An NIH grant or SBIR/STTR award is one of the best forms of funding a life sciences company can secure — non-dilutive capital that extends runway without giving up equity or board control. But the moment that funding arrives, it comes with a parallel set of compliance obligations — FFRs, RPPRs, PMS drawdown reconciliation, SAM.gov registration, and more — that most growth-stage finance functions aren't built to handle. This article breaks down what changes the day the money lands, where companies most often go wrong, and what it actually takes to manage federal grant compliance well enough to protect both the funding and the company's standing for future awards.

Why Most Growth-Stage Companies Don't Need a Full-Time CFO (And What They Need Instead)

Founders ask the wrong question about financial leadership: "Can I afford a CFO?" The better question is what it's costing you not to have one. Late financials, missed grant deadlines, a board that doesn't trust the numbers — these costs are real, they compound, and they stay invisible until a crisis forces the issue.

Most growth-stage companies are choosing between three paths: the status quo, a six-figure full-time hire, or fractional CFO leadership scoped to what the company actually needs right now. The mistake is treating it as a binary — because the option silently costing the most is usually the status quo.