Startup credits & grants statistics 2026
Key findings
- Government programs are the largest group: 137 of 422 programs (32%).
- 417 of 422 programs (99%) take no equity.
- 234 programs (55%) are open to founders anywhere; the rest are limited to specific countries or regions (133 countries named).
- Of the 255 programs with a numeric headline value, the median maximum is $50k; for platform credit offers it is $20k, and for cash grants $100k.
- 123 programs (29%) can be applied for before you incorporate, and 185 (44%) accept idea-stage founders.
- The largest open credit offer is Cloudflare for Startups — Tier 1 at up to $350k.
Programs by provider type
Who offers startup credits and grants. "Open worldwide" means the program does not limit which country a startup is based in. Median value uses only programs with a numeric headline value.
| Provider type | Programs | Share | Open now | Open worldwide | Median value | With value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI labs & model APIs | 43 | 10% | 95% | 98% | $15k | 28 |
| Clouds & hosting | 35 | 8% | 100% | 94% | $80k | 32 |
| GPU & compute | 13 | 3% | 100% | 85% | $20k | 9 |
| SaaS & developer tools | 114 | 27% | 100% | 90% | $19k | 50 |
| Government programs | 137 | 32% | 68% | 4% | $79k | 109 |
| Prizes, accelerators & research | 80 | 19% | 64% | 50% | $68k | 27 |
| AI labs & model APIs | 43 | 10% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clouds & hosting | 35 | 8% | |
| GPU & compute | 13 | 3% | |
| SaaS & developer tools | 114 | 27% | |
| Government programs | 137 | 32% | |
| Prizes, accelerators & research | 80 | 19% |
Programs by category
The 12 directory categories. Each name opens the directory filtered to that category.
| Government Grants | 137 | 32% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Models & APIs | 43 | 10% | |
| Accelerators & Incubators | 40 | 9% | |
| Cloud & Hosting | 35 | 8% | |
| Dev Tools | 32 | 8% | |
| Business SaaS | 30 | 7% | |
| Data & Analytics | 29 | 7% | |
| Cash Grants & Prizes | 21 | 5% | |
| Research & Students | 19 | 5% | |
| GPU & Compute | 13 | 3% | |
| Banking & Payments | 12 | 3% | |
| Security & Compliance | 11 | 3% |
Where founders can apply from
234 of 422 programs (55%) are open worldwide. The rest are limited to one country or a list of countries; we group those by region, and programs whose list spans several regions count as multi-region.
| Worldwide | 234 | 55% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 57 | 14% | |
| Middle East & North Africa | 37 | 9% | |
| Asia-Pacific | 35 | 8% | |
| North America | 33 | 8% | |
| Multi-region | 12 | 3% | |
| Latin America | 10 | 2% | |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 4 | 1% |
Countries named most often
Number of country-limited programs that list each country (160 programs are limited to a single country).
| United States | 32 | 8% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | 14 | 3% | |
| Saudi Arabia | 14 | 3% | |
| Germany | 13 | 3% | |
| Morocco | 13 | 3% | |
| Tunisia | 11 | 3% | |
| United Kingdom | 11 | 3% | |
| Canada | 10 | 2% | |
| South Africa | 10 | 2% | |
| Algeria | 8 | 2% | |
| Japan | 8 | 2% | |
| Norway | 8 | 2% | |
| United Arab Emirates | 8 | 2% | |
| Australia | 7 | 2% | |
| India | 7 | 2% |
How much programs are worth
255 of 422 programs (60%) publish a numeric headline value (the maximum a startup can get, in US dollars). Their median is $50k; the sum of all those headline maximums is $59.1M. The sum is an upper bound across very different programs, not money any one startup could collect.
| Benefit type | Programs | With value | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | 135 | 107 | $100k |
| Credits | 123 | 100 | $20k |
| In-kind | 53 | 10 | $38k |
| Mixed | 41 | 30 | $58k |
| Discount | 37 | 3 | $18k |
| Free plan | 33 | 5 | $12k |
Headline value bands
| Under $10k | 43 | 17% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10k to $50k | 84 | 33% | |
| $50k to $100k | 33 | 13% | |
| $100k to $500k | 79 | 31% | |
| $500k to $1M | 6 | 2% | |
| $1M and up | 10 | 4% |
Top 10 largest credit offers
Open programs whose benefit is platform credits, ranked by headline maximum.
| # | Program | Up to | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cloudflare for Startups — Tier 1Cloudflare | $350k | $350,000 in Cloudflare credits for one year + priority support and SA office hours |
| 2 | Google for Startups Cloud Program — AI tierGoogle Cloud | $350k | Up to $350,000 over 2 years (Year 1: 100% of usage up to $250K; Year 2: 20% up to another $100K) |
| 3 | AWS Activate — PortfolioAmazon Web Services | $200k | Up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits |
| 4 | Databricks for Startups (incl. Neon)Databricks | $200k | Up to $200,000 in Databricks and Neon credits |
| 5 | Google for Startups Cloud Program — Scale tierGoogle Cloud | $200k | Up to $200,000 over 2 years (Year 1: 100% of usage up to $100K; Year 2: 20% up to another $100K) + up to… |
| 6 | Huawei Cloud Startup ProgramHuawei Cloud | $150k | Minimum 5,000 in cash credit vouchers; can apply for up to $150,000 |
| 7 | Microsoft for Startups — Azure startup credits (direct)Microsoft | $150k | $200 Azure credits on sign-up, $5,000 after business verification, then automatic milestone upgrades to $25K… |
| 8 | Microsoft for Startups — Investor Network offerMicrosoft | $150k | Most start with $100,000 Azure credits; up to $150K over time, plus Azure Standard Support, GitHub… |
| 9 | Alibaba Cloud AI Catalyst ProgramAlibaba Cloud | $120k | Up to $120K cloud credits + up to 2B free tokens on Model Studio + AI expert consultation |
| 10 | OVHcloud Startup Program — ScaleOVHcloud | $110k | Up to €100,000 (~$110,000) free cloud credits for 12 months + up to 20 hours 1:1 engineering |
Top 10 largest equity-free cash grants
Open cash grants and prizes that take no equity, ranked by headline maximum.
| # | Program | Up to | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARPA-E UNLOCK SBIR/STTR (DOE)U.S. Department of Energy — ARPA-E | $4.6M | Awards from $323,090 up to $4,630,944; ~$45M total program funding (DE-FOA-0003631). |
| 2 | Starknet Growth GrantsStarknet Foundation | $1M | $25,000 – $1,000,000 in STRK |
| 3 | OTF Internet Freedom FundOpen Technology Fund | $900k | $10,000–$900,000 for up to 24 months (ideal ask $50,000–$200,000 for 6–12 months) |
| 4 | USDA NIFA SBIR/STTRU.S. Department of Agriculture — NIFA | $650k | Phase II awards $600,000–$650,000 (FY2027 NOFO, ~$24.75M total). Phase I awards were $125,000–$181,500 in… |
| 5 | TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) — R&D General TrackKorea Ministry of SMEs and Startups | $570k | R&D funding up to KRW 800M over 2 years (raised from KRW 500M in 2026), plus separate non-R&D… |
| 6 | QCB Fintech Development Grant (via Qatar FinTech Hub)Qatar Central Bank / Qatar Development Bank | $412k | Co-funding up to QAR 1.5M (~$412k) per company, milestone-linked |
| 7 | Taiwan SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research)Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs — SME and Startup Administration | $375k | Phase 1 up to NT$1.5M (6 months); Phase 2 up to NT$6M/1 yr or NT$12M/2 yrs; Phase 2+ up to NT$6M; higher… |
| 8 | aws Preseed – Deep TechAustria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) | $324k | Grant up to €267,000 (80%), or up to €300,000 (90%) with gender bonus |
| 9 | Nebraska SBIR/STTR Grant ProgramNebraska Department of Economic Development | $300k | Phase 0 up to $5,000; Phase I match up to $150,000 (or 65% of the federal award); Phase II match up to… |
| 10 | Transformative AI FundEA Funds | $300k | Typically $10K–$150K; rarely above $300K |
Eligibility at a glance
Share of all 422 programs, based on each program's published criteria.
| No incorporation needed to apply | 123 | 29% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open at the idea stage | 185 | 44% | |
| No investor or accelerator backing required | 357 | 85% | |
| No partner referral required | 380 | 90% | |
| No AI focus required | 370 | 88% | |
| Open to nonprofits | 40 | 9% | |
| Open to students or researchers | 52 | 12% | |
| New customers only | 112 | 27% |
Methodology
Every number on this page is computed by a script from The Grant Index program data each time the site is built; nothing is typed in by hand. Each program has its own page with the official source link and the date we last verified it. Provider types group our directory categories: AI labs & model APIs = AI Models & APIs; clouds = Cloud & Hosting; GPU = GPU & Compute; SaaS & developer tools = Dev Tools, Data & Analytics, Security & Compliance, Business SaaS and Banking & Payments; government = Government Grants; the rest = Cash Grants & Prizes, Accelerators & Incubators and Research & Students. Headline values are each program's published maximum in US dollars (other currencies converted when the program was verified); programs without a fixed number (for example usage discounts) are left out of value figures. "Open now" counts programs accepting applications on the data date; paused programs are still counted in the totals. Shares are rounded to whole percents.
Download the aggregates: startup-credits-grants-stats-2026.csv (CSV, same figures as this page).
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