NC IDEA SEED offers early stage companies the critical funding they need to scale faster.
Donor Name: NC IDEA
State: North Carolina
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/23/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The $50K grants are awarded to innovative startups with a proven concept — even if they are not yet profitable. The funds, along with mentorship and guidance, push companies forward and reduce risk associated with growing startups.
Grant Period
Grant funds are typically released over the span of 6-12 months in separate milestone-based tranches.
Eligibility Criteria
- Geography
- NC IDEA SEED grants are specifically targeted at companies headquartered in and that conduct a majority of corporate operations in the State of North Carolina. All publicly facing materials, including website, social media, and other marketing materials and channels should identify the business as a North Carolina company. Selected companies must agree to maintain the majority of corporate operations in the State of North Carolina for at least the 12-month period following completion of the grant.
- Industry and Company Type
- NC IDEA SEED grants are awarded to innovative companies with proprietary intellectual property or other means of sustained competitive advantage that are solving large problems.
- Companies with high capital requirements and a long runway to commercialization, such as pharmaceutical companies, are not eligible. For a full list of company types considered out of scope for grant funding, please refer to this document.
- Market Opportunity
- NC IDEA SEED grants are awarded to companies addressing large, rapidly growing market opportunities with a unique value proposition and demonstrating a clear path to scale—either through venture capital within two years or by achieving $2M+ in annual revenue within five years with potential to exceed $10M+.
- Stage of Development
- Companies have demonstrated proof of concept (existence of a problem, market readiness and an MVP) and are prepared to leverage a $50K grant to scale the business.
- Revenue
- Competitive applicants are generating revenue or are on a path to achieve initial revenue during the grant period. Companies that have revenue exceeding $250K, or $500K for food and beverage companies, in the last 12 months for their startup are less likely to be considered.
For more information, visit NC IDEA.
