DePIN grants: funding for decentralized infrastructure

Which programs fund DePIN projects?

Ten programs in the directory fund work on a specific DePIN network. They differ most in what kind of resource the network provides and in how they pay.

Their status today, with grant size and time left:

• Nosana GrantsNosana Foundation$5K–$50KAnytime
• Akash Community PoolAkash NetworkNo outside team has won a community pool vote since August 2025. Recent spends went to work run by the core teams.UndisclosedAnytime
• Golem Ecosystem FundGolem FactoryUndisclosedAnytime
• Render Network GrantsRender Network FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• Livepeer Community TreasuryLivepeerUndisclosedAnytime
• DoubleZero GrantsDoubleZero FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• Subspace Foundation GrantsSubspace FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• Walrus Grants and RFPsWalrus FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• Filecoin Open GrantsFilecoin FoundationReviews look stalled: proposals filed since April 2026 have had no reply from the Foundation. Filecoin now steers priority work to its ProPGF and RetroPGF tracks.Up to $50KAnytime
• FIL-RetroPGFBlueshift FoundationPaused in 2026. The stewards expect to bring retro funding back in late 2026 under a new framework, with no dates yet.$520–$21.5KClosed

Compute networks: Nosana, Akash, Golem and Render

Four of the ten programs fund compute networks, and the clearest is Nosana's. The Nosana Foundation pays $5,000 to $50,000 per project, in milestone tranches mixing USDC, NOS and GPU credits, for AI apps, inference and model hosting, agent systems and developer tooling that run on its decentralized GPU network. A Grants Committee scores each application against a rubric within about two weeks, and one of the criteria is how much the project uses Nosana compute. Teams that are not selected get feedback and can reapply.

The Akash Community Pool works differently: anyone can ask for AKT, but the money moves only if AKT stakers approve the request in a 7-day on-chain vote with a 33.4% quorum. You post a draft on Akash's GitHub discussions with a cost breakdown in hours and hourly rate, then submit it on-chain with a 1,000 AKT deposit. The last outside teams funded were Chakra (13,279 AKT, March 2025) and Blockworks Research (71,970 AKT, August 2025); since then recent spends have gone to work run by the core teams.

Golem Factory staked 40,000 ETH to fund the Golem Ecosystem Fund, and 75% of the staking rewards go to grantees. It funds extensions and tools for the Golem Network and apps that use its compute for AI inference, rendering or scientific simulation, plus some wider Ethereum work. Past grantees include Satori (distributed ZK proving on Golem) and Web3 Pi. Payment is in milestone tranches; the currency is not published.

The Render Network Foundation funds GPU apps, network tooling, events and education, and has a separate artist track for 3D work rendered on the network. You start with a short pitch, and only projects that fit are invited to write a full proposal. Amounts and payment terms are agreed after the award.

Storage networks: Filecoin, Walrus and Autonomys

Storage funding has shrunk in 2026, mostly because of Filecoin. Filecoin Open Grants still lists grants of up to $50,000 for tools, integrations and research, applied for in public as a GitHub issue with 2 to 4 milestones, and all work must be dual-licensed MIT and Apache-2. But proposals filed since April 2026 have had no reply from the Filecoin Foundation, and Filecoin's 2026 strategy steers priority work to its ProPGF and RetroPGF tracks. FIL-RetroPGF, which paid about 1 million FIL across 284 grants in three rounds in 2024 and 2025, is paused; its stewards expect retro funding to return in late 2026 under a new framework, with no dates.

The Walrus Foundation funds apps and tools built on Walrus, a decentralized storage network on Sui, in two ways. Its requests for proposals (RFPs) are open to anyone through a form, and usually one proposal wins each RFP. Its grants are not form-based: they go to teams the Foundation already knows from Discord, events and referrals.

The Subspace Foundation funds storage, consensus and AI compute infrastructure on the Autonomys Network, alongside AI apps and research, with up to 10% of the AI3 token supply set aside for ecosystem development. It pays per approved milestone in AI3 and stablecoins. Screening can take up to 8 weeks, which is why we estimate about 10 weeks to a decision.

Video, AI and networking: Livepeer and DoubleZero

Livepeer, a network for video and real-time AI processing, funds work from a community treasury that bonded LPT holders control by on-chain vote. Proposals need 100 LPT to submit, are workshopped on the Livepeer forum first, and must clear a 33% quorum in a vote of about nine days. Most money goes to special-purpose entities (SPEs) with a defined scope, and proposals without a line-item budget rarely pass. One SPE that passed funds on to builders, the Network Engineering SPE, was a three-month pilot that closed on schedule in August 2026; a follow-on had not been approved when we checked on October 2.

DoubleZero, a high-performance network used heavily by Solana validators, pays external teams in 2Z for observability tools, dashboards and topology tooling, either against published RFPs or for ideas that complement core development. Payment follows agreed milestones, and the Foundation says grants are a subsidy for scoped work, not a way to fund full-time roles or open-ended maintenance.

Do general chain programs fund DePIN?

Two chain-wide programs in the directory name DePIN in their focus areas. The TRON Builders League, run by TRON DAO from a $10M pool, lists "DePIN and real-world assets" among its focus areas, with funding released in stages as you hit milestones. BNB Chain Builder Grants lists "AI and DePIN", but the last winner announcement on the BNB Chain blog is from 2023, so it is unclear how many grants it still makes.

A DePIN project that also deploys contracts on a general-purpose chain can apply to that chain's program as well. Our guide to applying for multiple grants covers how to disclose overlapping funding.

Which DePIN grant programs are closed or unclear?

Several well-known DePIN networks had no grant you could apply to when we checked in early October 2026, so they are not in the directory:

• Helium: no way to apply as of October 1, 2026. The Helium Foundation's site no longer resolves, and the ecosystem grants named in HIP-149 have no published program or application process.
• peaq: the peaq Ecosystem Grant Program once offered up to $50,000 for DePIN and machine-economy apps, but its grants page returned a 404 on October 1, 2026.
• DIMO: the DIMO Ignite grants team's website did not respond on October 1, 2026, and a July 2026 treasury reform bars Foundation spending without a token-holder-approved budget once a 180-day transition ends.
• Aethir: its ecosystem fund still lists open forms, but we left it out as a credits scheme rather than cash grants, and its last published grantee batch was in April 2025.

We recheck these regularly. Email alerts tell you when a round opens that fits your project and again three days before it closes.

How do you apply for a DePIN grant?

DePIN programs reward usage of their network above everything else, so the strongest application shows that your project consumes or improves the network's core resource. Nosana scores compute usage directly, Walrus measures grants by developer usage and real storage activity, and DoubleZero wants work that complements its core team rather than duplicates it.

1. Pick the network first. Build on the network whose resource your product needs, then apply to that network's program. Grants follow usage, not the other way round.
2. Show the integration. Include contract addresses, compute jobs, storage volume or a working demo. Nosana expects a pitch deck, demo and roadmap.
3. Budget in USD, expect tokens. Most of these programs pay in AKT, LPT, 2Z, AI3, NOS or FIL, so the value can move between award and payout. Our guide to grants paid in tokens covers how to plan for that.
4. Prepare for public review on DAO routes. Akash and Livepeer proposals are public, need a deposit (1,000 AKT or 100 LPT) and pass only with a token-holder vote. See how to write a DAO funding proposal.

For the general process, start with how to apply for Web3 grants.

FAQ

Do DePIN grants pay for hardware or node operation?

DePIN grants in web3grant's directory fund software and network services, not hardware purchases. Their focus areas are apps that use the network, observability tools, SDKs, integrations and research. Operators who run hardware are paid through each network's token rewards instead. If your budget includes servers or GPUs, check with the program first, and expect the reviewers to ask how the spending brings new demand to the network.

Which DePIN grant pays in stablecoins?

Nosana Grants pays part of each grant in USDC, alongside NOS tokens and GPU credits, and the Subspace Foundation pays in AI3 tokens and stablecoins. Filecoin Open Grants lists FIL or USD, but its reviews look stalled since April 2026. Akash, Livepeer and DoubleZero pay only in their own tokens: AKT, LPT and 2Z. Golem, Render and Walrus do not publish a payout currency.

Is the Akash community pool still funding outside teams?

The Akash community pool still accepts proposals from anyone, but no outside team has won a community pool vote since August 2025, according to web3grant's October 2026 check. Recent spends went to work run by the core teams. An Akash proposal needs a public draft on GitHub, community feedback, a 1,000 AKT deposit and a 7-day on-chain vote with a 33.4% quorum.

Is there a Filecoin grant open right now?

No Filecoin grant is reliably open as of October 2026. Filecoin Open Grants still accepts GitHub proposals for up to $50,000, but proposals filed since April 2026 have had no reply. FIL-RetroPGF is paused, with retro funding expected back in late 2026 under a new framework. Filecoin's 2026 strategy points priority work to its ProPGF and RetroPGF tracks.