# NSF Funds Anu Seed Pod Scaling

On October 22, 2026, the National Science Foundation awarded Anu a **$500,000 Phase IIB SBIR grant** to scale production of its compostable Plug-and-Grow Seed Pods and test the nutritional quality of produce grown through its automated controlled-environment agriculture system. The work includes multi-cavity manufacturing tooling, with production at Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, and supports Anu’s Food is Medicine platform for healthcare and education settings. This is a completed grant award, not an open solicitation, and no procurement deadline or contact for bidding is identified.

- The award supports manufacturing scale-up and nutritional validation, which may create future partnership opportunities for manufacturers and organizations involved in deployment or validation.
- Procurement teams should distinguish this completed SBIR award from an active contract opportunity; the signals do not identify an open solicitation or a current request for suppliers.
- Anu’s prior NSF SBIR awards include Phase II funding in 2023 and Phase I funding in 2021, indicating a progression of federally supported technology development.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Healthcare, Environment
**Topics:** Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 23, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Science Foundation (NSF)

### Vendors
- Anu (SBIR awardee)
- Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana (Seed pod manufacturer)

### Key Quotes
> The Phase IIB work will expand this evidence base as Anu scales its Food is Medicine platform where the objective is not simply to produce more food, but to reliably produce and validate the nutritional outcomes healthcare providers are ultimately seeking.
> — Scott Massey, Anu co-founder

### Sources
- [Anu awarded $500K NSF SBIR grant to advance compostable Plug-and-Grow Seed Pod - Greenhouse Management](https://www.greenhousemag.com/news/anu-nsf-sbir-plug-grant-seed-pod-cea) - Greenhouse Management
- [Anu awarded $500K NSF SBIR grant to advance compostable Plug-and-Grow Seed Pod  | EurekAlert!](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1148873) - EurekAlert!
- [Anu awarded $500K NSF SBIR grant to advance compostable Plug-and-Grow Seed Pod - Stories](https://stories.prf.org/anu-awarded-500k-nsf-sbir-grant-to-advance-compostable-plug-and-grow-seed-pod) - Purdue Research Foundation