Financial Funding for Inventions

Where to Start
If you are looking for financial funding for your invention, start by contacting any companies or organizations in your area that might share an interest in your idea or invention. You may be able to obtain guidance and resources for researching your idea or private funding for developing or marketing your invention.

Government Sponsored Programs
The government does not provide direct funding for inventions. However, you may be able to find government sponsored programs that offer assistance.

• The Small Business Administration (SBA) can help you learn how to start a business, how to market and manufacture your invention, and provide you with referrals to financial resources.
• The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) website provides information that may assist inventors in finding opportunities from federal government agencies, state government agencies, and government sponsored events.
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides information on funding for early-stage technology development.
• The Invention Disclosure Electronic Application System (IDEAS), from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), assists inventors with securing intellectual property rights and transferring their idea to the public/private sector. Their Technology Maturation Fund provides small amounts of funding to move early stage projects to commercialization.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Finally, you may contact the USPTO for more information and assistance with inventions.

• Export-Import Bank of the United States
• Small Business Lending?
• SBA - Business Loans, Grants, and Financing?