The 2026 Orlando Tech Grant Program is a $65,000 initiative supporting grassroots tech programs, talent development, and innovation-focused advancements across Orlando.<\/p>\n
ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 The City of Orlando and the Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP) officially launched the 2026 Orlando Tech Grant<\/a>, a $65,000 funding initiative designed to strengthen Orlando\u2019s innovation ecosystem by investing in the organizations and programs that connect entrepreneurs, talent, and industry leaders throughout the region.<\/p>\n Funded by the City of Orlando and administered by the OEP, the grant program supports initiatives that advance the Orlando 2045 Vision of becoming a Top 10 global Innovation Hub by promoting organizations that contribute to Orlando\u2019s ecosystem-building initiatives and organizations, not just individual companies.<\/p>\n \u201cOrlando\u2019s success as a growing innovation hub depends on the strength of the organizations that bring people together, develop talent, and create opportunities for new ideas to thrive,\u201d said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. <\/p>\n \u201cThrough the Orlando Tech Grant Program, the City is proud to invest in the community partners who are helping build a stronger, more connected tech ecosystem and creating economic opportunity for residents across our city.\u201d<\/p>\n Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer<\/p>\n \u201cThe Orlando Tech Grant is an investment in the programs and partnerships that make Orlando\u2019s innovation ecosystem stronger,\u201d said Sheena Fowler, OEP SVP of Innovation and Economic Development. <\/p>\n \u201cBy funding both grassroots community builders and larger strategic initiatives, we\u2019re strengthening the organizations that connect talent, industry leaders, and innovators across our region, and moving Orlando closer to becoming a top global innovation hub.\u201d<\/p>\n Sheena Fowler, OEP SVP of Innovation and Economic Development<\/p>\n The program offers two funding opportunities:<\/p>\n Ignite Grants, ranging from $1,500 to $3,000, support grassroots ecosystem-building efforts such as meetups, mentorship programs, hackathons, networking events, and community-led technology initiatives.<\/p>\n Capability Catalyst Grants, ranging from $8,000 to $15,000, support larger initiatives. Examples include a 12-week XR developer accelerator, two-day physics-based simulation demonstration, digital twin pilot project, clinical AI ethics summit, 16-week semiconductor talent pipeline program, and 48-hour sports analytics datathon.<\/p>\n Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations serving the City of Orlando, fiscally sponsored projects, mission-aligned for-profit organizations operating ecosystem-building programs, and volunteer-led initiatives applying through a fiscal sponsor.<\/p>\n In addition to grant funding, selected organizations will receive increased visibility through OEP\u2019s marketing and storytelling efforts and a complimentary booth at OEP\u2019s annual signature technology event in February, providing opportunities to connect with investors, talent, community leaders, and fellow innovators.<\/p>\n Applications for the 2026 Orlando Tech Grant are now open and must be submitted through OEP\u2019s online portal by 11:59 p.m. ET on August 28, 2026.<\/p>\n For more information about the Orlando Tech Grant, eligibility requirements, or the application process, visit Orlando.org\/techgrant<\/a> or contact Sheena Fowler, SVP of Innovation & Economic Development at Sheena.Fowler@Orlando.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 Orlando Tech Grant Program is a $65,000 initiative supporting grassroots tech programs, talent development, and innovation-focused…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":374733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-374732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}