Grants Program

About the Moonbeam Grants Program

Funding project initiatives to bootstrap activity, adoption and overall growth of the Moonbeam Network.

The grants program is a multi-level funding structure designed to support many kinds of projects in the ecosystem and help establish Moonbeam as the premier destination for cross-chain connected applications. The program is designed to exemplify community engagement, inclusivity, and transparency while working toward the greater good of the ecosystem by helping projects building on Moonbeam and Moonriver.

The Moonbeam Grants Program consists of two components:

Community Committee Grants
Community Committee Grants are intended to attract Web3 startups to the ecosystem by offering founders financial assistance, as well as technical, co-marketing support, mentorship, and strategic support.

The budget is set periodically by the Moonbeam Foundation and managed by a committee that includes 2 members from the Foundation and 3 members that were elected from the community for a 6 month term.

Apply for a Grant

Ecosystem Grants
Calls for Ecosystem Grants are periodically issued by the Moonbeam Foundation and are intended to help more mature teams scale. These grants tend to be larger than Community Committee Grants and while the committee ensures applications are well formatted and oversees the general application process, the allocation is fully determined by the community.

Applications are first submitted to the Forum and reviewed by the committee to ensure they adhere to application standards. After a period of review and community discussion, they are submitted to a weighted snapshot vote so the community can vote on how to allocate the available funds. A final on-chain vote then confirms the allocation.

Why You Should Apply

Passion & Enthusiasm

You’re excited about the potential of Moonbeam and cross-chain connected smart contracts as the future of Web3 applications.

Experimentation

You want to build and test your application in a growing ecosystem with a strong community and enthusiastic user base.

Scalability

You need a fully interoperable execution environment but want to maintain your EVM-compatible codebase(s) using the most popular developer tools.

Multi-Chain

You’re bullish on the future of multi-chain and want to execute a deployment that can tap into functionality across multiple blockchains.

Grant Program Resources

By joining the grants program, you will have access to benefits that will help your project’s technical design, growth strategy, and overall development.

Project

Funding

Grants available for applications, infrastructure, tooling, education, and programs to bootstrap activity

Developer Guidance

Technical support during DApp design, testing, and deployment

Ecosystem Networking

Intros to other ecosystem teams for collaborations, such as DeFi, NFT Marketplace, and other protocols

Investor Introductions

Access to VCs that are active in the Moonbeam ecosystem, potentially including the Moonbeam Ecosystem Fund

Resource Recommendations

Guidance for firms to help with audits, marketing, and other operational needs

Guidelines for Potential Applicants

The grants program supports projects that add value and help grow the Moonbeam ecosystem. Projects applying for grants will have a greater chance of success if they can demonstrate a strong project, team commitment, and provide a thorough grant request that meets these criteria:

Community-Oriented

Grant proposals should demonstrate a commitment to the Moonbeam ecosystem through collaborative efforts. Teams that show commitment to the network and its unique capabilities, like connected contracts, will stand out. Applications must align with Moonbeam Guiding Principles and Moonbeam Code of Conduct. In general, teams that apply for grants should act as good stewards for the network and the ecosystem as a whole.

Bold Initiatives

Teams should present a well-researched and tested project that adds value to the ecosystem or fills a gap. Differentiation here is helpful, new ideas that implement technology not yet in use are considered to be most desirable.

Compelling Team and Roadmap

Teams with strong technical backgrounds that come armed with a plan for growth and engagement (and are available and responsive during the application review) will have a greater chance of success. Delivery on the milestones outlined in the application will be important as well, so these should be well-thought-out. The amount requested for the grant should be firmly situated in the plan and in line with the deliverables outlined in the roadmap.

The Grant Application Process

Grant applications are classified into two levels that generally correspond to the amount requested and the size of the work outlined in the application. Members of the community will participate in the determination of who receives a grant.

Community Committee Grants

Previously divided into two tranches and referred to as “Level One and Level Two”, Community Committee grants cover grants up to $250k and are approved by the Community Grants Committee.
1. Application

Complete and submit a grant application with accuracy and detail.

2. Initial Screening

The Community Grants Committee or designated service provider will reach out to the grant applicant to schedule a call so they can review the information provided. Based on the information provided in this phase and in the grant application, the reviewer will decide whether the project moves forward based on the community-approved Grant Guidelines.

3. Committee Review & Diligence

The Community Grants Committee and designated service providers will explore the project, concept, and grant request and assess the project according to the community-approved grant guidelines.

4. Voting

After the diligence phase, the Community Grants Committee will vote on whether the application should be accepted or rejected. A grant application is approved if at least three Community Grants Committee Members vote “Aye” with at least one of the Foundation Community Grants Committee Members voting “Aye”. A grant application will not be accepted if there are more Nay Community Grants Committee votes than Aye votes.

5. Implementation & Follow-Up

Teams with approved grants can start working toward the milestones outlined in the grant.

Ecosystem Grants

Ecosystem Grants (previously referred to as “Level Three” grants) are grant amounts up to 2M GLMR and require direct community approval via an on-chain vote. Unlike the previous process, Ecosystem Grants will not be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Instead, there will be an application deadline, followed by a community vote via snapshot where the community will be able to submit a weighted vote on how the budget for the first tranche of the Ecosystem Grants should be distributed between the eligible applicants. Review this proposal for additional details on the process and requirements.
1. Initial Grant Proposal

Complete and submit a draft grant proposal for discussion to the Moonbeam Forum for community feedback by March 13, 2022.

2. Community Discussion & Revise Draft Proposal

By March 17, the Community Grants Committee members will publicly comment to help ensure the draft proposals adhere to the criteria. By March 19, the grant author will need to revise the draft proposal to incorporate community feedback, including from the Community Grants Committee.

3. Snapshot Voting for Allocation of Funds

On March 20, the Community Grants Committee will open a weighted vote on Snapshot for the community (“Snapshot Vote”) which includes each eligible draft proposal as an option as well as an option to not use a portion of the tranche funds. Community members will then vote with their GLMR on how to allocate Tranche 1 funds across the eligible draft proposals by indicating the weight of the GLMR in their wallet that they would like to place on each option.

4. Allocation of Tranche 1 Funds and On-Chain Ecosystem Grant Proposals

The Community Grants Committee will then publish the finalized GLMR grant requests for each eligible draft proposal (subject to any necessary adjustments as outlined in this proposal). The eligible draft proposals will be updated with the revised GLMR grant size based on the Snapshot vote and submitted for an on-chain vote.

5. Community Voting

The proposal will be posted for a public community vote. Proposals will become referenda in this stage. Voters will submit Aye or Nay according to the typical Moonbeam governance process. This can be done on Polkassembly or directly through the Polkadot.js web application.

5. Implementation

For Ecosystem Grant referenda that pass, implementation will begin based on the steps and milestones outlined in the approved referendum, including the execution of a grant agreement or other documentation dictating the conditions for the grant.

How & Where to Vote

Community members play a key role in the review and approval of Ecosystem Grants, which can include sizable fund amounts and can have a significant impact on the direction of the network. There are a few ways for community members to participate. Discussions start on the Moonbeam Forum before moving to the voting stage.

Snapshot

Polkassembly

Polkadot.js Web Application

WalletConnect
MetaMask
Ledger or Trezor
Polkadot.js Extension
Go to Snapshot
Go to Polkassembly
Go to Polkadot.js

.

On either platform, community members will need GLMR to vote on referenda. Comments can be submitted for discussion without GLMR.

Current Grants Committee

The Community Grants Committee is a group of five individuals who are charged with reviewing incoming grants applications and evaluating their merit, contributions to the ecosystem, and overall value to the network as a whole. Committee Members were approved as part of the Grants Program Proposal in March 2023.

The Community Grants Committee consists of two members from the Moonbeam Foundation and three community members who are not serving a role at the Moonbeam Foundation, but understand the priorities of the program and serve to help facilitate the growth of the ecosystem.

All official communications from the Community Grants Committee will come from the moonbeam.foundation email domain.

Current Committee Members:

Sicco Naets, Moonbeam Foundation community member

Thiago Castroneves, Moonbeam Foundation community member

Jim Farley, non-Foundation community member

NEO, non-Foundation community member

Lucas Moskau, non-Foundation community member