# Bitcoin developer grants: OpenSats, Brink, HRF and more

> Bitcoin developer grants compared: 13 funders in our directory, from OpenSats and Brink to HRF, Btrust and Maelstrom, with who they fund and how to apply.

Last reviewed 2026-10-31. Dates are UTC.

Bitcoin developer grants pay individuals to work on open-source Bitcoin software, usually for 3 to 12 months and usually in bitcoin. As of October 2026, web3grant's directory lists 13 Bitcoin funders. OpenSats takes applications in quarterly windows, with Q4 2026 open until November 30, while Brink, HRF, Btrust, Spiral, Maelstrom and seven smaller funders accept applications year-round.

## Key takeaways

- As of October 31, 2026, 13 of the 99 programs in web3grant's directory fund Bitcoin work directly; 11 accept applications at any time and the two OpenSats funds open in the first two months of each quarter.
- OpenSats allocated about $8 million from its General Fund in 2025, paid in bitcoin for 3- to 12-month grants; applications need two written references and a two-minute video.
- For a full year of funded work, the main routes are Brink (established protocol developers), Maelstrom ($50,000 to $150,000 per developer, paid monthly) and Btrust (developers in the Global South, paid monthly in BTC).
- Almost every Bitcoin funder backs individuals rather than companies, and OpenSats welcomes pseudonymous applicants.
- Kraken's developer grant page is still online, but its published grant history stops at Q4 2020, so we do not list it.

## Who funds Bitcoin developers?

Bitcoin developer funding comes from nonprofits, companies and donors rather than from a token treasury, because Bitcoin has no protocol treasury to draw on. The table compares the 13 funders in the directory. For the full list with live status, see [Bitcoin grants](https://www.web3grant.com/ecosystems/bitcoin).

| Funder | Who it funds | Paid in | How to apply |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [OpenSats General Fund](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/opensats-general-fund) | Open-source Bitcoin work of any kind | BTC | Form, quarterly window |
| [OpenSats Nostr Fund](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/opensats-nostr-fund) | Nostr clients, relays, libraries | BTC | Same form and window |
| [Brink](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/brink-grants) | Established protocol developers; new engineers (fellowship) | Salary or grant | Form, any time |
| [HRF Bitcoin Development Fund](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/hrf-bitcoin-development-fund) | Privacy, security, education, freedom tech | BTC | Form, any time |
| [Btrust Developer Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/btrust-developer-grants) | Developers in the Global South | BTC, monthly | Form, any time |
| [Maelstrom Bitcoin Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/maelstrom-bitcoin-grant-program) | Individual Core and privacy developers | BTC or stablecoins | Form, any time |
| [Spiral Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/spiral-grants) | Independent devs, designers, researchers | Not published | Email |
| [BDK Foundation Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/bdk-foundation-grants) | Bitcoin Dev Kit maintainers | Not published | Email |
| [Bitcoin Design Foundation](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/bitcoin-design-foundation-grants) | Designers and UX researchers | Not published | Email |
| [Vinteum Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/vinteum-grants) | Experienced contributors, mostly in Brazil | Not published | Via Vinteum |
| [Bitshala Fellowship](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/bitshala-fellowship) | Developers and educators in India and South-East Asia | USD stipend | Via Bitshala |
| [Galaxy Quantum Readiness Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/galaxy-bitcoin-quantum-readiness-grants) | Post-quantum work for Bitcoin | Not published | Email |
| [Btrust Education Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/btrust-education-grants) | Organizations training developers | BTC | Form, any time |

Bitcoin layers with their own tokens, such as Stacks and Rootstock, fund differently; see [Bitcoin layer 2 grants](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/bitcoin-layer-2-grants).

## OpenSats: the quarterly open call

OpenSats is a US 501(c)(3) public charity, and its General Fund pays for Bitcoin Core contributions, Lightning, wallets, ecash, fuzz testing, developer libraries, translation and education. It does not fund altcoin projects or closed-source work. In 2025 it allocated $5,639,789 to regular grants and $2,328,000 to long-term support (LTS) grants for established maintainers, which have a separate form.

Applications are open in the first two months of each quarter: the Q4 2026 window runs from October 1 to November 30, 2026. You send a short proposal on the [OpenSats application page](https://opensats.org/apply) with two written reference letters and a two-minute video. A volunteer technical committee reviews it and a majority of the nine-person board must approve every grant, which is why we estimate about 13 weeks to a decision. Grants are set in USD, paid in bitcoin, and amounts are private by default. Nostr work goes through the same form to the OpenSats Nostr Fund; see our guide to [Nostr grants](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/nostr-grants).

## Brink: full-time protocol work

Brink, a donor-funded nonprofit, gives established Bitcoin protocol developers year-long grants to work full-time on open-source Bitcoin, with a focus on the security and stability of the base protocol. Grantees publicly commit to deliverables and post regular progress updates. Brink also runs a one-year, salaried fellowship in its London office for engineers new to protocol work, and says evidence of open-source contributions matters far more than formal education. In 2025 Brink spent $1,749,927 on eight full-time engineers and two research interns.

## HRF Bitcoin Development Fund: freedom tech

The Human Rights Foundation's Bitcoin Development Fund pays in bitcoin for privacy, security and decentralization work, including Bitcoin Core, Nostr and ecash, plus education, translation, community building and design for people living under authoritarian regimes. It does not fund projects on other cryptocurrencies. HRF says to expect more information within 4 to 6 weeks, announces grantees at the end of each quarter, and lets rejected applicants apply again. Its Q3 2026 round gave more than 500 million sats to 16 projects.

## Btrust: monthly pay for Global South developers

Btrust was set up in 2021 with a 500 BTC donation from Jack Dorsey and Jay-Z to grow the number of Bitcoin open-source developers in Africa and the wider Global South. It pays monthly in BTC on two tracks. The Starter Grant gives newer contributors six months of full-time funding, and requires at least one merged, non-trivial pull request and a word from a project mentor. The Open-Source Cohort contracts experienced contributors for a year, renewable for a second, and needs three references. Btrust does not publish grant amounts; in 2025 it awarded more than $2 million, with 39.7% going directly to developers.

## Maelstrom: year-long grants per developer

Maelstrom, the family office of Arthur Hayes, pays individual open-source developers $50,000 to $150,000 for 12 months, in monthly installments of BTC, USDC or USDT. Grantees are expected to contribute pull requests or review, for example on Bitcoin Core, and Maelstrom publishes an annual report on what each one shipped. You can stack it with other grants, but total grant income from all funders is capped at $400,000 a year. Applications need at least one reference, and candidates are interviewed.

## Specialist Bitcoin funders

Seven smaller funders cover a niche each:

- **Spiral**, Block's open-source group, funds independent developers, designers and researchers on open-source Bitcoin and, since July 2026, open-source AI. You email a proposal; many grants are renewed.
- **BDK Foundation** funds full-time maintainers and three-month project grants for the Bitcoin Dev Kit Rust wallet libraries and their Swift, Kotlin and Python bindings.
- **Bitcoin Design Foundation** gives designers and UX researchers Starter, Contributor and Champion grants of 3 to 12 months for open-source Bitcoin UX, such as BOLT12, silent payments and merchant payments.
- **Galaxy** set aside up to $5 million for post-quantum work on Bitcoin, paid by milestone, with proposals reviewed alongside an outside Quantum Advisory Council. You apply by email to `quantum@galaxy.com`.
- **Vinteum**, a Bitcoin R&D center in São Paulo, gives long-term, flexible grants to experienced contributors, mostly based in Brazil, though its page states no location requirement.
- **Bitshala** pays fellows in India and South-East Asia $500 a month for 6 to 12 months, with mentoring from contributors to projects such as Bitcoin Core, BDK and BTCPay Server.
- **Btrust Education Grants** funds organizations that already run developer training programs in Africa and the Global South; first-time educators are not accepted.

## Can individuals get Bitcoin grants?

Yes. Almost every Bitcoin funder in the directory pays individual developers directly, often with no company involved. OpenSats welcomes pseudonymous applicants, Maelstrom grants are per developer, and Brink, Btrust and Vinteum fund named people rather than projects.

What these funders want instead of a company is a public record. Btrust's Starter Grant asks for a merged, non-trivial pull request; Brink looks for security-first contributions; OpenSats and Maelstrom ask for references from people who know your work. If you are new, look at the programs built for newcomers: Brink's fellowship in London, Bitshala's fellowship in India and South-East Asia, and Vinteum's Bitcoin Dev Launchpad in Brazil. Our guide to [crypto grants for individuals](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/crypto-grants-for-individuals) covers other ecosystems.

## Which Bitcoin grant programs are unclear?

Kraken's Bitcoin and Crypto Developer Grant Program page was still online on October 2, 2026, and invites open-source developers to email Kraken. But its published grant history stops at Q4 2020, when it gave $150,000 each to Gitcoin, Brink and BTCPay Server, and we found no newer grants or rounds. We do not list it until Kraken shows current activity.

## How do you apply for a Bitcoin developer grant?

1. **Contribute before you apply.** Every funder above weighs your public record: merged pull requests, reviews, issues and talks. Start on the project you want funded.
2. **Line up references early.** OpenSats needs two written letters, Btrust's cohort three, Maelstrom at least one. Ask maintainers who have reviewed your work.
3. **Match the funder to the work.** Base-protocol security fits Brink and Maelstrom, privacy and activist use fits HRF, wallet libraries fit BDK, UX fits the Bitcoin Design Foundation.
4. **Apply to more than one, and disclose it.** Maelstrom explicitly allows stacking up to $400,000 a year. Our guide to [applying for multiple grants](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/applying-to-multiple-grants) explains how to disclose overlap.
5. **Watch the OpenSats calendar.** Windows close at the end of the second month of each quarter; the [deadline calendar](https://www.web3grant.com/deadlines) shows the current one.

For longer-term options once a grant ends, see [open source maintainer funding](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/open-source-maintainer-funding), and for the general process, [how to apply for Web3 grants](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/how-to-apply-for-web3-grants).

## FAQ

### How much do Bitcoin developer grants pay?

Most Bitcoin developer grants do not publish amounts. OpenSats sets grants in USD, pays in bitcoin and keeps amounts private by default. Maelstrom is the exception, paying $50,000 to $150,000 per developer for 12 months. Bitshala pays fellows $500 a month. For scale, OpenSats allocated about $8 million in 2025 and Brink spent $1,749,927 on eight engineers and two interns.

### When is the next OpenSats deadline?

The OpenSats Q4 2026 window runs from October 1 to November 30, 2026, for both the General Fund and the Nostr Fund. OpenSats opens applications in the first two months of every quarter and closes them in March, June, September and December, so if the pattern holds, the next window should open in early January 2027. Decisions take about 13 weeks.

### Do Bitcoin grants require a degree or a company?

Bitcoin grants in web3grant's directory do not require a degree or a company. Brink says evidence of open-source contributions matters far more than formal education, and OpenSats, Maelstrom, Btrust and Vinteum fund individual developers directly. OpenSats also accepts pseudonymous applicants, though it cannot fund grants tied to countries or programs on the OFAC sanctions list.

### Which Bitcoin grants are open to developers in Africa?

Btrust Developer Grants is built for developers in Africa, India, Latin America, MENA and Southeast Asia, paying monthly in BTC for open-source Bitcoin work. OpenSats and Brink's grants accept applicants anywhere in the world, and HRF publishes no location restriction. Btrust Education Grants funds organizations that train developers in Africa and the wider Global South, but it does not accept first-time educators or new programs.

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From web3grant: https://www.web3grant.com/guides/bitcoin-developer-grants. Program details change often: confirm on each program's official site before applying.