COVID-19 Funding Opportunities and Resources

COVID-19 FUNDING & RESOURCES

We know this is a challenging time for researchers and entrepreneurs. UCLA TDG is committed to helping you navigate these uncertain times.

We have compiled the latest updates about resources – including funding opportunities, discounted services for startups, business relief programs and company preparedness resources, and webinars – that are available to help innovators, entrepreneurs, and startups address the challenges you may be facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please check back regularly. We will continue to update this list, and welcome additional resources. E-mail us at info@tdg.ucla.edu

Company & Research Funding Opportunities

America SBDC’s Re-Opening Toolkit SBDC chapters across the nation have organized step-by-step guidelines to prepare and implement successful re-opening strategies. From workplace PPE to adapting new communication strategies, this toolkit can be tailored to fit every business.

West Coast CTIP COVID-19 FLEX Grants The West Coast Consortium for Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP) is announcing COVID-19 FlexGrants, a limited grant opportunity. Selected pediatric medical device innovators will be awarded grants of up to $15,000 to support activities that apply or adapt their existing medical device to help manage the health impacts of COVID-19 on children.

Department of Navy SBIR The Department of the Navy has announced $30 million in available funding through its Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I Technology Acceleration 20.4 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). They are currently accepting proposals from innovative startups and small businesses for development and commercialization of dual-use technologies responsive to topic requirements while also meeting unmet market demands. Deadline: May 28, 2020.

NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Initiative NIH is focusing $500M of the funding it recently received in CARES 3.5 for a national testing challenge (for all phases of research). The goal is to make millions of accurate and easy-to-use tests per week available to all Americans by the end of summer 2020, and even more in time for the flu season. Deadline: Rolling until further notice

Y Combinator Fast Track for COVID-19 Related Startups  Y Combinator accelerator is soliciting fast-track applications for COVID-19 related startups for its summer batch. Receive immediate funding so companies can get started as soon as possible via remote participation. 

Sam Altman Blog: Funding Opportunity Sam Altman is funding startups and research focused on but not limited to rapid PPE and ventilator production, drug screening, vaccine approaches, and novel therapeutics specific to small companies.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funding Opportunities  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard today committed up to $125 million in seed funding to speed-up the response to the COVID-19 epidemic by identifying, assessing, developing, and scaling-up treatments.  

COVID-19 Request for Ideas  LA-based project repository to submit ideas related to diagnostics, treatment, operational response related to COVID-19 and solicit volunteers, personnel, funding. 

Help with COVID Deals, offers, and benefits for startups and individuals from organizations who want to help with COVID-19. 

BARDA COVID-19 Funding Opportunities  BARDA is working with its partners to identify promising medical countermeasures and technologies to combat the 2019 novel coronavirus.  

NSF SBIR/STTR Small Business Funding Opportunities  The NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are inviting US businesses to submit Phase I proposals that focus on the development of new technologies, products, processes, and services to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. 

NSF Letter on Funding During the COVID-19 Crisis NSF encourages the research community to respond to this challenge through existing funding opportunities and to use the Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism, which allows NSF to receive and review proposals having a severe urgency.  

NIH Notices of Special Interest for Research Grants  The NIH is issuing Notices of Special Interest (NOSI), targeted opportunities specific to COVID-19 intended to provide funds for NIH grantees applying to expand the scope of their active grant.  

NIST Manufacturing USA National Emergency Assistance Program
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites Manufacturing USA institutes to propose high-impact projects designed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eva Garland Consulting Detailed list of funding opportunities related to COVID-19 for academic and industry scientists.  

Grant Engine  Additional COVID-19 grant funding opportunities.

The Red Backpack Fund The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation donated $5 million to support female entrepreneurs in the wake of COVID-19. Partnering with GlobalGiving they established 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to female entrepreneurs in the U.S. to help alleviate the immediate needs and support the long-term recovery of those impacted by this crisis. Deadline: 4/12/2020 for cycle 1. Additional cycles open 5/4, 6/1, 7/6, 8/3.

Alice COVID-19 Business Resource Center Alice is an AI-enabled virtual accelerator with resources for small businesses. COVID-19 initiatives include a Bussiness for All Grant of up to $50k in funding, Community on Call virtual meetups, and interactive guides for individuals and businesses experiencing complications related to the pandemic.

Research Grants Program Office (RGPO) Emergency Seed Funding The California RGPO, comprised of several grantmaking units, is offering up to $25,000 for 6-month proposals, with the option to apply for continuation. Eligible research will focus on immediate outcomes to mitigate COVID-19 disease severity and infection, especially among those with cancer, HIV, and tobacco-related diseases.

Harrington Discovery Institute COVID-19 Initiative The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio announced an initiative to accelerate promising therapies to treat COVID-19 and its complications, and battle future pandemic threats. Measures include funding or accelerating new and existing research programs, in addition to raising capital for future pandemic research. To apply for a an award, click here. Deadline 4/30/2020.

CIRM Special Call for COVID-19 Projects The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is issuing this special announcement to support promising discovery, preclinical and clinical trial stage projects that could quickly advance treatments to COVID-19 patients in need. Next Deadline: April 21 2:00 PM PST, then rolling every 2 weeks. 

MMS Holdings USD1M Award MMS Holdings announced that it is offering a USD1M award toward the development of a vaccine for COVID-19. The award is being offered in the form of data and related services to qualified pharmaceutical and clinical research companies supporting the commercial development of a vaccine for approval in the United States and/or other global health authorities.

COVID-19 Webinars and Virtual Events  

Biocom Webinars: Currents Trends in Venture Financing - Perspective on Investments Post-Pandemic Topics covered will span from perspective on the funding landscape to how to raise funds when face to face meetings are not feasible, what the future holds for venture funding, diligence, timing of an investment, and how each one of these funds are handling deal flow and adapting to the new environment.
Join us as we hear from experienced VCs discuss the topics mention above and get their perspectives. 
Panelists: 
Karin Kleinhans, PhD, Investment Manager, Life Sciences Partners (LSP)
Corey Goodman, PhD, Managing Partner, venBio Partners 
Andrew ElBardissi, MD, Partner, Deerfield 
Moderated by: 
Laurie Halloran, Chief Executive Officer, Halloran Consulting

Osage University Partners* Tech and life sciences teams are offering completely open and informal VC office hours to partner institutions. Open to UC startup founders, and graduate students, and professors who are thinking of commercializing their research.

Webinar Replay: Economic Resources for LGBT-owned Businesses The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) welcomed over 800 NGLCC affiliate chambers and LGBT business owners to join Administrator Jovita Carranza of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and her team on how to connect LGBT-owned small businesses with emergency capital and resources during COVID-19.

Business Relief Programs

Microsoft AI for Health of COVID-19 Grant This grant program provides Azure cloud and High-Performance Computing capabilities. The team of AI for Health data science experts, whose mission is to improve the health of people and communities worldwide, is also open to collaborations with COVID-19 researchers as they tackle this critical challenge. Deadline: June 15, 2020

JPMorgan Chase Philanthropic Investment JPMorgan Chase announced a $50 million global philanthropic commitment to address the immediate and long-term challenges from the COVID-19 global pandemic, $8M of which is allocated for supporting vulnerable, underserved, and underrepresented entrepreneurs and small businesses.

California COVID-19 Support Programs and Regulations  The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) has compiled helpful information for employers, employees, and all Californians as it relates to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Guide to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act The CARES Act was established to provide economic relief for businesses. Measures and initiatives include tax provisions, loan programs, and some debt relief.

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Advance. The Small Business Association’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million. In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners are eligible to apply for an advance of up to $10,000.

SBA Express bridge loan program Through SBA, the express bridge loan program is available for more immediate access to up to $25,000 of funds while awaiting Economic injury disaster loan.

SBA Paycheck Protection Program A loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities.

Federal Tax Extension  In response to the COVID-19 Outbreak, the filing deadline for tax returns has been extended from April 15 to July 15, 2020. California State taxes are included in this extension.

Ginkgo Free Access Announcement Ginkgo Bioworks has pledged $25M of free access to their platform for partner COVID-19 projects. Laboratory and computational services, material, and space available for diagnostic, vaccine, and treatment development. Additionally, they are facilitating a community of researchers, information sharing, and funding sources.

Verizon grant opportunity LISC An investment of $2.5 million from Verizon is making it possible for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to begin offering critical relief funding and resiliency-building support to small businesses facing immediate financial threat because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Application opens: May 14th, 2020

White House HPC Consortium Resources The high-power computing (HPC) consortium is a public-private group, spearheaded by The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, IBM, the U. S. Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation. Researchers are invited to submit COVID-19 related research proposals which will then be reviewed and matched with computing resources from one of the partner institutions.

Google Cloud COVID-19 Related Research Credits Groups working on research related to COVID-19 in academia and industry are encouraged to apply for Google cloud credits for their computing power needs.

The COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium The COVID-19 HPC Consortium encompasses computing capabilities from some of the most powerful and advanced computers in the world and is offering access to their resources to accelerate understanding of the COVID-19 virus and the development of treatments and vaccines to help address infections.

Amazon Web Services Diagnostic Development Initiative (DDI) The AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative (DDI) is providing financial support for innovation in rapid and accurate patient testing for 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and other diagnostic solutions to mitigate future outbreaks. Deadline: June 30th 2020

Company Preparedness and Guidance

Updates from the FDA

CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will update this interim guidance as needed and as additional information becomes available. See also Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist and Pandemic Preparedness Planning for US Businesses with Overseas Operations.

CDC Information for Laboratories  This page includes interim guidance and resources for laboratory professionals working with specimens from persons under investigation (PUI) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Council On Government Relations (COGR)

NIEHS Worker Training Program
The NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) information about COVID-19 as it pertains to protecting workers involved in emergency response and cleanup activities performed in the United States. This page contains health and safety resources for workers who may be at risk of exposure to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Control and Prevention (OSHA)
OSHA has developed this interim guidance to help prevent worker exposure to COVID-19.
Also see OSHA's 2017 Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic.
 
CDC Travel Guidelines This page includes information about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for travelers and travel related industries. Also see LAX travel updates here. 

Families First Coronavirus Response Act The FFCRA requires certain employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. Employers with fewer than 50 employees are eligible for an exemption from the requirements to provide leave to care for a child whose school is closed, or child care is unavailable in cases where the viability of the business is threatened.

A Guide to COVID-19 and Your Finances: What you Need to Know Annuity has put together a guide for understanding the global and local financial changes during this time. On this page: global economy, federal benefits, economic impact payment, taxes, unemployment, health care, mortgages and housing, small businesses, retirement plans, and credit and loans.

LA COVID-19 Community Connectory The LA Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) regularly updates their webpage. They provide crucial resources for vulnerable residents, small businesses, and nonprofits. Includes webinars, policy briefings, and a request form for more direct help from the LAEDC.

Resilinc Ultimate Guide to Supply Chain R

COVID-19 Kaggle Community Contributions The Kaggle community organized a page where scientists can find the most useful and up to date data and information about COVID-19: literature reviews, tools, datasets.

Cooley Coronavirus Resource Hub Cooley has aggregated resources for US and global guidance for businesses on the legal, regulatory and commercial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, including trending topics and up to date policy changes

PwC’s COVID-19 Navigator Assess the potential impact of the COVID-19 crisis on your business and gauge your readiness to respond. The digital tool contains 3 sections of questions that will help you understand where your company stands as you respond to COVID-19 in the areas of: crisis management and response; workforce; operations and supply chain; finance and liquidity; tax and trade; and strategy and brand.

Proposal For Rapid Commercialization of UC C-19 Project & Startup Pipeline

UCLA Basic Needs Covid-19 Resource Guide* is a comprehensive set of resources covering businesses, community and personal support; on and off-campus.

Resiliency Success
This document provides supply chain risk management and resiliency strategies and practices.

Resource Requests and Capacity

Biocom Partnering Opportunities Develop partnerships with businesses and individuals offering or seeking material, services, or personnel to help in the fight against coronavirus.

BIO Coronavirus Hub The BIO Coronavirus Hub is the primary life science-focused resource to connect companies that have relevant supplies, capacities, and resources to share, with those companies, researchers, or healthcare providers that need them.

COVID-19 Request for Ideas LA-based project repository to submit ideas related to diagnostics, treatment, operational response related to COVID-19 and solicit volunteers, personnel, funding.

COVID-19 Trial Matching Tool for Treatments  IQVIA has developed a survey tool to match volunteers that are healthy, confirmed cases, or with expected exposure to COVID-19 to trials for developing treatments they can participate in.  

Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC) Request for Information  The MCDC is requesting White Papers from both MCDC members and other interested industry/academia partners for Market Research to determine the capability of the industrial base to respond to the 2019-nCoV pandemic. At this time, funding has not been identified for any prototype projects under this request.

Microsoft AI for Health of COVID-19 Grant This grant program provides Azure cloud and High-Performance Computing capabilities. The team of AI for Health data science experts, whose mission is to improve the health of people and communities worldwide, is also open to collaborations with COVID-19 researchers as they tackle this critical challenge. Deadline: June 15, 2020

National Resource for Local Donations Find organizations by geographical location to donate or pick-up PPE. Also see ProjectN95 and Mask-match for masks and other supplies.

PPE Donations to Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan Medical Center is seeking N95s, surgical masks, face shields, safety goggles, gloves, gowns, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and bleach.

State of CA Seeking COVID-19 Technology Solutions The State of California is seeking innovative technology solutions that help support the COVID-19 response, specifically those focused on potential case management/CRM software solutions for COVID-19 contact tracing. This is a unique opportunity to share your solution with state officials.

UC Innovation and Entrepreneurship has been asked to assess UC capabilities in therapeutics, testing, and capacity to determine how we can accelerate solutions into the marketplace to tackle the growing public health crisis. We are asking members to advise of researchers, founders, and startups that are working on COVID-19 solutions.