MassCEC Catalyst & Academic Activator Grants
About
The Catalyst and Academic Activator Spotlight Programs are designed to demonstrate the feasibility of transforming new ideas from the research stage into commercially viable technologies that attract industry and investor interest. MassVentures jointly administers these grant programs with the Mass Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).
These programs award up to $75,000 in grant funding per project to a maximum of fifteen (15) total researchers and/or early-stage companies developing climatetech and clean energy technologies. All proposed technologies must demonstrate a strong potential for climate impact and commercialization.
In addition to funding, awardees gain access to a vast network of partners, expert local market and policy insights, and mentoring from MassCEC and MassVentures, while all finalists receive complimentary pitch coaching and strategy mentoring.
Funding
The Catalyst Program provides grants of up to $75,000 to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their climate technologies.
The Academic Activator Spotlight Program, in parallel with Catalyst, will award at least three and up to five additional grants of up to $75,000 each for projects let by applicants who are Principal Investigators at a Massachusetts-based non-profit research organization or institution.
Who's Eligible?
The Catalyst and Academic Activator Spotlight Programs are for technologies that are at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2-4, according to the MassCEC TRL Calculator.
Eligible applicants include Massachusetts-based early-stage climatetech companies, Principal Investigators at Massachusetts-based nonprofit research or academic institutions, and Massachusetts-based students led by a faculty member or researcher at a Massachusetts-based nonprofit research or academic institution.
See Section 6 of the RFP for additional eligibility requirements.
Key Dates
August 18, 2026 - Application period opens
August 26, 2026 - Optional webinar 12 PM - 1 PM (Register)
September 15, 2026 - Deadline to submit questions
September 18, 2026 - MassCEC to post responses to questions
September 30, 2026 - Applications due by 5:00PM EDT
Early November 2026 - Applicants notified of finalist status
Week of December 7, 2026 - Finalists' presentations
Late January 2027 - Finalists notified of award status
More Information
Read about past Catalyst grantees.
Visit MassCEC Catalyst web page.
Email us at companycatalyst@masscec.com.
Testimonials
What people are saying…
“
We are profoundly grateful to MassVentures and their exceptional leadership team for their support. The funding provided through the MassCEC’s Catalyst and DICES programs is instrumental in advancing the scale-up prototyping of our cutting-edge technology, enabling us to bring our vision to fruition.”
Amelia Thomas
CEO, River Otter Renewables
“
We really appreciate the support from MassVentures and MassCEC in our development. Not only has the DICES program been beneficial, but the MassVentures team also helped us engage with different programs like MassChallenge, which is very helpful for connecting with various startups to form a supportive group. We are deeply grateful for the support from both organizations. Priya and Vinit's insights have been invaluable. We cannot express our gratitude enough. Thank you all for offering these amazing programs.”
Aone Wang
Cofounder & CEO, Loop CO2
“
We cannot overstate how critical funding from the Catalyst program has been for our technological development. Going into this program, we were too early and our system too small to warrant any serious market consideration. Thanks to Catalyst funding, we have been able to improve our technology and scale it to the point where we are going to pilot our system with a paying customer. We have also been able to hit key milestones that have made our system much more commercially ready while making the company more suitable for investment. We could not have made this progress without Catalyst funding.”
David Brown
Cofounder & COO, Helix Carbon
