04 / IN-KIND GRANTS
In-kind grants. No cost to you, nothing owed afterward.
The smallest suppliers carry the same 110 requirements as the largest, with no one to assign them to. A nonprofit exists for that gap. This page says what it gives, who it is for, and how to apply.
A nonprofit that gives the work itself.
Cyber Grants Alliance awards in-kind cybersecurity grants to small businesses, nonprofits and defense suppliers. In kind means the grant is the work itself, not a payment: a CMMC Level 1 or Level 2 gap assessment, carried out for you, with the findings written up so you can act on them. There is no cost to you and no obligation to buy anything afterward, from the alliance, from Capital Cyber, or from anyone else.
What you get.
A gap assessment of your scope against the requirements of your level, with every requirement marked met or not met and the evidence noted. The same first honest number described in step two of What to do.
What it costs you.
Time: a few hours answering questions and showing your systems. Nothing else.
Who it is for.
Small suppliers and organizations that cannot carry the cost of a consultant. The application asks about your size and your contracts; the alliance decides from that.
How it works.
1. Apply.
The form on the Cyber Grants Alliance site takes a few minutes. It asks who you are, what you do for the defense base, and what you handle.
2. Scope call.
Someone walks through where your controlled information lives, so the assessment covers the right machines and people.
3. Assessment and findings.
The requirements are checked against your scope and you receive the findings in writing. What you do next is yours to decide.
Other help that exists.
Your state's APEX Accelerator and Manufacturing Extension Partnership center both run programs for small defense suppliers, often at no cost. Your prime's supplier development office may have a program as well. None of these replace your own assessment and affirmation, and all of them are worth a call.