Securing VC funding often turns out to be a major hurdle for healthcare startups. Complex regulatory environments, market misconceptions, investor biases, and other factors make VC funding a scarce commodity for startups focused on health. Luckily, VC funding is not the sole opportunity to give your startup a boost. Grants can provide a crucial lifeline for health tech startups by offering non-dilutive funding, networking opportunities, and access to a community of domain experts.
Over the last 13 years, our health tech development company has helped over 170 startups bring their products to market. As part of our product development, we also offer strategic funding guidance, where we help our clients identify the right non-dilutive funding opportunities that match their products. In this blog post, we’ve curated the top 9 health tech grants that can help your startup get a much-needed infusion of capital.
LEAP in Health IT
Grant type: Federal grant — the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).
Grant size: Up to $2 million.
Qualification: Must be U.S.-based public or private for-profit organizations (including small businesses). Specific eligibility criteria vary depending on the specific funding opportunity and year.
How to apply: Submit a 500-word project abstract to grants.gov.
Provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), LEAP in Health IT is a funding opportunity targeted at helping organizations accelerate the development and use of cutting-edge health IT solutions. The program aims to break down major healthcare barriers, advance health innovation, and nurture a new generation of health information technology.
Each year, ONC is seeking applications through LEAP in Health IT for projects that address specific innovation areas. In 2024, ONC aimed to support projects that focused on improving healthcare data quality for AI tools and those on a mission to promote the adoption of health IT in behavioral health settings.
Although most HHS grants are given to states, territories, tribes, and educational and community organizations, U.S.-based public or private for-profit organizations can also apply for LEAP in Health IT.
AHRQ Digital Healthcare Solutions (R21/R33)
Grant type: Federal grant — the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Grant size: R21 Phase — up to $275,000/2 years, R33 Phase — up to $300,000/year.
Qualification: Must be a U.S.-based for-profit organization/small business with a strong scientific foundation and innovative approach.
How to apply: Submit an application form using one of the available submission options, including ASSIST, institutional system-to-system solution, or Grants.gov Workspace (single-project only).
Startups seeking support for the early and conceptual stages of their projects can apply for the AHRQ Digital Healthcare Solutions (R21/R33) grant given to applicants who test digital healthcare interventions with the potential to improve quality of care and healthcare services delivery at the point of care. Under this grant, startups are provided up to 2 years of R21 support for initial developmental activities and up to 3 years of R33 support for expanded activities based on the progress achieved.
For startups, AHRQ Digital Healthcare Solutions (R21/R33) is not only a smart way to raise funding but also a valuable opportunity to support research and demonstrate the effectiveness of their digital health solutions. Through this grant, companies can also team up with academic institutions, healthcare providers, and other healthcare players.
NSF SBIR/STTR Digital Health Topic
Grant type: Federal grant — the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Grant size: $200+ million, up to $2million/startup.
Qualification: Must be a U.S.-based small business (fewer than 500 employees) with at least 50% of the company’s equity owned by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
How to apply: Submit a project pitch to verify compliance with NSF SBIR/STTR; if selected, submit a full proposal through the NSF grants.gov portal.
America's Seed Fund, powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF SBIR/STTR), backs up early-stage healthcare startups across almost all areas of technology, helping them transition from the lab to the market. Each year, this grant helps about 400 U.S. startups accelerate the development of innovative medical devices, AI algorithms, applications, and other tech advancements with commercial and societal impact.
Selected startups receive up to $305,000 for research and development and get 6 to 18 months to develop a prototype or proof-of-concept. After that, startups can apply for Phase II and get up to $1,250,000 to advance their tech product in 24 months. Companies can also receive additional funding of up to $500,000.
The eligibility criteria for NSF SBIR/STTR Digital Health Topic are straightforward: U.S.-based startups with fewer than 500 employees and at least 50% U.S. ownership can apply for the grant. However, the NSF doesn’t fund companies that are majority-owned by venture capital.
NIH Smart Health Research Grants
Grant type: Federal grant — National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Grant size: Up to $1,200,000/up to 4 years, varies based on the scientific merit and availability of funds.
Qualification: U.S.-based for-profit companies in partnership with academic institutions or non-profit organizations.
How to apply: Submit your research proposal along with all necessary documentation through the Grants.gov portal.
NIH Smart Health Research Grants, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), provide financial assistance to high-risk, high-reward research in the realm of biomedical and public health. This grant funding aims to support research projects of various kinds, provided they align with the general interests of the participating NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices.
These include projects in areas like biomedical engineering, child health, allergy prevention, neurological disorders, and more. Although for-profit companies are not eligible to apply for the grant, they can team up with academic institutions or non-profit organizations to submit joint proposals.
PhRMA Foundation Digital Health Grants
Grant type: Federal grant — the PhRMA Foundation.
Grant size: Ranges between $25,000 to $500,000; varies depending on the project.
Qualification: U.S. and non-U.S. citizens employed full-time at an accredited U.S. university or research institution.
How to apply: Submit your research proposal along with all necessary documentation through JMCP’s online submission portal.
Although the PhRMA Foundation is mainly focused on catalyzing the careers of promising researchers, its PhRMA Foundation Digital Health Grants offer a once-in-a-while funding opportunity for projects that support innovative research in digital health technologies. Recent grants have footed the bill for digital health research projects that aimed to address health disparities and improve clinical trial diversity.
Although for-profit healthcare startups don’t make the grade, they can collaborate with eligible applicants (e.g., researchers) to jointly pursue grant-funded projects.
DHI Accelerator Program
Grant type: Institutional grant — the University of Utah Health Sciences.
Grant size: Up to $50,000.
Qualification: Specific to projects affiliated with the university.
How to apply: Fill out and submit the Digital Health Accelerator Interest Form.
Designed to further promising digital health projects, the DHI Accelerator program issues a competitive call for digital health research pioneers to pool their efforts and cultivate innovations with lasting impact on health. The program allows awardees to supercharge their projects by drawing upon the expertise from the GApp Lab and ReImagine EHR in standards-based electronic health record interoperability and participatory design.
The DHI Accelerator program prioritizes seed grants and pilot projects with strong potential. These projects often serve as a foundation for larger-scale digital health grant applications, such as R01, R18, U01, U24, and P grants. Although the program is specific to the university community, healthcare startups can collaborate with projects affiliated with the university.
Stanford Center for Digital Health Pilot Grants
Grant type: Institutional grant — Stanford University.
Grant size: $50,000/awardee.
Qualification: Specific to projects affiliated with the university.
How to apply: Submit a research proposal along with the necessary documents through the designated portal.
Stanford offers a wealth of institutional funding opportunities to propel early-stage digital health projects, chief among them being the Pilot Grants Award program. The grant props up a wide range of digital health projects, but its priority areas vary by year. In 2024, the program invited high-impact projects related to the ethical and responsible use of AI in health, longevity digital solutions, and research projects that dived into the impact of digital tools and services on health and wellbeing. Solutions addressing health disparities were also among the sought-after applications.
The grant size, priority areas, and specific requirements differ by the program. Traditionally, the program strongly encourages collaborative, multi-PI applications that build on the expertise of at least two lead investigators from different Stanford departments or schools.
Digital Health Hub Foundation Grants
Grant type: Funded by a private non-profit foundation.
Grant size: Minimum of $50,000
Qualification: Varies by the track.
How to apply: Submit an application through the designated online portal.
Digital Health Hub Foundation Grants recognize and reward the most impactful and disruptive health tech companies in two tracks in 13 categories. Those companies that secured a seed or series A round are eligible for the ‘Rising Star’ category, while those post series A compete in the ‘Best in Class’ track. The Digital Health Hub Foundation often uses HLTH, which is a major health tech conference, to showcase finalists and celebrate winners.
Not only do awardees get their project funded, but they can also tap into the 30,000-member community of thousands of early-to-late-stage healthcare companies and highly qualified healthcare industry providers, payors, experts, investors, and clinicians.
NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant Program
Grant type: Funded by a private non-profit foundation.
Grant size: Minimum of $100,000.
Qualification: The project director must be employed at an NCAA member institution.
How to apply: Submit a one-page proposal through the designated online portal; submit a full proposal if selected.
The NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant Program funds research and pilot programs that aim to improve the psychosocial well-being and mental health of student-athletes. The areas of interest include stress management, substance use, sports exit strategies, and more. To apply for this grant, projects must demonstrate the potential to benefit student-athletes at multiple NCAA institutions.
In 2024, the total funding of $100,000 was divided between the three research teams to develop studies around student-athlete mental health and social media use.
Elevate your digital product, elevate your funding
While VC funding is the most sought-after by founders, it often comes with dilution of ownership and stringent terms. However, nixing VC dollars doesn’t mean a farewell to funding opportunities altogether. Grants offer a lower-risk form of financing that can help you get your project off the ground without giving up equity.
Whatever the funding source, you’ll likely need a secret ingredient to get your idea funded — and that ingredient is a well-defined product idea with a measurable impact, a clear business model, and an expert tech development team behind it. Our company can help fill the gaps in your product idea and expertise to make your healthcare startup more attractive to investors and grants alike. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your project needs.
