SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC)
Closed for now
SBA has run GAFC annually since 2014 (relaunched in expanded form in 2023). Enquiries go to accelerators@sba.gov; watch americasseedfund.us for the next Stage One announcement.
$50,000 to $150,000 in prize awards. Stage One awards cash prizes to accelerators and ecosystem builders; Stage Two awards larger prizes to Stage One winners that form consortia with matching partners.
U.S. Small Business Administration
public · national
Deadline: annual_call — Runs as an annual competition. The 2024 competition ran Stage One and Stage Two rounds; a 2025 GAFC round followed.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Quick — mostly identity and bank details.
Who can apply
- Sectors: deeptech, manufacturing, health, climate
- Stage: idea, pre_seed
- Locally registered entity required
Applicants are accelerators, incubators, venture studios and other ecosystem organisations that support R&D-focused STEM start-ups - not the start-ups themselves. Recent focus areas have been national and economic security, domestic manufacturing and production, and sustainability and biotechnology.
How to apply
- Register on the SBA GAFC competition portal
- Submit the Stage One application describing the accelerator/ecosystem model
- Stage One winners may then form a consortium and apply for Stage Two
Source. https://www.americasseedfund.us/acceleratorsarchived — checked 2026-08-14
"$50,000 to $150,000 in prize awards"