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Accelerator Atlas

Non-dilutive Climate & Energy accelerators

These climate programs fund founders without taking equity: government lab fellowships that pay a salary for full-time work, state-backed programs with cash grants, and corporate-backed awards. Read the fine print on each one, because non-dilutive money usually comes with real commitments instead: relocation, citizenship requirements, multi-year timelines, or entry by nomination only. Amounts are listed where the program publishes them.

Showing 10 of 10 programs, plus 1 that has ended

Check sizeEquityTermsFormatNext windowSignal
ACCEL (Advancing Climatetech and Clean Energy Leaders)climatetech / clean energy (all sectors)up to $25,000 grantNot publishedNon-dilutive grant up to $25,000 plus Greentown incubator membership, VentureWell curriculum, and BGS network. No equity taken. Runs in Somerville MA and Houston TX; equity_pct null because no equity component exists.Non-dilutiveMAHybridNone confirmedOct 1, 2026
VerifiedPossibly dormantWe could not confirm a recent or upcoming cohort. It may have paused or wound down. Verify before applying.
Activate Fellowship (incl. Cyclotron Road)hard tech: energy, carbon capture, materials, sustainable infrastructure (16 verticals)$100,000/year living stipend plus $100,000 R&D support and $12,000/year travel and professional development (more than $300,000 over two years)Not publishedTwo-year fellowship funding founders full time; no equity and no fees (FAQ). The apply and communities pages list a $100K living stipend per year, $100K in R&D support, $12K per year in travel and professional development funds, a health insurance stipend, and a relocation allowance; the fellowship page states 'More than $300K over two years.' Five communities: Anywhere (virtual, for fellows at least 70 miles from an in-residence city), Berkeley / Cyclotron Road, Boston, Houston, and New York. Per the FAQ, Berkeley and Boston fellows live in or relocate to those areas, Houston fellows live within commuting distance of Houston, and New York requires no relocation but fellows must be able to commute to New York City three times a month; a relocation stipend covers new fellows who move more than 70 miles. Cohort 2027 applications close October 30, 2026 at 12 p.m. PT; the fellowship begins July 1 and applicants are selected in spring.Non-dilutiveCAHybridOct 30, 2026Oct 1, 2026
Verified
Carbon to Value Initiative (C2V)carbontech: carbon capture, conversion and removalDiscretionary stipend of up to $10,000 per startupNot publishedSix-month carbontech accelerator run by the Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon, Greentown Labs and Fraunhofer USA, built around structured engagement with its Carbontech Leadership Council of corporations, nonprofits and government agencies. The Applicant FAQ says applying is free and C2V takes no equity; each selected startup can receive a discretionary stipend of up to $10,000 in non-dilutive funding for travel and program costs, plus incubator membership at Greentown and/or the Urban Future Lab during the program. Startups at TRL 4 to 7 can apply from anywhere but must attend in-person events in Boston, New York and Houston. Year 6 applications closed August 28, 2026; the program runs about December 2026 to June 2027, with a kickoff in Houston on December 3, 2026.Non-dilutiveNot publishedHybridNone confirmedOct 1, 2026
Verified
Chain Reaction Innovationsenergy and science hard tech$115,000/year stipend for two years plus healthcare benefitsNot publishedApply page states: 'Stipend of $115k per year for two years plus healthcare benefits' and 'Neither Argonne nor DOE take an equity stake in the startup.' Cohort 2027 applications opened September 15 and close at 5 p.m. CT on October 30, 2026. After application review and virtual semifinalist presentations in January, an invitational pitch event for finalists is held March 10 to 11, 2027 at Argonne; successful applicants are notified in spring 2027 and expected to start at Argonne on October 1, 2027. US citizenship or lawful permanent residency required at time of application.Non-dilutiveILIn personOct 30, 2026Oct 1, 2026
Verified
Cox Cleantech Residencycleantech / sustainability$10,000 stipendNot publishedA 6-week program with a $10,000 stipend for 10 companies, positioned as a pathway into the Cox Cleantech Accelerator. Teams must be based in the Southeast US and no equity is taken. Recruitment for 2026 is complete; applications for the next cohort open in Spring 2027.Non-dilutiveGAIn personNone confirmedOct 1, 2026
Verified
Innovation Crossroadsenergy and advanced manufacturing hard tech$115,000/yr living stipend (Cohort 2027) plus health insurance stipend, professional development allowance, and ORNL R&D fundingNot publishedTwo-year lab-embedded fellowship funding founders full time at ORNL; no equity (as stated in the program FAQ when checked in July 2026; that FAQ page no longer loads, and the current apply page describes DOE- and TVA-funded fellowship support, not an investment). The Cohort 2027 apply page lists a yearly living stipend of $115,000, a health insurance stipend, a professional development allowance, and R&D funding for collaboration with ORNL researchers; the first year is an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education fellowship, renewable after a one-year review for support of up to two years. Eligibility: doctorate or equivalent experience, US citizen or lawful permanent resident, no more than $2 million raised in debt or equity from nongovernment sources in the three years before applying, relocation to the Knoxville-Oak Ridge area for two years, and a cooperative research and development agreement with ORNL. Cohort 2027 applications are accepted September 15 to October 30, 2026 (closing 8 p.m. ET); the cohort is selected May to June 2027 and starts August 2027.Non-dilutiveTNIn personOct 30, 2026Oct 1, 2026
Verified
Scale For ClimateTechclimate hardware manufacturing scale-upNot publishedProgram site states there is no cost to participate and no stake in equity involved; support is mentorship, technical training, and supplier and manufacturer connections. Per-company funding amounts are not published. Focus sectors verified as Buildings, Transportation, Grid, and Industry for growth-stage hardware innovators. Cohort 8 window not yet posted as of 2026-07-22; site application link is still the Cohort 7 form.Not publishedProgram site states there is no cost to participate and no stake in equity involved; support is mentorship, technical training, and supplier and manufacturer connections. Per-company funding amounts are not published. Focus sectors verified as Buildings, Transportation, Grid, and Industry for growth-stage hardware innovators. Cohort 8 window not yet posted as of 2026-07-22; site application link is still the Cohort 7 form.Non-dilutiveNYHybridNone confirmedOct 1, 2026
Verified
Venture For ClimateTechearly-stage climate tech (hardware-inclusive)up to $50,000 non-dilutiveNot publishedProgram page states 'up to $50,000 in non-dilutive funding'; no equity taken. Six-month program in three phases (Cohort 6 ran April to October 2026), about 8 to 12 hours per week of founder time. Eligibility: TRL 4 to 7, legal entity not required, must address New York State climate goals in buildings, transportation, grid, or industry. Cohort 6 application window was Jan 5 to Feb 20, 2026; Cohort 7 window not yet posted as of 2026-07-22.Non-dilutiveNYHybridNone confirmedOct 1, 2026
Verified
Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2)clean energy for built environment, housing, food-energy-waterup to $250,000 non-dilutive per startup, delivered as NLR technical assistanceNot publishedFully non-dilutive; no equity. IN2 is a $55 million energy technology program funded by Wells Fargo & Company and co-administered by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), formerly NREL. Emerging Tech track: selected startups receive up to $250,000 in nondilutive funding in the form of hands-on technical assistance from NLR scientists, not cash. There is no open application: startups are referred by IN2 Channel Partners (more than 60 accelerators, incubators, and university programs, per NLR) during program application windows and evaluated by NLR researchers and the Wells Fargo and Executive Advisory Boards; application inquiries go to IN2@nlr.gov. The most recent Emerging Tech startup cohort news on the IN2 site dates from November 2025, and no 2026 startup cohort had been announced as of September 28, 2026. The separate Scalable Tech track helps corporations, municipalities, and other adopters pilot vetted technologies; on July 23, 2026 its second cohort awarded a $750,000 pool to four of nine participating organizations. Channel Partner Strategic Awards fund partner organizations, not startups.Non-dilutiveCOHybridNone confirmedOct 1, 2026
Verified
West Gate Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Programlab-embedded fellowship for energy and hard-tech innovators$115,000 per year living stipend for up to two years, plus $150,000 in technical assistance redeemed at NLRNot publishedTwo-year fellowship at the National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado, one of the Department of Energy's Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program nodes alongside Chain Reaction Innovations, Cyclotron Road and Innovation Crossroads. Selected innovators receive a $115,000 annual stipend paid quarterly for up to two years; relocation, health insurance and travel stipends for qualifying candidates; and two-year technical assistance funding worth $150,000 that is redeemed at NLR for technical services rather than paid to the innovator or company. The FAQ says the program takes no equity. Applicants apply as individuals, must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, must relocate to Golden or the greater Denver area, and must have raised no more than $2 million from nongovernment sources in the prior three years. Up to five innovators are selected per cohort. Cohort 6 applications opened September 15, 2026 and close October 30, 2026.Non-dilutiveCOIn personOct 30, 2026Oct 1, 2026
Verified

Programs that have ended

Check sizeEquityTermsFormatNext windowSignal
Rice Alliance Clean Energy Acceleratorenergy transition / clean energyNot publishedEnded: Rice Alliance says the program concluded in 2025 after five cohorts (2021 to 2025). Its FAQ said the accelerator did not invest in companies or take equity; startups received a non-dilutive company stipend whose amount was not published. Class 5, the last cohort, was a 10-week program of 12 startups.Not publishedEnded: Rice Alliance says the program concluded in 2025 after five cohorts (2021 to 2025). Its FAQ said the accelerator did not invest in companies or take equity; startups received a non-dilutive company stipend whose amount was not published. Class 5, the last cohort, was a 10-week program of 12 startups.Non-dilutiveTXHybridNoneSep 29, 2026
VerifiedProgram endedThe operator has said this program ended, or its program pages are gone and it has shown no activity for two years or more. We keep the record so its history stays visible.

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