COMMUNITY

Six Sources of Funding on Tezos That Everyone Should Know About

From the Tezos Foundation to community-administered funds, every Tezos developer should know about these resources.

TEZOS FOUNDATION

1,150 words, 6 minute read

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The Tezos ecosystem is ripe territory for crypto and blockchain enthusiasts who want to build something at the forefront of Web3. Of course, every new project and development requires resources, and for many developers, that means that if they have a new idea for a Tezos project, they’ll need funding.

In this article we’ll provide an overview of six sources of funding for new projects on Tezos:

  1. Tezos Foundation Grants
  2. Tezos Foundation Bounty Program
  3. Tezos Commons Small Grant Program
  4. Tezos Commons Community Rewards Program
  5. TZAPAC Ecosystem Growth Grant (EGG) incubation program
  6. Down The Rabbit Hole

And if you think we’ve missed anything, feel free to leave a note on our Twitter page.

Tezos Foundation Grants & Bounty Program #

The Tezos Foundation is a Switzerland-based entity with a board of rotating members. The primary role of the Foundation in the Tezos ecosystem is to manage the treasury of funds that were raised in the initial Tezos fundraiser in 2017, and to allocate these funds to individuals and groups building projects on Tezos.

A key activity of the Tezos Foundation is to deploy resources to entities and initiatives that will help to ensure the long-term success of the Tezos blockchain. - Tezos Foundation website

The Tezos Foundation Grant application is an open call for new projects to submit a request. This funding path is a great option for teams that have a medium to large budget for their project. The areas of interests for applicants, as listed on the Tezos Foundation website, include: baking, developer experience, education and training, end-user applications, privacy, security, and more.

Grant recipients must agree to a funding disbursement schedule on the basis of milestones, and after the project is complete, there are regular check-ins to review the prosperity of the project.

The Tezos Foundation also runs an active bounty program to incentivize and support parties providing solutions to issues that technical experts in the ecosystem have identified as highly beneficial areas of concern. Some bounties that are available as of the time of writing this article include:

To learn about these bounties in more detail, visit the Tezos Foundation bounty program info page, and for more information about the Tezos Foundation Grant Program, head to the Grant Program page on the TF website. Already have a project in mind? Visit the grant application page to get started.

Tezos Commons Small Grant Program & Community Rewards Programs #

Tezos Commons (TC) is a community organization that supports the individuals and teams which make up the Tezos ecosystem and community at large. Tezos Commons operates at the grass-roots level, within the Tezos community, publishing regular articles, podcasts and The Baking Sheet, a weekly roundup of news and announcements from the Tezos ecosystem.

Tezos Commons oversees two sources of funding: the Small Grant Program and the Community Rewards Program.

On the Tezos Commons website, the TC Small Grants Program is described as “an experimental regional effort focused on providing funding for low cost, intermittent, or experimental projects in the Tezos ecosystem.” Where grants from the Tezos Foundation may be larger in size and are intended to support projects that have a more ambitious roadmap, the TC Small Grants Program is perfect for individuals or groups who have a smaller-scale idea that may still be developing.

While small in size they are an important step toward maintaining the health of the ecosystem and the pursuit of progress as our communities grow. - TC website

Worth noting is that fact that the Small Grants Program is currently restricted to projects based in the U.S. and Canada.

Finally, the TC Community Rewards Program is a great opportunity for individuals who are very active in the community in whatever capacity to get the recognition they deserve. Every month up to 5,000 tez is reward to community members who have been deemed to have contributed most to the success of Tezos.

Other community members submit nominations, and you can even nominate yourself! Any funding that is not used during one month is rolled over to the next month. Nomination category descriptions are broken down by categories including: Drill Sergeant Award, Helping Hand Award, Influencer Award, Tez Dev Award, Tezos Tutor Award, the TEO Award, and more.

To learn more about either of the TC funding opportunities, visit the Tezos Commons website.

TZ APAC Incubator and Ecosystem Growth Grant (EGG) #

TZ APAC is a Tezos community organization dedicated to advancing the Tezos ecosystem in the Asia Pacific region. The Ecosystem incubation program is part of this initiative, helping APAC teams turn their ideas for developing on the Tezos blockchain into a reality.

Participation in the EGG Web3 Incubator can empower you with more than just financial assistance. You’ll get the chance to be mentored by stellar Web3 leaders, pitch your idea to leading investors and understand how you can launch a successful go-to-market strategy. - TZAPAC***

The incubator program runs for approximately three months, and it aims to support teams working in any of the follow five categories: Web3 gaming/GameFI, DeFi, NFTs, SaaS/Tooling, and enterprise blockchain solutions. Grant recipients are ‘incubated’ with access to mentors and other resources to help their projects achieve fruition. Meanwhile, TZ APAC and Tezos India also administer an Ecosystem Growth Grant, which provides funding for Tezos projects, ‘acting as a community-supported springboard for early-stage ideas’.

To learn more about the TZ APAC EGG and incubation program, visit their website.

Down the Rabbit Hole #

Down the Rabbit Hole is a grant program created and curated by the TZ Connect team, based in Berlin, Germany. It aims to support ideas and projects that are exploring decentralized technology, specifically on Tezos.

This program is a great opportunity for anyone regardless of their level or area of interest, whether they are already blockchain experts or relatively new to Web3. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out and start the conversation.

Some of the grant categories listed on the TZ Connect website currently include:

Some of the program benefits include financial support, mentorship and education, access to resources like office space, and a supportive community of like-minded builders

If you have an idea ready for submission, feel free to apply here.