Grant Research & Proposal Specialist - Defense, Technology, Public Safety & Startup Funding

Clark Strategic Ventures LLC is seeking a highly resourceful funding researcher and applications specialist whose primary objective is to continuously identify and pursue non-dilutive funding opportunities for Aerial Ledger, an early-stage B2B software startup focused on drone/UAS incident management. We are NOT looking only for traditional government grants. We want someone who aggressively searches across the entire non-dilutive funding ecosystem, including federal/state/local grants, SBIR/STTR, DoD and national-security innovation programs, startup competitions, pitch competitions, innovation challenges, prize competitions, corporate-sponsored funds, accelerator programs, incubators, university/industry programs, cloud/startup credits, fellowships, founder programs, pilot programs with funding, research/technology challenges, and other legitimate sources of non-dilutive capital or substantial free resources. Your job is to find money and opportunities we would otherwise miss. For every opportunity, determine eligibility, funding/prize value, deadline, application requirements, expected obligations, equity requirements, geographic restrictions, technology fit, and likelihood of fit before recommending it. Priority opportunities are those providing cash awards, grants, prizes, stipends, funded pilots, or meaningful startup resources without equity dilution or repayment obligations. Examples of areas to search include software, SaaS, AI/data infrastructure, cybersecurity, public safety, corrections, critical infrastructure, UAS/drone technology, defense/dual-use technology, homeland security, government innovation, cloud technology, entrepreneurship, and small-business programs. The contractor will maintain a live funding pipeline, prepare applications using our existing company materials, track deadlines, draft responses, coordinate required documentation, and submit applications after founder approval. We care about breadth AND quality. Do not restrict searches to opportunities containing the word “grant” or “drone.” We expect creative research across government, corporate, nonprofit, university, accelerator, venture ecosystem, and international programs for which a U.S. startup is eligible. Do not recommend: loans, debt financing, investment requiring equity, programs requiring us to surrender IP, paid accelerators where fees outweigh benefits, or programs whose obligations materially outweigh the funding. When applying, never make unsupported claims about our traction, customers, revenue, technical readiness, or partnerships. Please apply with: examples of non-dilutive funding programs you have discovered or successfully pursued; grants/prizes/competitions/accelerators you've worked with; your research methodology; databases/tools you use; and examples of unusual funding opportunities you've found that a typical grant search would miss.