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Funding science outside the grant system
This domain has covered non-traditional research funding since the days when it was Nick Dragojlovic's science-crowdfunding research blog. The landscape it tracked — crowdfunding, foundations, and non-dilutive federal programmes — is still how science gets funded when the study section says no. Here is the current state of each route.
Research crowdfunding
Small, public-facing raises — typically $2k–$50k — for discrete, explainable projects. Best as seed or bridge money, and for work with a natural public audience (disease research, ecology, space).
Experiment.com and disease-foundation campaign platforms host most active science raises today.
The evidence, including the research this domain used to publish, is that campaigns succeed on the strength of the communicator and their network far more than the science.
Private foundations
Missions-driven funders — from HHMI and Wellcome down to single-disease family foundations — many funding work federal agencies consider too early, too translational, or too odd.
We keep a directory of the foundations funding science right now, each with what they fund and where their calls appear.
Most publish no deadline and no rubric; the funder relationship matters more than the application. Budget months, not weeks.
SBIR/STTR (for companies)
Non-dilutive federal funding for small companies doing R&D — Phase I typically $150k–$314k, Phase II into the millions. The largest "alternative" funding source by far, and equity-free.
Eleven agencies participate; DoD alone posts hundreds of topics per cycle.
You need a US small business entity and real technical substance. If you have both, the win rates are far better than most academics assume.
Foundations funding science now
The fourth route: a salary where the money already landed
The most dependable alternative to winning your own funding is joining a lab or company that just won theirs. We track which science companies closed federal awards in the last two years — median size six people, hiring before the posting exists — and run a job board that lists funded employers first.
Or find the grant you can actually win
An account is free and shows the full announcement, the review criteria reviewers score you against, and whether you are actually eligible — including the windows that close before the deadline does.
No card required.