CHIPS Act Funding Amount 2026: Awards, Status & Grants Still Open

Quick answer: The CHIPS Act funding amount in 2026 is $52.7 billion appropriated for near-term semiconductor incentives, R&D, and workforce programs. More than $33 billion has been committed to major manufacturing awards. Roughly $11 billion sits with the CHIPS R&D Office, whose Broad Agency Announcement is open on a rolling basis through September 30, 2029 with a $10 million minimum award. The NSTC is now operated by NIST after Commerce removed Natcast and voided $7.4 billion of its funding in August 2025.

When the CHIPS and Science Act passed in August 2022, the headlines focused on one thing: bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States. And it's working — TSMC, Intel, Samsung, and Micron are all building or expanding US fabs with CHIPS incentive funding.

But here's what gets less coverage: the CHIPS Act also allocated $81 billion to the National Science Foundation, $67 billion to the DOE Office of Science, and billions more for R&D and workforce development. Much of that money is still available — and it's accessible to universities, community colleges, nonprofits, and even small businesses.

This is the full CHIPS Act picture in 2026.

Recent Announcements

• July 13, 2026: Commerce announced a Direct Funding Agreement with Robert Bosch Semiconductor for up to $225 million to convert its Roseville, California plant to silicon-carbide production, against a $2 billion Bosch investment (NIST)
• April 2026: Commerce amended the CHIPS R&D Broad Agency Announcement, splitting it into two pathways — a traditional R&D Project Path and a new Investment Fund Path oriented to commercialization and equity-style returns. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through September 30, 2029, with a $10 million minimum award.

Correction: the NSTC is now run by NIST, not Natcast

An earlier version of this post described active NSTC consortium grant competitions run by Natcast. That structure no longer exists.

In August 2025, the Department of Commerce terminated its agreement with Natcast — the nonprofit designated in 2023 to operate the National Semiconductor Technology Center — voided up to $7.4 billion in CHIPS funding allocated to it, and transferred operational control of the NSTC directly to NIST. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's stated rationale was that the prior administration had established Natcast improperly as an independent nonprofit rather than inside the agency.

What this means practically: if you were tracking Natcast solicitations, that channel is gone. The live path for R&D money is the CHIPS R&D Office (CRDO) Broad Agency Announcement, and the $10 million minimum award makes it a program for consortia, major research universities, and companies — not small applicants.

CHIPS Act Overview: $280B Authorized, $52.7B Actually Appropriated

First, the numbers require some unpacking. The CHIPS and Science Act authorized $280 billion — but "authorized" doesn't mean "appropriated." Congress separately must appropriate (fund) authorized programs each year.

The actual near-term appropriation was $52.7 billion in direct spending:

• $39 billion for semiconductor manufacturing incentives
• $13 billion for R&D, workforce, and regional innovation
• ~$1B for international coordination and workforce

The larger $280B figure represents long-term authorizations for NSF, DOE, and other science programs that require ongoing annual appropriations — most of which haven't been fully funded yet.

Of the $52.7B appropriated, an estimated $33B has been committed to date (primarily the large fab incentive awards). Approximately $19.7B remains to be distributed.

The Big Awards: TSMC, Intel, Samsung, Micron

The CHIPS incentives program prioritized large, transformational semiconductor facility investments. The headline awards:

• TSMC Arizona — Awarded $6.6B in CHIPS grants plus $5B in DOE loans. Building three fabs in Phoenix for cutting-edge chips used in AI and high-performance computing.
• Intel — Awarded up to $8.5B in CHIPS grants plus $11B in loans. Expanding facilities in Arizona, Ohio, and Oregon.
• Samsung Austin — Awarded up to $6.4B in CHIPS grants. Building advanced logic chip facility in Taylor, Texas.
• Micron Technology — Awarded up to $6.1B in CHIPS grants. Building memory chip facilities in Idaho and New York.
• GlobalFoundries — Awarded $1.5B for expanding existing US facilities.
• Robert Bosch Semiconductor — Up to $225M announced July 13, 2026, to convert its Roseville, California plant to silicon-carbide production. Bosch is committing $2B to the conversion and says it will invest a further $7.5B in US operations over five years.
• Wolfspeed, Skywater, and others — Smaller awards for specialty and mature-node chip production.

Together, these large awards have committed approximately $29B of the $39B manufacturing incentives pool. The remaining roughly $10B is allocated to smaller manufacturers, packaging facilities, and supply chain investments — with some still being competitively awarded.

What's Still Available: R&D, Workforce, and Regional Hubs

The less-covered half of CHIPS funding is where most organizations can actually access money.

CHIPS R&D Programs (~$11B)

Semiconductor R&D money now flows through the CHIPS R&D Office (CRDO) and its Broad Agency Announcement, with the National Semiconductor Technology Center operated directly by NIST. Research areas include:

• Fabrication and metrology research
• Advanced packaging technologies (a US weak point)
• Chip design tools and methodologies
• Cybersecurity for semiconductors

Since the April 2026 amendment, the BAA has two pathways: the R&D Project Path (traditional cost-shared research awards) and the Investment Fund Path (commercialization-oriented, structured for equity-style returns). Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through September 30, 2029.

The number to plan around is the $10 million minimum award. That threshold effectively scopes this program to universities, national labs, established companies, and consortia. A single small nonprofit or a community college applying alone is below the floor — the realistic route there is joining a consortium as a named partner, not leading an application.

NSF Regional Innovation Engines ($1B+)

NSF's "Engines" program — funded through the science authorization in CHIPS — is creating regional technology and innovation hubs focused on use-inspired R&D. Awards range from $15M to $160M over 10 years for winning regions.

These are among the largest NSF grants ever made. They're open to regional coalitions — universities, community colleges, local governments, nonprofits, and businesses working together. If your region doesn't have a hub yet, Phase 2 implementation grants are still being awarded.

Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (EDA)

The Economic Development Administration's Tech Hubs program — part of the CHIPS science authorization — designated 31 regional tech hubs in 2023 and has been awarding implementation grants since 2024. These awards range from $25M to $75M per hub.

Hubs focus on semiconductors, clean energy, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and other strategic technologies. Community development organizations, workforce agencies, and regional economic development organizations are often eligible sub-recipients.

Manufacturing USA Institutes

CHIPS authorized new Manufacturing USA institutes focused on semiconductor-related technologies. These competitive awards ($5M–$30M) go to consortia of universities, companies, and national labs to develop shared R&D infrastructure.

How Smaller Organizations Can Access CHIPS Funding

If you're not building a billion-dollar fab, here's your path to CHIPS money:

1. Workforce development organizations. CHIPS includes $500M+ specifically for semiconductor workforce training. Community colleges, apprenticeship programs, and workforce development nonprofits are prime recipients. NIST has been funding programs that build "semiconductor technician" career pathways.

2. University research groups. NSF and DOE science programs under CHIPS are flowing through universities in the form of research grants. Principal investigators at universities can apply directly. Awards range from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions.

3. Regional coalitions. The EDA Tech Hubs and NSF Engines programs are designed for regional collaboration. If your organization (economic development group, community foundation, local government) is in a region with tech potential, partnering in a hub application is a direct path to funding.

4. Small chip design companies. The CHIPS incentives aren't only for fabs. There are set-asides and specific programs for domestic chip designers, packaging companies, and supply chain participants. NIST has been running solicitations for smaller-scale facilities investments.

5. National labs as partners. Organizations that can partner with DOE national labs (Argonne, Oak Ridge, Sandia, etc.) can access CHIPS R&D funding through cooperative research agreements.

The 2026 Landscape: What's Open Now

Most of the large fab incentive awards are committed. The clearest open channel is the R&D BAA:

• CHIPS R&D Broad Agency Announcement (CRDO) — the confirmed open opportunity. Rolling submissions through September 30, 2029; $10M minimum; two pathways (R&D Project and Investment Fund).
• Manufacturing incentives — still being awarded case by case, as the July 2026 Bosch agreement shows. These are negotiated Direct Funding Agreements with large manufacturers, not an open competition you apply to.
• NSF Engines, EDA Tech Hubs, and NIST workforce programs — these come from the *science* half of CHIPS and depend on annual appropriations rather than the $52.7B incentive pot. Confirm the current round directly with the agency before building an application; the cadence has been irregular and we don't publish round dates we can't source.

The honest 2026 read: the fab incentives are largely spoken for, the R&D pathway is open but has a high floor, and the science-side programs are appropriations-dependent rather than guaranteed by the 2022 law.

Find CHIPS Grants on GrantSonar

GrantSonar tracks CHIPS-linked grant opportunities in real time — from NIST manufacturing competitions to NSF research grants to EDA regional hub funding. Our matching engine shows you which programs fit your organization's mission, capabilities, and geography.

Explore CHIPS Act grants on GrantSonar →

The semiconductor investment wave has only just begun. The fab incentives got the headlines, but the R&D and workforce programs are where most organizations will find their opportunity.

Related topics: Technology Grants · Technology & Research Grants · Workforce Development Grants · GrantSonar Home · Plans and Pricing

_Last updated: August 4, 2026. Sources: NIST — Bosch Direct Funding Agreement, July 13, 2026 · DLA Piper — CHIPS R&D Office reshapes pathways, April 2026 · NSF CHIPS and Science · Manufacturing Dive — Commerce cuts $7.4B from Natcast. Program status changes frequently; verify against the agency notice before you build an application._