# Blockchain grants for nonprofits and public-interest groups

> Blockchain grants for nonprofits in 2026: programs that accept nonprofits, public-goods funders like Giveth and Octant, and how grants differ from donations.

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

Blockchain grants for nonprofits exist, but few programs are written with nonprofits in mind. As of October 2026, Aleo Developer Grants and Aptos Ecosystem Grants name nonprofits in their eligibility, the Tezos Foundation mainly funds non-profit, commons-enhancing projects, and HRF and Btrust fund education and human rights work. Public-goods funders Gitcoin, Giveth and Octant run matching rounds, but all three are between rounds.

## Key takeaways

- Two programs in web3grant's directory name nonprofits as eligible applicants: Aleo Developer Grants (up to $100,000, developer work only) and Aptos Ecosystem Grants ($5,000 to $50,000, live product required).
- Programs that accept "organizations", such as Lido's LEGO and Btrust Education Grants, fund the work rather than a legal form, and the Tezos Foundation goes further: it mainly funds non-profit, commons-enhancing projects.
- HRF's Bitcoin Development Fund gave more than 500 million sats to 16 projects in its Q3 2026 round, for Bitcoin work that serves people living under authoritarian regimes.
- Gitcoin, Giveth and Octant have no open round as of October 2026; Gitcoin is folding quadratic funding into a local-money pilot targeted for November 2026.
- The UNICEF Venture Fund is active but funds for-profit companies only, so a registered nonprofit cannot apply.

## Can nonprofits get blockchain grants?

Yes, when the nonprofit is doing blockchain work that benefits the funder's network. Grant programs fund a project with deliverables, not an organization's general mission, so a nonprofit applies the same way a startup or developer does: a scope, a budget, milestones and evidence it can deliver.

Few programs exclude nonprofits; most eligibility lists describe the work and the applicant's skills rather than a legal form. The harder questions are practical. Many grants are paid in tokens, many require open-source output, and many run KYC or KYB on the recipient. A nonprofit that can hold a crypto payment, publish its work openly and pass a business check is eligible for far more than the programs that name nonprofits outright. [What Web3 grants are](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/what-are-web3-grants) explains the model in full.

## Which blockchain grant programs accept nonprofits?

The table lists programs in web3grant's directory whose rules name nonprofits or organizations and that are open to apply as of October 2026.

| Program | What the rules say | What it funds | Ceiling |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Aleo Developer Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/aleo-developer-grants) | Individuals, teams, nonprofits and companies | Open-source privacy apps on Aleo | $100K |
| [Aptos Ecosystem Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/aptos-foundation-grants) | Small teams, enterprises, academic groups, nonprofits | Live products on Aptos | $50K |
| [Tezos Foundation Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/tezos-foundation-grants) | Individuals and organizations; mainly non-profit projects | Open-source infrastructure, tooling, arts and culture | Not published |
| [Lido Ecosystem Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/lido-ecosystem-grants) | Individuals, teams, projects and organizations | Staking work, plus community content, events, education | $100K |
| [Btrust Education Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/btrust-education-grants) | Individuals or organizations with a track record | Bitcoin developer training in Africa and the Global South | Not published |

Each has a catch. Aleo funds developer work only, so a nonprofit's outreach or events budget won't qualify. Aptos needs a live product with real users. The Tezos Foundation reviews proposals quarterly and has counted a museum, the Museum of the Moving Image, among its past grantees. Lido's granting slowed in 2026: Q1 used 30% of the quarterly budget and Q2 less than 1%. Btrust does not accept first-time educators or brand-new programs.

The Ethereum Foundation's ESP also accepts organizations, but open proposals ended in 2025 and no Wishlist or RFP items were open on October 1, 2026, so there is nothing to apply to until it posts new ones.

## Which funders support human rights, education and community work?

Nonprofits working on education, human rights or community building have a short but real list of options. These programs fund people and organizations doing that work, as long as it fits the funder's chain or mission:

- **[HRF Bitcoin Development Fund](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/hrf-bitcoin-development-fund):** funds developers, activists, educators, community builders, translators and UX designers on Bitcoin work that helps people in repressive societies. It funds no projects built on other cryptocurrencies, and applicants who were turned down before may apply again.
- **[Btrust Education Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/btrust-education-grants):** its first 2026 round gave $904,000 to five programs, including Summer of Bitcoin, Bitshala and Vinteum. Programs must start at least 16 weeks after you apply and keep all content open-source and free.
- **[Polkadot OpenGov Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/polkadot-opengov-treasury):** anyone with a Polkadot account can ask DOT holders for funding, and its funded areas include education, events and regional community programs. Many recent requests are rejected, so build support before going on-chain.
- **[Sentient Open Source AGI Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/sentient-open-source-agi-grants):** its requests include open-source AI apps for underserved users in health, scam prevention, education, agriculture and elder care.

For education-focused funding more broadly, see [Web3 content creator grants](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/web3-content-creator-grants).

## What about Gitcoin, Giveth and Octant?

Gitcoin, Giveth and Octant are the best-known public-goods funders in crypto, and none has an open round as of October 2026. All three use quadratic funding: donations from the community are matched from a pool, and the match favors projects with many small donors over a few large ones. [Quadratic funding](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/quadratic-funding-explained) explains the math.

- **[Gitcoin Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/gitcoin-grants):** no round since GG24 in October 2025, which allocated about $1.8M across six domains. Gitcoin is folding quadratic funding into a local-money pilot targeted for November 2026, with a wider launch in mid-December, and has no application for builders yet. Its planned successor focuses on local public goods such as jobs, mutual aid and physical space, which may suit community nonprofits once it opens.
- **[Giveth QF rounds](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/giveth-qf-rounds):** any project can list on Giveth and receive donations at any time, but its last matching round, the Stellar Community Growth round, closed applications on August 28, 2026, and no next round is announced.
- **[Octant funding epochs](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/octant-funding-epoch):** Epoch 13 has closed and Epoch 14 has no date yet. Octant requires working software with verifiable users, open-source core code, and KYC or KYB for accepted projects.

Track these on the [deadline calendar](https://www.web3grant.com/deadlines) or with [email alerts](https://www.web3grant.com/#alerts), and see [public goods grants](https://www.web3grant.com/categories/public-goods) for every program in that category.

## Are UNICEF, Mercy Corps or Localism Fund options?

Three names come up often in searches for nonprofit blockchain funding. None is in web3grant's directory, for different reasons:

- **UNICEF Venture Fund:** active, with a rolling call open when we checked on October 2, 2026. It makes equity-free investments of up to $100,000 in early-stage, open-source startups, but its eligibility is limited to private for-profit companies registered in a UNICEF programme country. Its dedicated Call for Blockchain Ventures closed on March 10, 2026.
- **Mercy Corps Ventures' Crypto For Good Fund:** gave equity-free grants of up to $100,000 to blockchain startups in emerging markets. The last round we found closed on December 20, 2024, and as of October 2, 2026 the Mercy Corps Ventures site redirects elsewhere with no Crypto For Good round listed.
- **Localism Fund:** funds local networks and place-based groups that use Ethereum for coordination, in themed rounds. Round 01 offered $5,000 to $20,000 per grant and closed on March 1, 2026; Round 02 funds a year of Latin American meetups through December 31, 2026. No open round could be confirmed on October 2, 2026 ([Localism Fund](https://www.localism.fund/)).

## Is a crypto donation the same as a grant?

No. A grant is paid by a funder for agreed work, usually against milestones and a signed agreement. A donation is a gift from supporters, with no deliverables owed to the giver. Some platforms blur the line: Giveth hosts donation pages and runs matching rounds on top of them, MAGIC Grants can list a Monero project so the community can donate to it, and Monero CCS proposals are crowdfunded in XMR and released per milestone.

Accepting crypto donations raises its own questions, such as how you value them, issue receipts and convert them. Those depend on your country's charity and tax rules, so talk to an accountant who knows nonprofit law before you publish a wallet address. Some funders are charities themselves: OpenSats and MAGIC Grants are US 501(c)(3) public charities, according to their own sites.

## How should a nonprofit apply for a blockchain grant?

Apply as a delivery team, not as a cause. Reviewers fund outcomes they can verify, and the programs above say what they check:

1. **Lead with track record.** Btrust Education Grants accept only organizations that have run similar programs, and Giveth's GIVbacks badge needs a track record, community reputation and a public-good focus.
2. **Plan for open output.** Aleo requires open-source elements, Btrust requires all content to stay open-source and free, and Octant requires open-source core code.
3. **Prepare for KYB and token payments.** Octant runs KYC or KYB, and many programs pay in their own token. Decide in advance who controls the wallet, whether you will convert tokens, and how your board signs off; [grants paid in tokens](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/grants-paid-in-tokens) covers the trade-offs.
4. **Write milestones you can prove.** The [guide to writing a Web3 grant proposal](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/how-to-write-a-web3-grant-proposal) shows how to turn a mission into deliverables.

Start from the [full directory](https://www.web3grant.com/grants) and filter by the public-goods and education categories.

## FAQ

### Can a registered charity apply for blockchain grants?

Yes. Aleo Developer Grants and Aptos Ecosystem Grants list nonprofits by name, and programs that accept "organizations", such as Lido's LEGO, the Tezos Foundation and Btrust Education Grants, do not exclude charities. A registered charity applying for a blockchain grant still needs a project that fits the funder's network, the ability to pass KYB, and a way to receive and account for crypto payments.

### Are there blockchain grants for social impact projects?

A few blockchain grants target social impact directly. HRF's Bitcoin Development Fund funds Bitcoin work for people under authoritarian regimes, Btrust Education Grants train developers in Africa and the Global South, and Sentient's grants request open-source AI apps for health, education and agriculture. Gitcoin's planned local-money pilot targets jobs and mutual aid, but has no application open as of October 2026.

### Can a nonprofit receive a grant paid in crypto?

Usually yes, but the nonprofit needs a way to hold it. In web3grant's directory, 39 of the 99 programs pay only in a native or other token, such as XLM, DOT or GRT, and 33 can pay in stablecoins or USD. Before accepting a crypto grant, a nonprofit should set a policy on wallet custody, board approval, conversion to cash and valuation for its accounts, and check the rules for its country with an accountant.

### Do public goods funding rounds accept nonprofits?

Public goods funding rounds judge projects rather than legal form, so nonprofits can usually take part when a round is open. Giveth lets any project list and receive donations, and Octant accepts open-source software with verifiable users. As of October 2026, though, Gitcoin, Giveth and Octant have no open matching round, so watch for announcements.

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