required | Sep 29, 2027 | State | 3 hrs | 6 locked |
| Washington STEP Export Voucher Program | Up to $10,000/year | Match required | Sep 29, 2027 | State | 4 hrs | 6 locked |
| MassCEC Clean Energy Internship Program for Employers | $4,320–$8,640 per intern | Match required | Rolling | State | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Oregon Export Promotion Program (OTPP) | Up to $7,500 | Match required | Rolling | State | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
| Baltimore Facade Improvement Grant (FIG) | Up to $5,000 (1:1 match) | Match required | Rolling | Local | 10 hrs | 6 locked |
| NIST CHIPS R&D Office — Broad Agency Announcement (CRDO BAA) | $10M minimum, no ceiling | Match required | Sep 30, 2029 | Federal | 300 hrs | 6 locked |
| USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program | Grants up to 75% of costs | Match required | Rolling | Federal | 80 hrs | 7 locked |
| USDA EQIP — Environmental Quality Incentives Program | Varies by practice | Match required | Rolling | Federal | 6 hrs | 6 locked |
| California Employment Training Panel (ETP) | Varies by contract | Match required | Rolling | State | 55 hrs | 6 locked |
| Manufacturing USA Institute Project Calls (America Makes & Network) | Project calls $1M–$12M+ total | Match required | Rolling | Federal | 80 hrs | 6 locked |
| North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) Grant | Varies by category (recent max ~$115K) | Match required | Oct 1, 2026 | State | 24 hrs | 6 locked |
| Vermont Training Program (VTP) | Up to 50% of training costs | Match required | Rolling | State | 5 hrs | 6 locked |
Knowing which grants skip the match is half of it. The other half is which ones want you. The free eligibility check runs your state, industry, stage and ownership against all 736 US programs and ranks what you actually qualify for — and it watches the deadline on anything you star.
See your matches — free →Most US business grants open in GrantCompass's catalog do not require matching funds — 104 of the 153 open as of October 1, 2026, or 68%. The reliable rule is by funder type, not by program name. Every private-company grant and every foundation grant open now requires no match: that is 25 of 25 programs, including the Amber Grant for Women and the Galaxy Grant. Government money is where cost sharing lives, because appropriations are written to leverage private dollars: 30 of 75 open state grants, 9 of 31 open federal grants and 10 of 22 open local grants require the applicant to fund part of the project. No-match grants are also smaller. Their median maximum award is $27,500 against $62,500 for the match-required group, which is the trade the rest of this page prices out.
What a matching requirement actually costs you
A 50% cost share on a $500,000 grant means the funder pays $500,000 and you pay $500,000. The headline number is the funder’s half, never the project. Read every cost-share percentage as a bill addressed to you.
Matching funds, cost share and cost sharing are the same instrument under three names. The funder agrees to cover a stated fraction of eligible project costs and you cover the rest, in cash or sometimes in documented in-kind contribution. The number a program advertises is almost always the funder’s fraction, which is why a cost-share grant reads as far larger than the money it actually hands you. Pennsylvania’s RISE PA Small Award Track states the structure plainly on PennTAP’s own program page: “Base grants cover 50% of the total project costs, up to max $500K.” A business chasing the full $500,000 is proposing a $1,000,000 project and committing half of it.
- Advertised maximum
- $500,000
- Cost-share rate
- 50% of total project costs
- Total project you must propose
- $1,000,000
- Cash you must find
- $500,000
- Net new money
- $500,000, released against a project twice its size
Timing is the second cost, and it is the one that sinks small applicants. Massachusetts’ MMAP capital grant, whose matching requirement scales with award size, states that matching funds must be spent first or concurrently with grant funds — so the business finances the whole front end and is repaid on invoice. That is a working-capital problem wearing a grant’s clothing. The RISE PA Small Award Track closed its fourth round on August 17, 2026 and expects roughly three cycles a year through 2029, so the arithmetic above is worth doing before the next one opens rather than during it. For the same reason, cost share at the top of the market is its own subject: the $50,000-and-up tier is covered on $50,000+ business grants open now.
Which levels of government require a match, measured
Local grants demand a match most often (45% of the 22 open today), state next (40% of 75), federal least often among government levels (29% of 31). Private and foundation grants demand one essentially never: 0 of 25 open today, and 0 of the 102 in the full catalog.
The split between public and private money is the single most useful fact on this page. Across the whole GrantCompass catalog, 121 of 410 US grant programs carry a matching requirement, and not one of them is a private-company or foundation grant. Corporate and foundation funders are giving away marketing budget and endowment income; they want a story and a recipient, not a co-investor. Government programs are appropriating public money against a policy goal, and the cost share is the lever that multiplies the appropriation. That is why the same $25,000 of storefront money arrives free from a brand grant and 1:1-matched from a city facade fund.
| Level | Open grants | Require a match | Share | In the full catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 75 | 30 | 40% | 64 of 157 (41%) |
| Federal | 31 | 9 | 29% | 40 of 109 (37%) |
| Local / municipal | 22 | 10 | 45% | 17 of 42 (40%) |
| Private | 17 | 0 | 0% | 0 of 76 (0%) |
| Foundation | 8 | 0 | 0% | 0 of 26 (0%) |
Two qualifications keep this honest. First, “federal” here counts programs a small business applies to directly; the federal cost-share picture is different again for pass-through money a state re-grants, which our catalog records at the state level. The direct-federal view is at federal small business grants open now. Second, a low match rate does not mean easy money: the 17 open private grants have a median maximum award of $2,750 and a median competition score of 4 out of 5, while the state programs that demand a match are frequently uncontested. You are trading contribution for competition.
When “match” in a program’s name means the opposite
Several programs with “match” in the title supply the match rather than demand it. State SBIR/STTR match grants top up a federal award you already hold; Motor City Match matches businesses to buildings; the IFundWomen match is a database.
The word “match” is doing three unrelated jobs in US small business funding, and only one of them costs you money. The first is the cost share this page is about. The second is a state topping up a federal award: Alabama’s Innovation Grant exists to provide matching funds to Alabama companies that have already won a federal SBIR or STTR phase, and Elevate Vermont’s SBIR/STTR match does the same up to $50,000. In both, the state is the matcher. The third is plain vocabulary: Detroit’s Motor City Match is named for matching businesses to vacant commercial space, and the IFundWomen Universal Grant match is the database that pairs your one application to sponsor cycles as they open.
Of the 104 open grants that require no match, exactly two carry the word in their name or intake text, and neither asks for a dollar. The failure mode runs the other way too: our catalog flags 49 open grants as match-required, and in our August 24, 2026 cross-read of the 50 match-required grants in that month’s table, 21 of their program pages did not yet say so in prose — a documentation gap we are closing, and the reason the column above is generated from a structured field rather than from wording.
The numbers behind the no-match half
104 open grants require no match; they are smaller and more reachable than the 49 that do. Every figure here is computed from the same October 1, 2026 recompute that generated the table.
- Matching is the price of size, not the price of admission. 30 of the 104 no-match grants still cap at $100,000 or more, so a business that cannot fund a cost share is not confined to microgrants.
- No-match money is mostly rolling. 76 of the 104 accept applications year-round or run recurring windows without a published date; 28 carry a dated deadline, so check the Intake column before you plan around one.
- A cost share is not the only entry cost. 21 of the 104 no-match grants still require a federal SAM.gov registration — free, but it routinely takes weeks.
- The effort is identical. Median estimated application time is 10 hours whether or not a match is required, so a cost share buys a larger award without buying a longer form.
programStatus active AND (a published deadline on or after 2026-10-01 OR a rolling, monthly or quarterly intake) — the same open-now rule every GrantCompass page uses. The match column is the catalog’s structured matchingRequired field. To test that field rather than trust it, the prose of the 143 program pages open on August 24, 2026 was machine-read for cost-share language that day: 10 of the 93 then-open no-match pages explicitly stated that no cost share is required, 2 mentioned a match that the funder supplies, 1 disagreed with the flag (Colorado Advanced Industries Accelerator, since closed for the cycle), and 21 of the 50 match-required pages did not restate the requirement in prose. That cross-read has not been repeated for the programs that opened after August 24. Median maximum award uses each program’s published amountMax: n=82 of 104 no-match and n=42 of 49 match-required programs publish a numeric ceiling. Limitation: a matching requirement can be track-specific or waived for priority applicants, so treat the column as the default rule for the program, not a guarantee for your application. Table rows carry catalog values; the six programs named in the prose and verdict sections were re-read on their official sources on August 24, 2026, and where the official source disagreed, the official figure is printed and the catalog correction is queued or applied.Which no-match grants are actually worth your time
Three picks from the 104, chosen after reading every row. Each is open today, needs no cost share, and pays enough to justify the hours. Each also has a real limit, printed with it.
Wyoming Workforce Development Training Grants
State training money is the least glamorous and best-value category in the no-match half, and Wyoming’s is the cleanest example. The Department of Workforce Services publishes $3,000 per trainee per fiscal year for standard industries, $4,000 for preferred ones, and a $75,000 per-business annual ceiling, with no employer contribution stated anywhere in the program rules. Applications run year-round and must land 30 to 110 days before training starts.
The limits are real: it is Wyoming employers only, it pays for training rather than anything you choose, and the lead-time rule disqualifies anyone who applies after booking a course. Compare it with the same product elsewhere — several states run 50/50 training funds, where identical paperwork returns half the money.
Prosper Portland Small Business Repair Grant
City repair money is the fastest no-match cash in the catalog for a business with physical damage. Portland’s program says it plainly: the grant is paid on a reimbursement basis “with no required match,” covering ground-level storefront damage from vandalism or break-ins, for expenses incurred within six months of applying, first come first served with no deadline.
Two honest caveats. The city’s published ceiling is $10,000, lower than the $25,000 our catalog carried before our August 24, 2026 check; the catalog has since been corrected, so the table and the verdict now show the same $10,000. And reimbursement means you pay the contractor first — a no-match grant can still be a cash-flow event.
California Underserved and Small Producer Program (CUSP)
Agricultural relief is the one place a small operator can stack two no-match awards inside a year. CDFA confirms up to $20,000 in CUSP Drought Relief and up to $20,000 in Extreme Weather Relief per producer in a 12-month period, for California farms up to $400,000 in annual gross sales or dairies up to $1,000,000, with socially disadvantaged producers explicitly served and no cost share named.
The catch is the delivery model: CUSP runs through regional Direct Assistance Providers that each set their own windows, so “rolling” means rolling somewhere, not everywhere. Find your provider before writing anything. For farms, this is the direct opposite of the federal conservation route, where cost sharing is the entire mechanism.
What changed — the cost-share ledger
Every dated change we have recorded that moves a matching requirement, a cost-share rate or a cost-share program’s status. New entries are appended at each monthly recompute; nothing is deleted.
- USDA suspended new grant applications under the Rural Energy for America Program and rescinded the notice of funding opportunity, per the Federal Register notice of that date. REAP was the largest cost-share grant a rural small business could reach directly — grants covered up to 50% of project cost against a minimum 25% applicant cost share, to $1,000,000 for renewable energy systems. REAP loan guarantees continue; the grant window has been shut since March 31, 2026.
- The RISE PA Small Award Track closed its fourth application round. PennTAP’s program page, re-read August 24, 2026, states base grants cover 50% of total project costs to a maximum of $500,000 and that roughly three cycles a year are expected for the duration of the program, which runs to 2029.
- Colorado Rural Jump-Start’s award was corrected to up to $15,000, rising to $25,000 in Just Transition communities, and its New Hire component recorded as discontinued. The program is flagged match-required in our catalog while its program page does not yet state the requirement — one of the 21 documentation gaps counted above.
- The Massachusetts MMAP capital grant’s published “December 2, 2026” deadline was removed after no official source could be found for it; the FY2026 round closed July 31, 2026 and the next is unannounced. MMAP’s matching requirement scales with award size, and its rules require matching funds to be spent first or concurrently with grant funds.
- Prosper Portland’s Repair Grant re-read against the city’s own page: maximum $10,000 with “no required match,” against the $25,000 our catalog carried. Correction queued; the verified figure is printed in the verdict above and the table still shows the catalog value it is generated from.
- The Colorado Advanced Industries Accelerator was found to disagree with its own no-match flag: its Early Stage Capital and Retention track requires matching capital. Flagged † in the table, queued for correction, and left visible. Its FY2026 window has since closed; the funder had not posted next-cycle dates as of this correction.
- Monthly recompute against the catalog: 153 grant programs open (was 143), 104 needing no match (was 93) and 49 requiring one (was 50). 21 programs left the table because their windows closed, they moved between intakes, or their next quarterly window is not yet dated — among the cost-share programs, the Montana Indian Equity Fund (2026 window closed September 30), the Iowa Tourism Marketing Grant, Delaware EDGE and the DOE advanced-nuclear licensing cost share; among the no-match programs, the Colorado Advanced Industries Accelerator, so its † note is retired, and the Denver Business Impact Opportunity (BIO) Fund, whose 2026 Round 3 corridor round has closed with no next round date posted. 31 programs opened or entered the catalog, including match-required façade grants in Austin, Mountain View and Barberton and the Washington STEP export voucher. Prosper Portland’s Repair Grant now carries the verified $10,000 ceiling in our catalog.
The questions people actually type
“Do all government grants require matching funds?”
No. Government grants require matching funds more often than private ones, but the majority still do not. Of the 128 open federal, state and local business grants in the GrantCompass catalog on October 1, 2026, 49 carry a matching requirement and 79 do not. The rate stays within a band at every level — 40% state, 29% federal, 45% local — which suggests the requirement tracks the type of program more than the tier of government. Workforce training, facade improvement, export vouchers and capital equipment programs are where cost sharing clusters, because each is designed to subsidise a purchase you were already contemplating. Relief funds, proof-of-concept awards and state SBIR top-ups mostly do not, because there is nothing to subsidise yet. Read the program category, not the seal on the letterhead.
“Can in-kind contributions count as my match?”
Sometimes, and the answer is program-specific rather than general. Some programs accept documented in-kind contribution — staff time, donated materials, existing equipment valued at fair market rate — against the applicant’s share. The Montana Indian Equity Fund, for example, requires a dollar-for-dollar match and states that it may be cash or in-kind, with bank statements or commitment letters as evidence. Others require the match in cash and will reject an in-kind proposal at completeness review. Two rules hold everywhere: the contribution must be documented at the time you apply, not promised, and costs already reimbursed by another public program cannot be counted twice. Before you assume in-kind works, find the words “in-kind” in the program’s own rules; if they are absent, plan for cash.
“Is a no-match grant easier to win?”
Easier to afford, not easier to win, and often harder. The no-match half of the open catalog contains every open private and foundation grant, and those are the most contested programs we track: a national brand microgrant draws thousands of applications for a handful of awards, while a state cost-share training fund may draw a few dozen for an uncapped pool. The cost share is itself a filter, and it filters out most of your competition. Estimated application effort is identical either way at a median of 10 hours. So the honest sequencing for a business with some cash is to apply to the match-required program in its own state first and treat the national no-match grants as lottery tickets bought with spare hours. If you have no cash at all, the 104 no-match rows above are your whole market.
Every row carries locked intel
Whether a program takes a match is public. Whether you would win it is not. Every row in the table above also carries a Win Layer — our per-program analysis of who wins, how it is scored, and what gets applications thrown out. Across the 153 open grants on this page, 145 carry at least five of the seven Win Layer fields and 34 carry all seven.
- Approval odds
- What winners look like
- How it is judged
- Rejection traps
- Required documents
- When cash actually lands
- Clawback risk
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This page is one slice of one day. The database holds all 736 US programs — grants, loans, tax credits — with what is true about each: level, status, intake, award and effort. Filter to your state, star the ones that fit, and we watch their deadlines for you. Free.
- 1. Filter to what is open
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