NSF SBIR / STTR
NSF's SBIR/STTR program funds small businesses developing distributed ledger technologies — blockchain, DAGs, and smart contracts.
From the Grant Wire
Grant programs across
crypto, AI and open source.
Who funds them, what they fund and how to apply.
480 programs on file258 active programsCrypto · AI · Open source
National Science Foundation
NSF's active SBIR/STTR solicitation funds U.S. startups and small businesses developing next-generation scientific instrumentation and enabling technologies, including infrastructure for AI-driven discovery. Phase I proposals may request up to $305,000; applicants must first submit a Project Pitch and receive an invitation to submit a full proposal.
National Science Foundation
NSF X-Labs is a planned $1.5 billion initiative for large, multiyear awards to independent, full-time research and development teams pursuing technical breakthroughs outside traditional university and industry-lab structures. The first two topic announcements closed in July 2026. Scientific Instrumentation for Sensing and Imaging proposals were due 13 July 2026. Quantum Systems interconnects and integrated photonics proposals were due 24 July 2026. NSF has said additional topics will be announced.
Octant
Octant's recurring epoch-based public-goods funding round, distributing a matching pool via quadratic funding to participating ecosystem projects.
Software Freedom Conservancy
Outreachy is a paid open-source internship program (administered with Software Freedom Conservancy support) offering $7,000 USD stipends, running two rounds a year. December 2026 initial applications are open from 24 August to 31 August 2026 at 16:00 UTC. Internships run 7 December 2026 to 8 March 2027.
Celo
Three funding pools for Celo builders: Anchor (traction-stage, $25k+), Boost (invite-only, cross-ecosystem), and Frontier (AI/agent-economy infrastructure, $25k+). 575+ applications, 120+ contracts signed, $2M distributed to date.
National Institutes of Health
NIH's Common Fund PRIMED-AI initiative has two open RFAs for AI precision medicine: RFA-RM-27-011 (multi-use AI frameworks playbook, due 2026-10-09) and RFA-RM-27-013 (translating AI precision-medicine models into clinical use, due 2026-10-19).
Python Software Foundation
Nomination-based honorary recognition for people who have made significant contributions to the Python community. The Fellow Work Group reviews nominations each quarter. The Q3 2026 cutoff was August 20. Q4 nominations open in October and close November 20, 2026.
Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund
Annual cohort-based grants of $50,000-$100,000 for one year to youth-led and intergenerationally-led U.S. organizations working on responsible technology, with young leaders holding funding-decision roles. The 2023 and 2025 cohorts were anchored by Omidyar Network. Fund 3 applications closed October 10, 2025. The apply page says the 2026 cohort is closed and that Fund 4 applications will be announced in Fall 2026. There is no current application form.
Rocket Pool
Rocket Pool's Grants and Marketing Committee (GMC) funds grants, bounties, and retrospective awards for rETH/protocol infrastructure work, run in numbered rounds.
Stellar Community Fund
The Stellar Community Fund's primary award, funding teams building on the Stellar network with up to $150,000 in XLM per project across three tracks: Open (brand-new projects), Integration (existing Stellar building blocks or teams with significant traction), and RFP (tooling/services matching an open SCF RFP). Runs in numbered rounds; new applicants start with an interest form reviewed on a rolling basis, and selected teams complete KYC/KYB.
Survival and Flourishing Fund
The Survival and Flourishing Fund's recurring grant rounds, run once or twice per year via the S-Process algorithm and meeting procedure, recommend donations to organizations working on the long-term survival and flourishing of sentient life, including existential and global catastrophic risk reduction. A rolling Speculation Grant application runs year-round; a Speculation Grant guarantees eligibility for consideration in an S-Process round.
Linux Foundation
Annual Linux Foundation Education scholarship that awards free training courses and a certification exam to increase diversity in open source. The 2026 round selected more than 500 recipients from 123 countries across 16 categories after more than 5,900 applications; more than 4,250 scholarships have been awarded since 2010. The 2027 cycle opens in April 2027.
Japan Science and Technology Agency
Joint Japan-Canada research call under JST's SICORP program, focused on AI and automation solutions for agricultural productivity and resilience. Japanese proposals go through e-Rad. Canadian teams register with NRC first.
Sovereign Tech Agency
Flexible direct support (freelance or employment contracts) for maintainers, community managers, and technical writers doing critical open-source work.
Stacks Endowment
Two tracks: Builder Grants (up to $50,000, for teams with proven traction) and Getting Started Grants (up to $10,000, for early prototypes).
Sui Foundation
Sui Foundation's flagship annual hackathon for Sui builders, with prizes and seed funding across core tracks. The 2026 project submission window closed 23 May 2026.
National Science Foundation
NSF initiative funding State/Territory AI Readiness Coordination Hubs and a single National Coordination Lead (up to $5M/year for up to 5 years) to coordinate them nationally.
Status describes whether a program is running. Application methods are recorded separately. Read the funder’s terms before applying.