Funding Your Dreams: A Guide to Grants for Startups in India

The single most troubling factor stopping most Entrepreneurs to-be from starting their dream business is capital. Good business ideas are equally important, but without sufficient funds ideas just stay on the drawing board, slowly fading away into obscurity. Many are not able to raise sufficient capital through loans alone or don’t want to walk the debt-ridden route, some don’t look for investors not wanting to lose company shares, then the only other option is to raise that much capital on their own, either by using their family wealth (if they have any) or making that much money on their own, which is more than a bit of a stretch. 

What else can they do? Get a grant, a grant is essentially a monetary gift provided mostly by the government, charitable trusts, or some other organizations. The recipient is not expected to pay it back. It isn’t exactly a catch, but their idea- it should be worthy of a grant, i.e. it should be aligned with the organization providing the grant.

Here are some places to get a grant for your startup:

Government Grants

Startup India Seed Fund Scheme

This scheme has been set up by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of the Government of India to help early-stage startups. It has set aside a budget of Rs. 945 crores aiming to support an estimated 3,600 entrepreneurs. To be eligible for this, the startup must have a business idea for a product or service that must use technology. 

Visit for more Information: Startup India Seed Fund Scheme

Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme 

The Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) Scheme is a flagship program by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). It boasts to be the largest biotech funding program in India. It grants up to Rs. 50 lakh for successful innovators in the biotechnology field.

Visit for more Information: Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme (BIG)

Atal New India Challenge

Atal New India Challenge (ANIC) is a brainchild of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), it aims to support innovators focusing on national importance, and social relevance by providing them grants. Grants of up to Rs. 1 crore will be provided to eligible innovators.

Visit for more information: Atal New India Challenge

Startup Intellectual Property Protection Scheme

The Startup Intellectual Property Protection Scheme (SIPPS) is a pilot scheme by IP India to help startups safeguard their intellectual property (IP) such as copyrights, patents, designs, and trademarks. SIPPS reimburses eligible applicants a certain amount of their IP filing fees.

Visit for more information: Start-Ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP)

NIDHI Program

The National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) is a program conceived and managed by multiple institutions under the Indian government. This umbrella program has multiple programs under it to transform ideas and innovations into successful startups.

Visit for more information: NIDHI Programme 

GENESIS

Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS) is an umbrella scheme by the Indian government to support the startup ecosystem in India. With an outlay of Rs. 490 crores, it aims to provide grants to around 10,000 startups in a period of 5 years (starting from 2023).

Visit for more information: GENESIS

TIDE 2.0

The Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE) 2.0 program was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This program aims to support tech startups innovating in the national interest and those that are addressing societal challenges.

Visit for more information: Meity-TIDE 2.0

Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Start-ups and MSMEs

Promoting Innovations in Individuals, Start-ups and MSMEs (PRISM) is a scheme launched by the Government of India to support innovations in specified sectors. The grants are given in phases focusing both on individuals and enterprises.

Visit for more information: PRISM

State Government Grants

Almost every state has a grant system in place to support startups, visit the startup site of your state to get more details about the grant and to avail it.

Private Grants

Sus Crunch

Sus Crunch is an initiative by The Sustainability Mafia, it recently awarded a Rs. 31 Lakh non-equity grant to a startup. If the startup idea is related to sustainability then it will be worthwhile to keep a close watch on them for future opportunities.

Visit for more information: The Sustainability Mafia

Almost all private grants are not technically grants, they come with a catch. They will want something in exchange for giving entrepreneurs that sweet sweet moolah. The best bet for aspiring businesses is to look our for hackathons, awards, and competitions in their respective fields. Some of these have a decent cash prize, and open up further opportunities. Follow relevant government sites and social media handles to not miss any opportunities.