Find the funding that you need to launch your idea. Below you will discover funding that exists right here at CWRU and some funding throughout NEO.
CWRU Funds
| Opportunity | Amount | Details | Contact |
| Case-Coulter Translational Research Program (CCTRP) | $50,000-$200,000 /yr; Pilot grants <$25,000 | Focus: preparing projects for commercialization, technical feasibility, market feasibility and industry interest. Readiness withing 3-5 yrs. • Must have BME collaborator • 1 RFP/yr in February |
Steve Fening, sxf200@case.edu |
| CWRU Technology Validation & Start-Up Fund (CTP) | $50,000/yr + 1:1 cost match required (from non federal funding source) | Focus: to create greater economic growth in Ohio through start-up companies commercializing CWRU technologies. Late-stage validation/proof of technologies to enhance commercial viability. • Managed by CWRU Technology Transfer Office • Follow-on Phase II funding available to start-ups (with license from CWRU) through Ohio 3rd Frontier • 2-3 RFP’s/yr Sping & Fall |
Stephanie Weidenbecher, saw43@case.edu |
| Council to Advance Human Health (CAHH) | Up to $75,000/yr | Focus: Drug development • Eligible investigators are invited to present their projects to the Council • No formal RFP |
Anne DeChant, akd6@case.edu |
| Taipai Medical University (TMU): | $50,000/yr | Taipei Medical University partnership with CTSC to support long-term collaboration and innovation between the institutions. I • Focus: Inter-institutional translational projects with the end goal being a clinical trial or exit. Translational collaborations are formed between a Taipai investigator in the field of Oncology and/or Neurosciences and a CWRU investigator. • 1 RFP/yr date varies |
Anne DeChant, akd6@case.edu |
| Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) | $50,000/yr | Focus: to promote innovative research teams capable of interacting across institutions, schools, and disciplines to generate novel ideas and data on translational research projects • 1 RFP/yr in October |
Billie Edgar, billie@case.edu |
| Core Utilization Pilot Grants | $10,000/6 mos | Funds can only be spent in an eligible Core facility (https://case.edu/medicine/ctsc/eligible-cores) • Rolling Submission |
Billie Edgar, billie@case.edu |
| Harrington Discovery Institute (HDI)- Harrington Scholar-Innovator | $100,000/yr, opportunity to qualify for up to $700,000 | Focus: Drug development Project management and consulting services from experienced drug development personnel • 1 RFP/yr in February • Other disease specific grants available • Managed through University Hospitals |
HDIQuestions@HarringtonDiscovery.org |
Student Project Fund
The Student Project Fund supports full-time undergraduate and graduate students for extracurricular, competition-based, and entrepreneurial projects, up to $1,000 per project. Funds are meant to cover materials, equipment, manufacturing costs, and other related expenses. Total disbursement is contingent on students submitting an interim report and final report describing the project’s progress and a record of expenditures.
Technology Validation and Start-Up Fund
The CWRU Technology and Validation Start-Up Fund Program (CTP), awarded by the Ohio Third Frontier and managed through the CWRU Technology Transfer Office, aims to accelerate and fund the translation of promising technologies into the marketplace through Ohio based companies with the eventual goal of creating greater economic growth. The $500,000 fund will help faculty researchers advance and commercialize their innovations.
External Funds
Funding Database
Many funds exist within Northeast Ohio and beyond to support your entrepreneurial venture. You can view many of those funds on this spreadsheet and filter which ones are most suitable to you.
Innovation Fund
The Lorain Community College Foundation founded Innovation Fund America in 2007, which has since expanded to North Carolina, Michigan, and California. As of February 2019, Innovation Fund has committed more than $15 million to 273 Northeast Ohio start-ups, granted through two types of funding options.
Option A awards up to $25,000 for ideas that need validation/proof. Entrepreneurs can use the funding to develop or test a prototype, file patents, or get clinical trials started. Option B is a loan of up to $100,000 for developed technologies, often with a working prototype. Funding is used to attract initial customers, market test products, make key hires, and advance product testing. Both options must be matched dollar-for-dollar and if successful, the loan must be repaid.
For more information, you can read about their funding requirements and the sectors they focus on here.
JumpStart funds
The JumpStart Focus Fund invests seed capital in early-stage companies who can leverage capital and IP/technology, led by Ohio-based minority or female entrepreneurs. The fund makes ~20 investments, between $250,000 and $600,000 and entrepreneurs are paired with a venture partner.
The JumpStart Evergreen Fund is a non-profit fund that invests seed capital in the tech-based companies in Northeast Ohio. The fund hopes to make ~25 investments in the next three years, starting at $250,000 and entrepreneurs are paired with a venture partner.
The JumpStart NEXT Fund is a for-profit venture fund that invests in early-stage Ohio-based technology startups. The $20 million fund aims to make 15-20 investments, between $500,000 and $1.5 million, and about half a dozen corporations and the Greater Cleveland Partnership are limited partners in the fund.
North Coast Ventures
Northeast Ohio’s first professionally-managed angel fund, North Coast Ventures, is a contributed capital and “sidecar” pre-seed investment fund that focus on early-stage technology companies. The fund has invested $30 million in 40 portfolio companies and has 180+ members in the region.