Non-dilutive funding (no equity)
Non-dilutive funding is money you keep without giving up ownership — grants and cash prizes, not investment. These let you extend runway without dilution. Bursary ranks the ones you qualify for and drafts the application.
Check what you qualify for →Start here · fastest to claim
No company needed, rolling deadlines, low effort — the quickest wins on this list.
54 programs · updated 2026-08-31
Slush 100 Pitching Competition 2026
EUR 500,000 equity-free
Winner gets EUR 500,000 for 0% equity, the largest equity-free startup-competition prize. Applying is free and remote; startup must be founded 2023 or later, have raised under EUR 10M, and be seed stage or earlier. Finalists need a Slush Startup Pass to pitch in Helsinki Nov 18-19.
Needs company
SBIR (America's Seed Fund)
Up to $323,090 Phase I (equity-free)
The largest source of early-stage non-dilutive US funding. Federal agencies (DoD, NSF, NIH, DOE, NASA and more) award equity-free Phase I R&D grants up to $323,090 (2026 cap), with larger Phase II follow-ons. For US for-profit small businesses under 500 employees, over 50% US-owned, building innovative tech. Solicitations are agency-specific on rolling schedules; browse open topics at the link.
Needs company
ARC Prize 2026 — ARC-AGI-2
$700K pool / $275K grand prize
Solo or team, fully remote via Kaggle notebook; hit 85% on the private ARC-AGI-2 eval within compute limits, open-source within 7 days.
No company needed
Thiel Fellowship
$250,000 over two years
Truly non-dilutive (no equity), but you must be 22 or younger and skip or leave school; about 20-30 spots a year. Award raised to $250K (verified 2026).
No company needed
Sundance Institute Documentary Fund
$25,000 to $100,000
Feature-length only (52+ min), budget under $1.2M; 2026 cycle closed, next open call early 2027.
No company needed
National Geographic Society Grants
Level I up to $20,000; Level II up to $100,000
Individuals 18+ apply directly; funds science, conservation, storytelling, education or tech; themed calls carry their own deadlines.
No company needed
O'Shaughnessy Fellowship
up to $100,000
Equity-free, open worldwide to individuals 13+ with no entity required; annual cycle (2026 round closed Apr 30) so apply when the next opens, expect ~40+ hrs/week.
No company needed
Echoing Green Fellowship
up to $100,000
Seed funding for social entrepreneurs; requires an independent startup-stage venture (2 years or less), full-time commitment, 18+, English proficiency; annual cycle.
Needs company
Agentic Cinema: The Blockbuster Hackathon
$75,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by Google — Databases, Machine Learning/AI, Open Ended. 8,845 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
AI Genesis 2026 (lablab.ai)
$60,000+ prize pool
Online build Oct 26 to Nov 2 then optional invite-only onsite in Dubai; solo or team, free to enter.
No company needed
Emergent Ventures
$1,000 - $50,000
Mercatus/Tyler Cowen grants + fellowships for ambitious "zero to one" ideas, ages 13+. For-profit OK, a quick path to revenue is a plus. Short written rolling app; dedicated tracks for India, Africa, the Caribbean, and Ukraine.
No company needed
Creative Capital Award
up to $50,000
Unrestricted project grants for individual artists (visual/performing arts, film, literature); US-based artists only, annual open-call cycle.
No company needed
Agents for Humans Hackathon
$40,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by Amazon — Beginner Friendly, Machine Learning/AI, Open Ended. 6,351 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
VoltHacks
$35,785 in prizes
Online hackathon by Dialogate — IoT, Machine Learning/AI, Beginner Friendly. 1,828 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
The WebMCP Challenge
$35,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by OpenAI — Machine Learning/AI, E-commerce/Retail, Web. 4,544 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
TikTok TechJam 2026
$34,500 in prizes
Online hackathon by TikTok — Machine Learning/AI, Cybersecurity, E-commerce/Retail. 3,088 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
AI Builders Hackathon
$33,900 in prizes
Online hackathon by OSC — Machine Learning/AI, Open Ended, Beginner Friendly. 2,492 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography
$30,000
Photographers worldwide 18+ (non-students) for documentary work; $50 entry fee (waivers for underrepresented photographers); no AI-generated imagery.
No company needed
OpenAI Codex Open-Source Fund
up to $25,000
No entity. You need an active public open-source repo to qualify.
No company neededNeeds repo
Gold House Futures (Gold Art Prize)
Up to $25,000
Applicants must identify as Asian and/or Pacific Islander; cash lives in the Gold Art Prize track, not base membership.
No company needed
ARC Prize 2026 — ARC-AGI-3 Milestone
$25K / $10K / $2.5K
Interactive reasoning benchmark, solo/remote via Kaggle; Sep 30 snapshot awards the live leaderboard top 3. No entity.
No company needed
VentureWell E-Team Program
up to $25,000
Students only: requires a team of 2+ currently enrolled at a US institution plus a faculty advisor, for science/engineering inventions with commercial intent; no fee.
No company needed
Warrior Rising Business Shower
up to $20,000
Veterans only: must be a US military veteran or immediate family and complete the free Warrior University program to pitch for the non-dilutive grant; rolling.
No company needed
Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant
~$11,000 (15,000 CAD)
Emerging representational artists only (painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing); 4 review cycles a year, no fee.
No company needed
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready
$10,000
No revenue gate. Finish 2 free courses to unlock the application.
No company needed
Amber Grant (WomensNet)
$10,000
Women-owned only (50%+); US/Canada; pre-revenue and idea-stage OK; $15 application fee; three $10K monthly + year-end $50K.
No company needed
IFundWomen Universal Grant
Varies ($10,000+ typical)
Women-founders only; one 10-minute application matches you to rotating partner grants; free.
No company needed
Hello Alice Small Business Grants
$5,000 to $25,000 (varies)
Rotating hub of partner grants (open ones change weekly); free account required; some need prior-year revenue.
No company needed
SoGal Black Founder Startup Grant
$5,000 to $10,000
Black women / Black nonbinary founders only; needs a registered business + intent to raise; apply by emailing sogal@iamsogal.com.
Needs company
DoorDash Accelerator for Local Restaurants
$10,000 grant + 8-week accelerator
Restaurants/food businesses only, 2+ years operating, up to 3 locations; runs in city-specific cohorts, check the page for an open one.
Needs company
Fund for Investigative Journalism Grant
up to $10,000
For freelance/staff investigative journalists; no fee, but full proposals need a US-outlet letter of commitment (seed grants up to $2,500 skip that requirement).
No company needed
Skip $10,000 Grants
$10,000
Recurring grant (two $10K awards per round, multiple rounds yearly) open to any US entrepreneur 18+; no entity, no fee, lightweight application.
No company needed
CALL-E: Your Code Is Calling
$10,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by CALL-E — Communication, Enterprise, Machine Learning/AI. 2,616 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
Halstead Grant
$7,500 cash + $1,000 merchandise
Silver jewelry designers only, within 5 years of first sale; portfolio plus 15 business questions.
No company needed
CitizensNYC Neighborhood Business Grants
up to $5,000
NYC only: microgrants for neighborhood small businesses running a community initiative; must operate in one of the five boroughs and benefit the community.
Needs company
New Music USA New Music Creator Fund
$3,000 to $5,000
Individual music creators 21+ with 3+ years professional experience; students ineligible, recent cycles regionally limited; annual cycle reopens in fall.
No company needed
NASE Growth Grant
Up to $4,000
For the self-employed; requires a paid NASE membership (~$120/yr) first; quarterly review cycles.
No company needed
Foundation for Contemporary Arts — Emergency Grants
$500 to $3,000
Needs a committed, dated public presentation of experimental work; social-media content alone does not qualify; 3-year wait between awards.
No company needed
Galaxy Grant (Hidden Star)
$2,500
Women and minority business owners only (any stage incl. idea); US-only. Free to apply, ~30-second form.
No company needed
Wish Local Empowerment Program
$500 to $2,000
Black-owned only and requires a physical brick-and-mortar store, up to 20 employees, under $1M revenue; must join Wish Local.
Needs company
Find the ones you qualify for
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Find my money →Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for non-dilutive funding?
Non-dilutive funding is money you keep without giving up ownership — grants and cash prizes, not investment. These let you extend runway without dilution. Bursary ranks the ones you qualify for and drafts the application.
How is non-dilutive funding different from a loan or investment?
You keep 100 percent ownership and repay nothing. Grants and prizes are not debt and not equity, so they extend runway without diluting you. Bursary ranks the non-dilutive options you qualify for.
How much funding is available?
Programs on this list go up to $500,000. Bursary ranks them by what you actually qualify for.
How many programs are on this list?
54 verified programs, re-checked continuously.
Is it free to apply?
Most are free to apply. Bursary reads the fine print and flags any program that charges a fee before you start.
Do I need a registered company?
Not for all of them. Bursary matches programs to your situation and tells you which require a registered entity and which accept individuals.