Grants for manufacturers
Are there grants for manufacturing companies?
Yes. Manufacturers win grants through four main routes. SBIR and STTR fund research and development at small manufacturers. State economic development agencies fund expansions, new equipment and new jobs, often through programs tied to an industrial strategy. State workforce agencies pay for training new and current employees. Federal agencies such as the Department of Energy fund manufacturing technology and efficiency projects.
Last reviewed October 13, 2026.
Where the money sits
- SBIR and STTR
- Eleven federal agencies set aside part of their research budgets for small businesses. Manufacturers use these awards to prove and scale a new process or product. Phase I tests feasibility. Phase II funds development.
- State economic development programs
- States fund manufacturers that expand, buy equipment or add jobs within their borders. Many of these programs follow a state strategy for an industry such as semiconductors, aerospace or energy.
- Workforce and training grants
- State workforce agencies reimburse part of the cost of training new hires and current employees. Some states fund internships and apprenticeships in specific industries.
- Federal manufacturing programs
- The Department of Energy funds manufacturing technology and energy efficiency projects. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership, run by NIST with centers in every state, helps small manufacturers with improvement projects and grant-funded services.
Manufacturers who found the money
Creative 3D Technologies, an additive manufacturer in Austin, won $5M from the Texas Semiconductor Fund after Quillify surfaced it alongside funders the company had not known existed. Read the story.
EnCor Industries, a drone manufacturer in Tulsa, won $6,000 from the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics to hire interns. The opportunity surfaced with two weeks left to apply. Read the story.
Grants and contracts in one search
Quillify searches 4,300+ open grants and 12,000+ government contract opportunities together. A manufacturer sees state programs, federal research funding and the contracts it can bid on side by side. A plant manager with no grants staff can see in one afternoon every state, federal and research program that matches the products the company already makes.
Pick an opportunity and Quillify drafts the application from your company's documents, including the technical detail a reviewer needs to follow. It scores the draft against the announcement before you submit. Quillify for small businesses.
Where to go from here
The landscape above is the same whoever you are. What Quillify does about it is not.
Related fields
- Grants for technology and innovationWhat grants exist for technology companies and innovation projects?
- Grants for workforce and job trainingWho funds workforce development and job training programs?
All fields, or the guides.
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