Featured insights
Should You Try to Engage the Federal Government for Funding? Clark Street’s 2026 U.S. Government Engagement Checklist
With billions in funding opportunities announced in 2025 alone, the U.S. federal government remains one of the largest and most consistent sources of funding for companies that prove their innovations can make a difference when it comes to national priorities. Whether through grants, contracts, public-private partnerships, or, increasingly, equity stakes, federal engagement can accelerate growth, provide validation for emerging technologies, and create durable competitive advantages—all while helping companies reach their commercial ambitions as well.
However, success in Washington depends on timing, readiness, and alignment with national priorities. Before investing significant time and resources, it’s essential to determine if your company is truly positioned to win federal support in the current environment. Luckily, we’ve created a checklist to help you evaluate if 2026 is your year to pursue federal support.
Canada's Strategic Investment Opportunity: Strengthening Economic Resilience Through Federal Funding
White Paper | October 2025
As global trade dynamics shift and competition for funding and talent in the technology industries intensifies, Canada is stepping up as a compelling and attractive source of non-dilutive government funding at both the Federal and Provincial levels. CSA provides a full range of services for leading hardtech companies to access Canada's expanding portfolio of grants and contracts, building on our proven track record of securing over US$3.7 billion in U.S. government funding for emerging and established technology companies.
The Inside Playbook for Semiconductor Companies: How to Secure Government Funding Under the New Trump Regime
White Paper | June 2025
One of the Trump Administration’s core goals is to surpass China in technological and military dominance. At the heart of this effort: semiconductors. The Administration is doubling down on onshoring, reshoring, and funding critical microelectronics to secure America’s edge.
But tapping into federal funding isn’t easy. It takes strategy, speed, and savvy engagement.
Opportunities for Commercial Companies from Congress’s $150B Spending Plan to Modernize the Defense Industrial Base
By Steve Empedocles, CEO, Clark Street Associates, emped@csa.co
Article | April 28, 2025
Although many media accounts have emphasized the desire of the Trump Administration to cut spending, a recent Bill released by Congress plans to spend $150 billion to enhance our military readiness. Almost $50 billion of this will be spent modernizing military depots, or city-sized facilities that maintain and repair DOD vehicles like ships and planes, using advanced technologies, as well as the non-weapons segments of the industrial base that supports the deployment of these technologies. Many of these advanced technologies will come from commercial companies. This funding, which is substantially more than the grant funding given to commercial companies under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), can be used to develop, deploy and build manufacturing for these technologies, creating new, enormous funding opportunities for these companies.
This creates an opportunity for commercial advanced technology companies to help shape the funding opportunities that will develop over the next 6-12 months, maximizing their chance of winning these funds. This analysis provides insight to help companies make informed decisions about what they can be doing right now to ensure they don’t miss the window of opportunity to leverage this government funding to accelerate the development, manufacturing and deployment of their commercial technologies.