Central Government Grants for Startups
Schemes run by DPIIT, DST, MeitY and the Ministry of MSME that any DPIIT-recognised startup can use, whichever state it is registered in.
These are the schemes that do not care which state you are in. All but one need DPIIT recognition first; CGTMSE is the fallback for micro and small enterprises that are not recognised startups. Two schemes that used to head this list are gone — the Seed Fund Scheme closed on 31 May 2026 and SIPP lapsed on 31 March 2026 — so what remains is weighted towards credit guarantees, fund-of-funds equity and incubator-routed prototype grants. Checked 4 September 2026.
Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS)
Up to ₹20 crore cover · DPIIT / NCGTC
NCGTC guarantees 85% of a collateral-free loan up to ₹10 crore and 75% above that, to a ceiling of ₹20 crore per startup. Not a grant — a guarantee that makes a bank say yes.
Learn MoreStartup India Fund of Funds 2.0
₹10,000 Cr corpus · DPIIT / SIDBI · via AIFs
The Government does not invest in your startup directly. It puts money into SEBI-registered venture funds, which then invest in DPIIT-recognised startups. FoF 2.0 was notified on 13 April 2026 with a deep-tech and manufacturing tilt.
Learn MoreResearch, Development & Innovation (RDI) Scheme
50% of project cost or round · DST / ANRF · deep-tech only
Long-tenure, low-cost debt or equity for private-sector R&D in strategic and sunrise sectors. ANRF lends to fund managers such as TDB and BIRAC, who finance up to 50% of a startup's project cost or funding round.
Learn MoreGeM Startup Runway
Market access · Department of Commerce / GeM
A dedicated window on the Government e-Marketplace where DPIIT-recognised startups list innovative products for central and state buyers, exempt from the prior-turnover, prior-experience and earnest-money conditions that normally shut them out.
Learn MoreGENESIS (MeitY)
₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore · MeitY · Tier-II / III cities
MeitY's Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups funds technology startups outside the metros through implementing agencies. Early-stage support starts at ₹10 lakh; deep-tech startups can receive up to ₹1 crore.
Learn MoreNIDHI-PRAYAS 2.0
Up to ₹20 lakh / ₹40 lakh · DST · via PRAYAS Centres
DST's prototyping grant for innovators and very early startups, paid through PRAYAS Centres at incubators. Up to ₹20 lakh at a standard centre, up to ₹40 lakh at an Advance PRAYAS Centre for deep-tech. Individuals can apply without a company.
Learn MoreNIDHI Seed Support Programme (SSP)
Up to ₹1 crore · DST · via NIDHI TBIs and STEPs
DST places a seed corpus with its Technology Business Incubators, which invest it in incubated startups — usually ₹20 to ₹50 lakh, up to ₹1 crore in exceptional cases — for product development, trials, test marketing and IP.
Learn MoreCGTMSE (Collateral-Free MSE Loans)
Up to ₹10 crore cover · Ministry of MSME / SIDBI · no DPIIT needed
The credit guarantee for micro and small enterprises that are not DPIIT-recognised startups, or that want a facility CGSS will not cover. Guarantee ceiling ₹10 crore per borrower since 1 April 2025, through any member lending institution.
Learn MoreFiled by Chartered Accountants
Application fee: ₹9,999, inclusive of all GST
One flat fee per scheme, and our team prepares and files the application on your behalf. You do not deal with the portal, the incubator or the department yourself.
- Eligibility check against the scheme's current guidelines
- Document checklist and review of every paper before filing
- Application drafted and filed by our team on your behalf
- Replies to queries from the department or incubator
- Status follow-up until the sanction or rejection letter
Professional fee for preparing and filing one application. It is not a government fee, and it does not guarantee sanction — that decision rests with the scheme's committee.
Pay the fee and we will call you