Real programs, real numbers, real official links — verified July 29, 2026. Amounts and deadlines change constantly, so confirm on each official source before you rely on it. Not sure which fits what you're building? Ask us.
The entry door for dual-use tech that the Air Force didn't ask for by name. A short feasibility study to prove your idea is real and has a defense use case.
How to apply: Register in SAM.gov and the DoD SBIR/STTR portal (DSIP), then submit a short pitch/proposal against an open AFWERX topic. Phase I feasibility runs roughly 3 months.
Prototype and demonstrate the technology with a real Air or Space Force end user. This is where the money and the customer relationship get serious.
How to apply: Follow a Phase I award, or enter via Direct-to-Phase-II with a signed Customer Memorandum and a prototype-ready solution. Submitted through DSIP.
A bridge for a strong Phase II that needs more runway. TACFI adds SBIR dollars on top of your existing work as long as you bring matching money.
How to apply: Secure at least $1 of other (non-SBIR/STTR) government or private funding for every $1 of TACFI SBIR funds, then apply against an open Notice of Opportunity.
The big transition tool that pushes a proven Phase II toward a program of record. The match is bigger, and so is the check.
How to apply: Line up matching money — every $1 of SBIR is matched by $2 of other government funds, OR $1 government + $2 private — then apply through the STRATFI/TACFI Notice of Opportunity.
Created by the April 2026 SBIR/STTR reauthorization. A sequential Phase II vehicle with a $30M ceiling built to carry deep-tech across the 'valley of death' to Phase III.
How to apply: Details are still being implemented by the Department of the Air Force post-reauthorization; watch AFWERX and DSIP for the first Strategic Breakthrough solicitations.
Skips Phase I for teams that already have mature technology and an Air Force customer. You still prove feasibility — you just do it with your own prior work.
How to apply: Submit a Phase II proposal with a signed Customer Memorandum demonstrating an end user, in place of a Phase I award.
The Space Force twin of AFWERX Open Topic. Same ladder, aimed at on-orbit, launch, and space-domain-awareness technology.
How to apply: Register in SAM.gov and DSIP, then submit against an open SpaceWERX topic. TACFI/STRATFI transition applies on the Space side too.
A challenge-style program seeding the In-space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM) market, using active debris remediation as the anchor use case.
How to apply: Apply against an open Orbital Prime topic in DSIP; both SBIR and STTR paths feed toward Strategic Financing at Phase III.
For 2026 the Air Force is steering Open Topic toward specific mission gaps ('focused open topics'), with directed topics now outweighing pure open ones.
How to apply: Read the topic's mission gap carefully and align your pitch to the named need — focused topics reward a tight problem-solution fit over a generic dual-use story.
AFVentures is the AFWERX arm that runs the investment-and-transition side — the umbrella over TACFI, STRATFI, and private-capital matching that turns SBIR wins into scale.
How to apply: Build a government customer and private co-investment early; AFVentures evaluates transition potential and matching commitments, not just the technology.
~$75K · ~3 months
Prove the concept is technically real and has a defense use case.
A single well-chosen simulation — a CFD run, a modal analysis, an antenna pattern — is often the cheapest way to show feasibility on paper before any hardware exists.
~$1.25M–$1.9M · ~15–24 months
Build and demonstrate a prototype with a real Air/Space Force end user.
Digital-twin and full-physics models (structural, thermal, aero, RF) cut test iterations and let you show margins the government reviewer wants to see.
~$375K–$2M, 1:1 match · ~2 years
Extend a strong Phase II and close a specific capability gap.
Simulation makes the matching money go further — you validate design changes virtually instead of burning bridge funds on rebuilds.
~$3M–$15M, matched · ~4 years
Scale a proven prototype toward a program of record.
At this stage simulation supports qualification and requirements verification — hypersonic aerothermal, vibration, thermal-vacuum — the evidence a program office needs.
up to ~$30M · sequential Phase II
Carry breakthrough tech across the valley of death to Phase III fielding.
High-fidelity, validated models become part of the deliverable — the certification-grade analysis that lets a capability transition without a decade of physical testing.
The technology behind most of these awards has to be proven with physics. We can arrange an Ansys evaluation license with live engineering support so you can build the feasibility evidence reviewers and investors want to see — at no cost while you're pre-funding.
See if you qualify for an Ansys eval The MVP playbook →Chasing one program often means you qualify for others you haven't heard of. These sister guides cover more of the U.S. non-dilutive landscape — same honest, no-nonsense approach. Not sure which fits what you're building? Ask us — we'll point you at the right doors, even the ones that aren't ours.
America's ~$4B/yr non-dilutive seed fund across 11 agencies.
Visit →Commercial tech to DoD via fast OTA prototype contracts.
Visit →Tipping Point, TechFlights, NIAC and the space startup ladder.
Visit →Army prize competitions with a fast lane into Army SBIR.
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