Every crypto grant worth applying to, in one place.

Innovate UK's Innovation Funding Service is the UK government's central portal for business and research innovation competitions, currently listing 34 open or opening-soon funding rounds. Individual competitions range from £50,000 (Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund) to £10 million (Dual-use Aviation Systems and Autonomy), covering sectors including advanced materials, aerospace and defence, cyber security, farming technology, child welfare, and clean energy. Eligibility varies by competition: most require UK registration, though several Contracts for Innovation rounds accept EU, EEA, and international organisations. SME participation is frequently mandated in collaborative bids. Grants are non dilutive; no equity is taken. Deadlines are staggered across competitions, with the nearest closing 3 June 2026 and others running through September 2026, making this effectively a rolling portal. The case for applying is strong for UK registered businesses, universities, RTOs, and Catapults with a clear innovation project that fits one of the active themes. The main friction is competition specific eligibility and the structured multi stage application process typical of UKRI funded programmes, which demands meaningful preparation time.

The Stellar Community Fund Build Award is a recurring grant program run by the Stellar Development Foundation that funds projects building on the Stellar and Soroban blockchains. Awards go up to $150,000 in XLM, paid in tranches tied to development milestones: initial distribution, MVP, testnet, and mainnet launch. The program runs on a roughly six week cadence, with SCF #44 currently open and a submission deadline of June 14, 2026. Applicants must first submit an interest form before being invited to submit a full proposal. Three tracks exist: Open, Integration, and RFP, each with distinct criteria and review processes. Reviewers assess product market fit, use of Stellar, integration plan, submission quality, and budget structure. Beyond cash, accepted projects receive technical audits and access to accelerators and VCs. The program is genuinely global with no stated geography restrictions. The multi step process (interest form, prescreen, panel review, community vote) puts complexity at a moderate level. Teams with a validated concept and a clear Stellar integration story are well positioned. Projects without a meaningful on chain component or those early in ideation may struggle to pass the prescreen.

Foresight Institute runs the AI for Science and Safety Nodes program, offering grants of $10,000 to $100,000 to researchers and builders who use AI to advance science and safety. The program distributes roughly $3M annually and pairs funding with office space, community programming, and local compute resources at hubs in San Francisco and Berlin. Individuals, teams, nonprofits, and for profits worldwide can apply, though the program strongly prioritizes applicants who plan to work from one of the two physical hubs. Funding only applications are accepted only in exceptional cases. Focus areas include AI security, private AI, decentralized and cooperative AI, AI for science and epistemics, brain computer interfaces, longevity biotechnology, and molecular nanotechnology. Evaluation weighs impact on existential risk reduction, feasibility within short AGI timelines, team capability, and open source orientation. Applications are reviewed monthly on a rolling basis, with deadlines on the last day of each month. The review process takes approximately two months per cycle. The case for applying is strong for mission aligned teams already based in or willing to relocate to San Francisco or Berlin. Remote or funding only applicants face a higher bar and should expect lower odds of success.

The European Innovation Council runs a suite of funding programs under the EIC 2026 Work Programme, targeting innovators and deep tech companies across Europe. The portfolio spans several instruments: EIC Pathfinder funds breakthrough research from lab to prototype; EIC Transition supports market readiness; EIC Accelerator provides grants and investments for commercialisation and scale-up; EIC STEP Scale Up offers equity investments to catalyse rounds of 50 million EUR or above for companies with existing investor pre-commitments; EIC Pre-Accelerator targets early stage teams in widening countries; and the Advanced Innovation Challenges pilot addresses high-risk demand-driven deep tech. The EIC Accelerator has six cut-off deadlines in 2026, with the next upcoming on 8 July 2026, followed by 2 September and 4 November. STEP Scale Up has four deadlines, with 9 September and 25 November 2026 still open. Grant amounts and equity investment sizes vary by instrument and are not stated on this overview page. The programs are open to innovators and SMEs, primarily in EU member states and associated countries. Application complexity is high, typically involving multi-stage submissions with technical and business components. Teams without prior EU grant experience should budget significant preparation time.

Exact match for MCP + crypto intelligence at the AI x crypto intersection. CAVEAT: dilutive at $5M post.

NLnet Foundation, a Dutch philanthropy backed by the European Commission's Next Generation Internet programme, runs rolling open calls funding free and open source software, hardware, data, and standards projects that strengthen the open internet. Grants range from 5,000 to 50,000 EUR per project, with scale-up possible for proven work. Deadlines fall on the first of every even month; the next cutoff is August 1, 2026. Currently active calls are NGI Taler, focused on deploying the GNU Taler privacy-preserving digital payment system, and NGI Fediversity, targeting easy-to-use hosted cloud services built on federated, portable infrastructure. Anyone can apply: individuals, companies, nonprofits, research institutions, and public bodies are all eligible, provided all outputs are released under recognised free and open source licenses. The application form is intentionally short and low-threshold, making complexity modest. A note of caution: a June 12, 2026 news item signals that the broader NGI Zero open calls are temporarily paused during a transition to the Open Internet Stack programme, so applicants should confirm current fund status before investing time. Support services including security audits, accessibility reviews, and licensing advice are available to grantees at no extra cost.

NLnet Foundation runs a rolling grant program that funds free and open source software, hardware, data, and standards projects aimed at building a more open, resilient, and privacy respecting internet. Awards range from EUR 5,000 to EUR 50,000 per project, with deadlines on the first of every even numbered month; the next deadline is August 1, 2026. Virtually any entity type can apply, including individuals, nonprofits, research organizations, companies, and public institutions, provided the work is released under a recognized free and open source license and any scientific outputs are published open access. Active funding tracks include NGI0 Commons Fund (broad open internet commons), NGI TALER (GNU Taler electronic payments), and NGI Fediversity (hosted cloud services with service portability). The program is backed in part by the European Commission Next Generation Internet initiative. The case for applying is strong: the application form is intentionally short, intake is continuous, and the scope covers a wide range of open technology work. The main constraint is the strict open source licensing requirement across all outputs, which rules out proprietary or mixed license projects. Teams already building in the open internet or federated infrastructure space will find this a natural fit.

NLnet Foundation funds open source software projects serving the public good, offering non dilutive grants between €10,000 and €100,000. The foundation operates a rolling application process with calls reviewed on a quarterly basis, so there is no single hard deadline, but submissions close per funding round and early entry into a cycle improves review timing. Funding is denominated in euros and disbursed in milestones. Eligibility criteria beyond the open source and public benefit framing are not fully stated in the source, though NLnet historically funds individual developers, small teams, and nonprofits globally, with no stated revenue or headcount cap. Projects must release work under an open license. NLnet's core interest is internet infrastructure, privacy, security, and decentralized systems, areas where commercial incentives are weak and public funding fills the gap. They reward concrete technical deliverables over research abstractions. For a founder in crypto or AI building open source tooling, the strategic case is real: NLnet alumni carry credibility in the European technical community, and the foundation connects grantees to the NGI (Next Generation Internet) ecosystem, which can open doors to follow on EU funding. The application is moderately detailed, requiring a project plan and milestone breakdown. At the upper end of the range, the effort is justified. Below €25,000, weigh carefully against opportunity cost.

ECLIPSE is a meta-program run by the U.S. National Science Foundation that funds translational research and workforce development at the intersection of fundamental plasma science and real-world engineering or societal needs. No per-grant dollar amounts are published; award sizes follow the norms of the participating NSF programs, which typically range from tens of thousands to several million dollars depending on project scope. Eligible applicants are US-based researchers at universities, HBCUs, minority serving institutions, and EPSCoR-eligible institutions. NSF explicitly welcomes collaborations involving underrepresented groups and institutions. The program spans multiple directorates including Engineering, Geosciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, STEM Education, and Integrative Activities. Proposals must address a plasma science challenge relevant to more than one NSF program and connect that challenge to a concrete societal or technological need. Submissions go to one of the listed related programs (e.g., Plasma Physics, CBET, CMMI) with the title prefix "ECLIPSE:" and are subject to each program's own deadlines, the nearest of which is August 11, 2026. The case for applying is strong for researchers whose plasma work crosses disciplinary lines and lacks a natural home in a single NSF program. The complexity is real: proposers must navigate multiple program offices, match submission windows, and satisfy dual intellectual merit and broader impact criteria.

The Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program is a federal funding stream administered by PacifiCan, the Government of Canada's economic development agency for British Columbia. The program supports the creation, growth, and nurturing of inclusive regional innovation ecosystems across B.C., targeting the full innovation continuum from early stage entrepreneurship through to growth and competitiveness. No specific grant amounts are published on this page; applicants must visit PacifiCan's website for funding details. Eligible applicants include incorporated businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and Indigenous organizations and businesses. The program is open and continuous, meaning there is no fixed deadline and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. PacifiCan's focus is on fostering entrepreneurial environments and diversifying B.C.'s economy. The case for applying is strong for ecosystem builders, accelerators, and Indigenous economic development organizations operating in B.C. The main drawback is the lack of published funding amounts, which makes it harder to assess fit before investing time in an application. Complexity is moderate given the federal government intake process.

The Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) runs a multi-track grant program supporting freelance journalists, staff reporters, and media outlets producing high-impact investigative stories for print, online, broadcast, books, documentaries, or podcasts. Regular grants go up to $10,000 and are reviewed three to four times per year, with the next deadline on September 14, 2026. Seed funding grants of $1,000 to $2,500 support preliminary reporting. Follow-up grants of up to $2,500 are available to prior FIJ grantees on an expedited basis. The Alicia Patterson Fellowship awards $20,000 for six months or $40,000 for twelve months of travel, research, and reporting. Applicants for full proposals must provide a Letter of Commitment from a news outlet agreeing to publish the work. International proposals must carry a strong US angle and be published in English in a US outlet. FIJ actively encourages proposals from journalists of color and stories targeting ethnic media. The application is submitted via Submittable and requires a detailed budget with line-item rationale, making complexity moderate. The program is well suited to independent journalists with a concrete story and outlet commitment; those without a publishing home or with a previously declined proposal face meaningful barriers.

The James A. & Faith Knight Foundation, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, runs an annual grant program for nonprofits with a 2026 application window open from January 31 through September 30, 2026, via the NonProfit Portal. Applications received after the deadline are deferred to Q1 2027. No per-grant dollar amounts are published on the page. The foundation funds three priority areas: general operating support, which provides unrestricted funds for nonprofit sustainability and growth; animals and the natural world, covering animal care, ecosystem protection, and ecological education; and women and girls, targeting economic self-sufficiency, public policy advocacy, and human rights. The funder explicitly values general operating support, noting it signals trust between funder and grantee. Eligible applicants are nonprofits, likely with a Michigan or regional focus given the Ann Arbor address, though geography is not formally restricted on the page. The case for applying is strong for Michigan-based nonprofits in these focus areas, particularly those seeking flexible unrestricted funding. The case against is the absence of published grant amounts and the relatively narrow thematic scope. Application complexity appears low, relying on a standard nonprofit portal submission.

The Build to Scale Program is a federal grant administered by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), offering awards between $500,000 and $5,000,000 per project. The program runs on an annual cycle with the current deadline set for October 25, 2026. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, state and local governments, and institutions of higher education based in the United States. The EDA uses this program to support regional innovation ecosystems, technology commercialization, and entrepreneurial scale up efforts that drive economic development. The funding levels are substantial and the federal review process typically spans three to six months post submission, so applicants should plan accordingly. The case for applying is strong for organizations with established regional innovation infrastructure and measurable economic impact goals. The case against: federal grant applications at this scale require significant preparation, including detailed project narratives, budget justifications, and organizational capability statements, making this a high complexity undertaking. Success rates for federal programs typically fall in the 10 to 30 percent range. Note that this listing appears on a third party aggregator site; applicants should verify all details directly at the official EDA grants portal before submitting.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science runs a rolling portfolio of Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) and DOE National Laboratory Announcements covering basic and applied scientific research. As of May 2026, three active solicitations are listed. The Genesis Mission (DE-FOA-0003612) targets AI for science and energy applications and remains open through December 17, 2026, with Phase II applications from FY26 Phase I awardees due that same date. The Accelerator Stewardship FOA (DE-FOA-0003620) closes May 21, 2026. A lab-only announcement on Robotics and Automation Testbeds for Autonomous Scientific Discovery closes July 24, 2026. Award amounts are not stated on the index page and vary by program. Eligibility depends on the specific FOA: universities, nonprofits, and national labs are typical recipients, though some announcements are restricted to DOE laboratories. Applications require pre-applications or letters of intent, full proposals via Grants.gov or PAMS, and multi-stage review, making complexity high. The strongest near-term opportunity for non-lab applicants is the Genesis Mission AI solicitation. Teams without prior DOE relationships should budget significant lead time for PAMS registration and institutional sign-off.

The SBIR/STTR Funding Opportunities portal, operated by the U.S. Small Business Administration, aggregates active solicitations from more than a dozen federal agencies including DoD, DOE, HHS, NASA, and NSF. Grant amounts vary widely by agency and phase: Phase I awards typically run $50,000 to $300,000 for feasibility work, while Phase II awards can reach $1 million or more for full R&D. Applicants must be U.S.-based small businesses with 500 or fewer employees; STTR topics additionally require a formal research institution partner. The program funds technology-driven R&D across virtually every federal mission area, from defense and health to agriculture and clean energy. Solicitations open on a rolling basis throughout the year, with DoD topics dropping the first Wednesday of each month. The portal currently shows zero open topics as of the crawl date, which likely reflects a between-cycle gap rather than a program closure, given the well-established annual cadence. Applicants should visit individual agency SBIR sites for the authoritative and most current solicitation documents. Application complexity is high: proposals require technical narratives, commercialization plans, and budget justifications, and multi-round review is standard. Non dilutive funding with no equity taken.

The ED/IES Small Business Innovation Research program is a federally mandated grant program administered by the Institute of Education Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education. It funds for-profit small businesses developing and evaluating new education technology products. Phase I awards $250,000 over 9 months for rapid prototype development and evaluation. Phase II awards $1,000,000 over 2 years for full-scale development and evaluation, bringing the total potential funding to $1.25 million per company. A Direct to Phase II pathway also exists. Solicitations are released annually with proposals due roughly 60 days after release and award notifications within 90 days of submission. The program targets technologies such as AI adaptive tutors, games, assessments, VR, AR, simulations, and assistive tools for K-12 and higher education settings. Applicants must be U.S. based for-profit small businesses. IES places strong emphasis on rigorous iterative research with end users and a clear commercialization path. The case for applying is strong for edtech firms with an R&D pipeline and research capacity. The multi-phase proposal process, federal contracting requirements, and research rigor expectations make this a complexity-4 effort best suited to teams with prior grant writing experience.

The Zcash Foundation runs two grant programs for builders working on Zcash and financial privacy more broadly. The primary track, Zcash Community Grants, funds independent teams undertaking major ongoing development or other work that benefits the Zcash ecosystem. Grant recipients are selected by a five-person committee elected by the Zcash community, giving the process a decentralized governance character. A secondary track, Zcash Minor Grants, covers smaller contributions aligned with the Foundation's financial privacy mission, though the next application round has not been formally announced as of this page. No specific funding amounts are published on this page for either track. Applicants can submit directly at zcashgrants.org/submit on a rolling basis. The program is open globally with no stated geographic restrictions. Ideal candidates are teams advancing Zcash usability, security, privacy, or adoption. The community-elected committee structure means proposals need clear technical merit and ecosystem alignment to pass review. The lack of published funding ranges makes budget planning harder upfront, but the rolling intake lowers timing pressure for prospective applicants.

NSF runs the SBIR/STTR Phase I program through its Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships to fund startups and small businesses turning scientific discoveries into commercially viable products and services. The program allocates roughly $70 to $72 million for SBIR Phase I and $13 to $15 million for STTR Phase I annually, supporting approximately 280 awards per year. Per-award amounts are not stated on the page but historically average around $275,000 for Phase I. Applicants must be US-based small businesses; STTR proposals additionally require a partner research institution. NSF funds broadly across science and engineering disciplines, prioritizing innovations that are technically unproven, grounded in new scientific or engineering insight, and capable of disrupting or creating markets. The funding is non dilutive and no equity is taken. The application process is multi-step: applicants first submit a Project Pitch, await an invitation, then submit a full proposal. Only one pitch or proposal per organization per deadline window is permitted. The process is competitive and documentation-heavy, making it a realistic fit for technically strong founding teams with R&D capacity but a significant time investment for first-time applicants. Rolling intake with periodic deadlines makes this an ongoing opportunity worth tracking.

USDA NIFA administers the federal SBIR and STTR programs for agriculture, awarding competitively reviewed grants to qualified US small businesses pursuing high quality research on scientific problems in agriculture with potential for significant public benefit. Grant amounts are not stated on this page; Phase I and Phase II funding opportunities are listed separately on the NIFA site. Applicants must be small businesses as defined under SBA rules, and STTR awards additionally require a formal research institution partner. NIFA covers 10 broad topic areas including advanced technologies, animals, plants, food safety, natural resources, and farming and ranching. The program is ongoing with new Notices of Funding Opportunity released periodically via Grants.gov; NIFA recommends registering for Grants.gov alerts using CFDA code 10.212 to catch new solicitations. The application process is multi-phase and federally structured, requiring Grants.gov registration, SF424 forms, and research and related forms, making it moderately complex. No equity is taken. The program is a strong fit for US small businesses with agriculture focused R&D pipelines seeking non dilutive federal funding, but the federal compliance burden and competitive peer review process mean teams should budget significant preparation time.

The U.S. Department of Energy runs a broad portfolio of grant, loan, and financing programs accessible through its central Funding Opportunities portal. Individual programs are administered by distinct offices including ARPA-E, the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, the Grid Deployment Office, the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office, the Office of Indian Energy, the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, and the Office of Science. Recent award announcements range from $10 million for high performance computing to $500 million for critical materials processing, signaling active and large scale funding cycles as of May 2026. Eligible applicants vary by office and include startups, established companies, universities, nonprofits, state and local governments, tribal governments, and federal agencies. The DOE prioritizes energy security, grid reliability, domestic manufacturing, critical minerals, nuclear energy, and applied research. The case for tracking this portal is strong: multiple offices post rolling Funding Opportunity Announcements throughout the year, and recent announcements confirm active cycles. The main drawback is that this is an index page rather than a single program, so applicants must navigate to individual office pages to find specific FOAs, eligibility rules, and deadlines. Application processes are typically multi-stage and documentation heavy.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate runs the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES) omnibus solicitation, an ongoing funding vehicle covering a wide range of planetary and space science activities. The program is structured as many individual calls for proposals under one umbrella, each with its own topic and deadline, making it effectively a rolling program throughout the year. Eligible work includes scientific and technical research, planetary data product generation, software and tool development, workshops, and community events. No per-grant dollar amounts are stated on this page; award sizes vary considerably by program element. Applicants must generally be affiliated with a US institution, and proposals go through NASA's standard multi-step review process, which involves detailed technical narratives and budget justifications. The realistic case for applying is strong for researchers and developers working in planetary science, heliophysics, or related Earth and space disciplines who need non dilutive federal funding. The main friction is proposal complexity: ROSES submissions are time intensive and typically require institutional grants office support. The page references ROSES 2024 guidance, though as of May 2026 a newer cycle may be active; applicants should verify the current solicitation year directly at the linked NASA SARA page.

DIFC Innovation Hub, operated by the Dubai International Financial Centre, runs multiple accelerator programmes for early and growth stage startups in fintech, AI, insurtech, regtech, and adjacent sectors. No cash grant amounts are published on this page; the value proposition centers on mentorship, pilot opportunities, industry partnerships, co-working space, and Innovation or AI Licences within DIFC's regulatory framework. Three programmes are currently open for applications: the du Business AI Advantage Series targeting Dubai SMEs with AI tooling, the Transguard Early-Stage Accelerator for startups in AI and smart facility management, and the XRPL Accelerator Launch Programme run jointly with Ripple for teams building on the XRP Ledger. The hub is positioned as the largest fintech accelerator community in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region, with over 1,670 firms in residence. Applicants benefit from access to DIFC's international investor network and regulatory sandbox environment. The case for applying is strong for UAE-based or regionally focused fintech and AI startups seeking market access and credibility. The case against is that no direct cash funding is confirmed, and the programmes appear to be ecosystem and licensing plays rather than grant disbursements.

DIFC Innovation Hub, operated by the Dubai International Financial Centre, runs a suite of accelerator programmes for early and growth stage tech startups based in or relocating to Dubai. No cash grant amounts are published on this page; the value proposition centers on licensing support, co-working space, mentorship, pilot opportunities, and access to a network of over 1,670 tech firms and investors. Three programmes are currently open: the du Business AI Advantage Series targeting Dubai SMEs seeking AI adoption, the Transguard Early-Stage Accelerator for startups in AI, energy optimisation, and smart facility management, and the XRPL Accelerator Launch Programme run jointly with Ripple for startups building on the XRP Ledger. All three have active apply links. The hub is positioned as the primary FinTech, InsurTech, RegTech, and Islamic FinTech entry point for the MEASA region. Applicants outside the UAE should factor in relocation and licensing costs. The absence of disclosed funding amounts makes direct comparison with cash grant programs difficult, but the regulatory sandbox access and regional network are concrete advantages for startups targeting Gulf financial markets.

Horizon Europe is the European Commission's flagship research and innovation funding programme running from 2021 to 2027, with a total indicative budget of EUR 93.5 billion following the Multiannual Financial Framework Midterm Review. Individual grant amounts vary widely by call and instrument, from small fellowship stipends under Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions to large collaborative project grants across six thematic clusters covering health, digital industry and space, climate and energy, food and environment, civil security, and culture. Eligibility is open to legal entities from EU member states and associated countries, with some calls also welcoming international partners. The programme is structured across three pillars: Excellent Science (ERC, MSCA, Research Infrastructures), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, and Innovative Europe (EIC, EIT). Active calls are published on a rolling basis through the EU Funding and Tenders portal, with work programmes setting specific deadlines per call. The case for applying is strong for research institutions, universities, SMEs, and consortia with genuine R&D capacity and EU or associated country registration. The case against: application processes are multi-stage, administratively intensive, and highly competitive, making them poorly suited to early-stage teams without dedicated grant writing resources. A successor programme, Horizon Europe 2028-2034, with a proposed EUR 175 billion budget, is under interinstitutional negotiation.