The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) provides Stellar grants to builders that contribute to the network’s success. Several grant programs are currently open:

Research and Development Grants

To encourage innovation, SDF offers R&D grants that support the creation of minimum viable products and proofs of concept aimed at improving liquidity, increasing throughput, or otherwise extending the capabilities of the network to meet ecosystem needs. R&D grants go to qualified teams with proven capability to define benchmarks, conduct experiments, deliver results, and explain them to the world at large.

Anyone can submit a proposal by following the steps outlined on the application page. Periodically, the SDF R&D grants committee will evaluate applications, and follow up with those that meet current standards and fulfill current ecosystem needs. When evaluating a proposal, the grants committee will ask:

• Does the experiment have real potential to improve liquidity, increase network throughput, or add key functionality to the Stellar network?
• Is it well scoped?
• Will it deliver measurable results?
• Does the team behind the proposal have a proven track record of reliability?

Infrastructure Grants

SDF’s Infrastructure Grant program supports projects that provide crucial network utility. There is no way to apply for this program. Instead, SDF allows projects to emerge and prove their value organically. The SDF ecosystem team reviews the Stellar ecosystem, asking of each major project:

• Is this project an application or service that helps the Stellar network grow?
• Has the project proven its value?
• Is the team ambitious and dedicated to the long-term success of the network?

If the answer to these questions is yes, the project is considered for a grant, and SDF reaches out for more information.

Grants are paid out every quarter and before each distribution, SDF reviews the roadmaps to ensure recipients keep driving the ecosystem forward.