# DAO grants: 20 DAO-run programs and how they decide

> DAO grants compared: 20 programs run by DAOs, token-holder votes or elected committees, with who decides, how to apply, size, payout token and status.

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

DAO grants are grants decided in public by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO): token holders vote on-chain, or a committee the DAO elected or funded approves proposals posted on a forum. As of October 2026, 20 of the 99 programs in web3grant's directory are run this way, from the Polkadot and Cardano treasuries to Lido's LEGO, CoW DAO and RootstockCollective. Several large DAO programs, including Aave Grants DAO, have shut down.

## Key takeaways

- As of October 31, 2026, 20 of the 99 programs in web3grant's directory are DAO- or governance-run: decided by token holders, a DAO committee or an on-chain vote.
- On-chain treasuries ask for a deposit to submit: 100,000 ada on Cardano (refunded after the vote), 1,000 AKT on Akash, 100 LPT on Livepeer, and from 1 to 1,000 DOT on Polkadot depending on the track.
- Committee-run DAO programs are smaller and faster: Rocket Pool's GMC decides in about three weeks, CoW DAO's committee votes on Snapshot over three days, and Lido's LEGO lets two members approve up to $10,000.
- The ArbitrumDAO's D.A.O. Grant Program closed Season 3 on March 17, 2026, and no Season 4 has been proposed.
- Aave Grants DAO, the Optimism Grants Council, the ENS Public Goods Working Group and the ATOM Accelerator DAO have all ended, and SafeDAO funding has been paused since August 2025.

## How are DAO grants different from foundation grants?

A DAO grant is decided in public by people who hold the DAO's token or represent them, while a foundation grant is decided privately by staff. That changes almost everything about how you apply:

- **The proposal is public.** You post it on a forum, GitHub or governance site, and anyone can read and question it. Foundation applications are usually private forms.
- **You campaign.** Delegates, stakers or committee members need to understand and support the request before the vote. Many recent Polkadot treasury requests have been rejected, so a public draft and delegate support matter.
- **There may be a deposit.** On-chain treasuries ask for a deposit, usually refunded, and some programs ask you to hold tokens: 200 MPLX to propose at Metaplex, 1,000 staked RIF at RootstockCollective, 100,000 CKB in the Nervos DAO to start a vote.
- **You are often paid in the DAO's token.** 13 of the 20 programs pay all or part of a grant in the DAO's or chain's own token, so the dollar value moves between proposal and payout.
- **It is slower.** We estimate about 12 weeks for a Cardano treasury withdrawal; a Kusama referendum has a 7- or 14-day decision period plus confirmation.

Our guide to [writing a DAO funding proposal](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/dao-funding-proposal) covers the proposal itself, and [blockchain treasury funding](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/blockchain-treasury-funding) explains how on-chain treasuries work.

## Which DAO grant programs are in the directory?

The 20 DAO- and governance-run programs, grouped by who makes the decision:

| Program | Who decides | How to apply | Size | Paid in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Polkadot OpenGov Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/polkadot-opengov-treasury) | DOT holders | On-chain referendum | Track cap up to 10M DOT | DOT, USDC, USDT |
| [Kusama OpenGov Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/kusama-opengov-treasury) | KSM holders | On-chain referendum | Track cap up to 333,333 KSM | KSM |
| [Cardano Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/cardano-treasury-withdrawals) | DReps and Constitutional Committee | Governance action, 100K ada deposit | Per proposal | ADA |
| [Akash Community Pool](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/akash-community-pool) | AKT stakers | GitHub draft, then on-chain | Per proposal | AKT |
| [Livepeer Community Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/livepeer-community-treasury) | Bonded LPT holders | Forum, then on-chain | Per proposal | LPT |
| [CKB Community Fund DAO](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/nervos-ckb-community-fund-dao) | CKB in the Nervos DAO | Forum, 30-day deliberation | Per proposal | CKB or USDI |
| [Metaplex DAO Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/metaplex-dao-grants) | MPLX holders | Form, hold 200 MPLX | Not published | MPLX or USDC |
| [RootstockCollective Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/rootstock-collective-grants) | Staked RIF holders | Forum, then on-chain | Up to $35K | USDRIF |
| [Algorand xGov](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/algorand-xgov) | xGov committee | xGov portal, retro only | $634 to $50.7K | ALGO |
| [MoonDAO Projects](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/moondao-project-grants) | MoonDAO members | Quarterly proposal, Town Hall | Up to $2,125 | USDC |
| [Shutter DAO Impact Pilot](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/shutter-dao-impact-pilot) | Shutter DAO vote | Forum template | $1K to $3K | USDC and SHU |
| [Lido LEGO](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/lido-ecosystem-grants) | LEGO members, Council, DAO | Pitch a member on Telegram | Under $1K to $100K+ | Stablecoins |
| [Rocket Pool GMC grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/rocket-pool-gmc-grants) | 7-member committee | Monthly forum round | $680 to $7.5K lately | RPL or USDC |
| [CoW DAO Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/cow-dao-grants) | Grants committee | Forum, then Snapshot | Per proposal | xDAI and COW |
| [Compound Grants Program](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/compound-grants-program) | Domain allocators | Questbook | Up to $100K | COMP |
| [D.A.O. Grant Program](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/arbitrum-foundation-grants) (Arbitrum) | Elected domain allocators | Closed | Up to $50K | USDC |
| [TheDAO Security Fund](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/thedao-security-fund) | Curators and Badge holders | Initiatives portal | Up to $640K | ETH and crypto |
| [Aqua Revenue Stream Incubator](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/1inch-aqua-incubator) (1inch DAO) | Anode and reviewers | Form, revenue share | Up to $50K | USDC |
| [TRON Builders League](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/tron-dao-builders-league) | TRON DAO's TBL team | TRON DAO forum post | Not published | Not published |
| [HTX DAO Genesis Grant](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/htx-dao-genesis-grant) | HTX DAO | Open submission | Not published | HTX |

Their status today:

- [Polkadot OpenGov Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/polkadot-opengov-treasury): Polkadot OpenGov. Grant size: Up to $12M (USD equivalent). Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [Kusama OpenGov Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/kusama-opengov-treasury): Kusama OpenGov. Grant size: Up to $1.8M (USD equivalent). Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [Cardano Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/cardano-treasury-withdrawals): Cardano governance. Grant size: Not published. Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [Akash Community Pool](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/akash-community-pool): Akash Network. Grant size: Not published. Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive. Note: No outside team has won a community pool vote since August 2025. Recent spends went to work run by the core teams.
- [Livepeer Community Treasury](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/livepeer-community-treasury): Livepeer. Grant size: Not published. Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [CKB Community Fund DAO](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/nervos-ckb-community-fund-dao): Nervos community. Grant size: Not published. Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [Metaplex DAO Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/metaplex-dao-grants): Metaplex DAO. Grant size: Not published. Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [RootstockCollective Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/rootstock-collective-grants): RootstockCollective. Grant size: Up to $35K (USD equivalent). Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [xGov](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/algorand-xgov): Algorand Foundation. Grant size: $634–$50.7K (USD equivalent). Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive. Note: Proposals are still accepted, but payouts wait on a Foundation top-up of the xGov treasury and a newly elected Council.
- [MoonDAO Projects](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/moondao-project-grants): MoonDAO. Grant size: Up to $2.1K (USD equivalent). Closed: the latest round ran 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-10; next round not announced.
- [Lido Ecosystem Grants (LEGO)](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/lido-ecosystem-grants): Lido DAO. Grant size: Up to $100K (USD equivalent). Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [Rocket Pool GMC grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/rocket-pool-gmc-grants): Rocket Pool DAO. Grant size: Not published. Closing: apply by 2026-11-07, end of day UTC (6 days left). Note: Funds are tight. Round 41 declined every application, Round 40 approved 1 of 10, and nothing above $7,500 has been approved since May 2026.
- [CoW DAO Grants](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/cow-dao-grants): CoW DAO. Grant size: Not published. Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [Compound Grants Program](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/compound-grants-program): Compound DAO. Grant size: Up to $100K (USD equivalent). Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive. Note: New Dapps and Ideas proposals have been paused since Apr 14, 2026. The other domains are still open but fund only exceptional teams, and the program's future is under review.
- [D.A.O. Grant Program](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/arbitrum-foundation-grants): Arbitrum DAO. Grant size: Up to $50K (USD equivalent). Closed: the latest round ran 2025-03-19 to 2026-03-17; next round not announced. Note: Season 3 closed on Mar 17, 2026 and no Season 4 has been proposed. The Arbitrum Foundation says a new grant program is coming soon, and its Security Program for audit subsidies opened on Sep 28, 2026.
- [TheDAO Security Fund](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/thedao-security-fund): TheDAO Security Fund. Grant size: Up to $640K (USD equivalent). Open: apply by 2027-01-31, end of day UTC (91 days left).
- [Shutter DAO Impact Pilot](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/shutter-dao-impact-pilot): Shutter DAO 0x36. Grant size: $1K–$3K (USD equivalent). Closed: the latest round ran 2026-09-22 to 2026-10-09; next round not announced.
- [Aqua Revenue Stream Incubator](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/1inch-aqua-incubator): 1inch DAO. Grant size: Up to $50K (USD equivalent). Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [TRON Builders League](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/tron-dao-builders-league): TRON DAO. Grant size: Not published. Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.
- [HTX DAO Genesis Grant](https://www.web3grant.com/grants/htx-dao-genesis-grant): HTX DAO. Grant size: Not published. Always open: no deadline, applications reviewed as they arrive.

## Treasuries where token holders vote directly

Eleven programs put each request to a vote of token holders or their representatives, with no foundation in between. They suit larger, well-defined requests from teams willing to campaign in public.

- **Polkadot and Kusama.** You pick a treasury track by amount, from Small Tipper to Treasurer, and place a decision deposit. Polkadot spends can be paid in DOT, USDC or USDT and scheduled over time. Kusama's decision period is 7 days on tipper tracks and 14 days on the others, plus up to 7 days of confirmation.
- **Cardano.** Anyone can submit a treasury withdrawal with a 100,000 ada deposit. It passes when DReps holding 67% of active voting stake approve and the Constitutional Committee finds it constitutional. Most approved withdrawals are paid through an administrator such as Intersect, after KYC or KYB and a signed contract. The route suits mature projects; cardano.org points smaller work to Catalyst, which has no round open, or hackathons.
- **Akash and Livepeer.** Both are covered in our guide to [DePIN grants](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/depin-grants). Note that no outside team has won an Akash community pool vote since August 2025.
- **Nervos CKB Community Fund DAO.** A 30-day public deliberation is followed by a 7-day vote weighted by CKB deposited in the Nervos DAO. The first payment is at most 20% of the budget and no more than $10,000.
- **Metaplex and RootstockCollective.** Metaplex proposals go to a 14-day MPLX-weighted vote, and any MPLX granted is locked for one year. RootstockCollective's staked RIF holders vote on grants of up to $35,000, with about 30% held back until a post-completion impact review since September 2026.
- **Algorand xGov and MoonDAO.** xGov pays retroactively for open-source tools already in use, but payouts wait on a treasury top-up and a newly elected Council. MoonDAO members vote each quarter on a small pot; the Q4 2026 pot was $8,500, and the next intake is expected around mid-January 2027.
- **Shutter DAO.** Requests for scoped work, mostly $1,000 to $3,000, are posted on the Shutter forum, discussed for at least a week and bundled into one DAO vote. Round 2, which pays for work already done, launches on November 16, 2026.

## Committees run by a DAO

Six programs are DAO-funded but decided by a committee, which makes them faster and more predictable than a full token-holder vote.

**Lido LEGO** has no form: you pitch a member on Telegram, and approval scales with size, from one member up to $1,000 to a Lido DAO vote above $100,000. Granting slowed sharply in 2026, with less than 1% of the Q2 budget used. **Rocket Pool's GMC** runs monthly rounds; Round 42 closes November 7, 2026, but Round 41 declined every application. Both are compared in our guide to [Ethereum staking grants](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/ethereum-staking-grants).

**CoW DAO Grants** works from a 2026 mandate (CIP-82) of 500,000 xDAI plus about 6.55M COW through January 31, 2027, set out on the [CoW forum](https://forum.cow.fi/c/cow-grants-program/10). Recent requests ranged from milestones of 3,100 to 5,000 xDAI to a 50,000 xDAI SDK proposal.

**Compound Grants Program** paused its main Dapps and Ideas domain on April 14, 2026; the other domains fund only exceptional teams, and the program's future is under review. **TheDAO Security Fund** is run by seven curators with ETHSecurity Badge holders steering allocation, and its Round Two is open until January 31, 2027.

The **ArbitrumDAO's D.A.O. Grant Program** used elected domain allocators across five domains, from dev tooling to gaming and education, with a $6.75M Season 3 budget. It is closed; the FAQ below has the details.

## DAO-funded programs run by an operator

Three programs are funded or branded by a DAO but run day to day by a team:

- **TRON Builders League**, run by TRON DAO from a $10M pool, replaced prize-based hackathons with staged funding. It does not announce winners, staff call it a partnership model rather than a contest, and rejected teams can reapply after acting on feedback.
- **1inch Aqua Revenue Stream Incubator** pays up to $50,000 in USDC to build strategies on Aqua, in exchange for a share of your revenue to the 1inch DAO. Anode reviews applications, and approved teams so far agreed to share 10% to 50% of a defined revenue base.
- **HTX DAO Genesis Grant**, launched in September 2026 with a $10M fund, pays in HTX tokens per verified milestone and prioritizes early-stage teams.

## Which DAO grant programs have closed?

Many DAO grant programs we checked in October 2026 have ended or paused:

- **Aave Grants DAO:** paused all new grants on August 19, 2024. On July 15, 2026, the Aave forum confirmed it has been sunset and no longer reviews applications.
- **Optimism Grants Council:** dissolved by a Token House vote that ended July 15, 2026. The Foundation now makes only select strategic grants.
- **ENS Public Goods Working Group:** wound down when Term 6 ended on June 30, 2026. Future grants move to an ENS Foundation program with no application process yet.
- **Balancer Grants:** last ran in late 2024, and on September 29, 2026 BIP-928 passed an orderly wind-down of Balancer itself.
- **SafeDAO:** resource allocation paused since August 4, 2025 under SEP-54, still in effect.
- **GnosisDAO:** no standing program; funding happens one proposal at a time through the GIP process.
- **ATOM Accelerator DAO:** the Cosmos Hub's grants DAO is winding down and takes no new applications.
- **Jupiter DAO grants:** shown as closed on Superteam Earn on October 2, 2026, with no reopening announced.

Our list of [Web3 grant programs closed in 2026](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/web3-grant-programs-closed-2026) covers non-DAO closures too.

## How do you win a DAO grant vote?

Treat the vote as the last step, not the first. The proposals that pass have usually been argued over in public for weeks.

1. **Post a draft early.** Akash wants a GitHub draft before going on-chain, Livepeer a forum request for feedback, Nervos a 30-day deliberation. Revise on the feedback.
2. **Itemize the budget.** Livepeer proposals without a line-item budget rarely pass; Akash asks for hours and an hourly rate.
3. **Talk to delegates and stewards.** CoW assigns a steward; Polkadot proposals need delegate support. Find out who votes and what they have rejected before.
4. **Plan for KYC.** Metaplex asks for KYC ideally within 3 days of submitting, Cardano recipients pass Intersect's KYC or KYB after the vote, and Arbitrum required KYC before any payment.
5. **Budget in USD, expect tokens.** Locked or volatile tokens change what you actually receive. See [grants paid in tokens](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/grants-paid-in-tokens).

For the general process across all program types, see [how to apply for Web3 grants](https://www.web3grant.com/guides/how-to-apply-for-web3-grants).

## FAQ

### Are Arbitrum DAO grants open?

Arbitrum DAO grants are not open as of October 2026. The ArbitrumDAO's D.A.O. Grant Program closed Season 3 on March 17, 2026, after approving 190 of 1,262 applications, and no Season 4 has been proposed. The Arbitrum Foundation says a new grant program is coming soon, and its separate Security Program for audit subsidies opened on September 28, 2026.

### How do CoW DAO grants work?

CoW DAO grants have no deadline. You post an application on the CoW forum using the grant template, discuss it with the community and an assigned steward, and then the grants committee votes on Snapshot over three days. Under the 2026 mandate, CoW DAO funds SDKs, documentation, integrations, solver tooling and research, paid in xDAI and COW per milestone or over time.

### How do I apply for TRON DAO grants?

TRON DAO funds builders through the TRON Builders League, a $10M program for projects on TRON and BTTC. You request permission to post in the TBL section of the TRON DAO forum and publish your project using the required template. There are no deadlines. The TBL team reviews privately, contacts teams it wants to fund, and releases money in stages as milestones are met.

### Do I need to hold tokens to apply for a DAO grant?

Some DAO grants require tokens and many do not. Metaplex requires 200 MPLX to submit, RootstockCollective asks you to stake at least 1,000 stRIF, and on-chain treasuries such as Cardano, Akash and Livepeer need a deposit, usually refunded. Committee programs let anyone apply without holding tokens: Lido LEGO through a Telegram pitch, and Rocket Pool's GMC and CoW DAO Grants through their forums.

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