Best Grants for CleanTech Companies in 2026
The best cleantech grant programs in 2026 span federal, state, utility, and private sources with unusual depth compared to most other sectors. Federal DOE programs (SBIR/STTR through Advanced Manufacturing Office, Solar Energy Technologies Office, and other offices), ARPA-E, and Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations fund hardware and systems innovations at meaningful scale. State programs including California Energy Commission's EPIC and CalSEED, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Catalyst and InnovateMass, Colorado OEDIT Advanced Industries, and New York NYSERDA programs provide substantial non-dilutive capital to in-state climate founders. Utility programs (PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, National Grid, Xcel, Duke, others) add pilot and demonstration funding. Private programs from Third Derivative (RMI), Activate (formerly Cyclotron Road), Elemental Excelerator, Greentown Labs, and Prime Coalition's catalytic capital create additional pathways. For bootstrapped cleantech founders, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act has created substantial new federal funding pools flowing through state partners, which are still ramping up and accepting applications. Stacking federal, state, and utility sources is the standard non-dilutive strategy for cleantech teams.
Browse the top cleantech grant opportunities below, updated weekly from our database of 1,900+ listings. Filter by sub-sector (solar, storage, EV, grid, etc.) and region for best fits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes cleantech grants more accessible?
Climate is a federal policy priority across multiple agencies, which means significantly more non-dilutive capital flows into cleantech than most sectors. DOE, NSF, USDA, EPA, and DoD all fund climate-relevant work. IRA, CHIPS Act, and IIJA have added substantial new program funding. States with climate leadership (CA, MA, NY, CO, WA) layer substantial state capital on top. The total non-dilutive capital available to cleantech founders vastly exceeds what's available in most other sectors.
What is Activate?
Activate (formerly Cyclotron Road) is a two-year fellowship program based at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab with sites in Boston and Houston. It provides substantial non-dilutive stipends and lab access to hard-tech climate and energy founders — among the strongest programs for hardware climate founders. Fellows retain full equity. Applications run annually.
How do state cleantech programs compare?
Massachusetts (MassCEC), California (CEC EPIC, CalSEED), Colorado (OEDIT AI), New York (NYSERDA), and Washington (Clean Energy Fund) operate among the strongest state cleantech programs. Their eligibility is generally state-specific, which means locating in a well-funded state is a material competitive advantage for cleantech founders. Programs vary in focus (hardware vs software, research vs deployment).