Web3 grant programs closed or paused: the 2026 list

The 2026 timeline

The table lists the dated closures and pauses from 2026, in order.

Superteam Instagrants also paused in 2026, most likely in April or May, but no date was published. See Superteam grants for details.

Ethereum and its layer 2s

Ethereum, its L2s and Ethereum DeFi protocols account for the largest group: 20 programs.

Discontinued or replaced

Base is the one to watch. Its new Builder Grant Program's Round 1 was closed when we checked on October 1, and a post on X around October 27, 2026 reportedly announced Season 2 with $5,000 grants. We had not confirmed it on an official Base page as of October 29.

Paused

Polkadot and Kusama

Polkadot lost most of its builder-facing grant routes between November 2025 and May 2026. The OpenGov treasury is now the main way in.

The open routes for Polkadot builders are the Polkadot OpenGov Treasury, the Kusama OpenGov Treasury and the Kusama Vision bounties. See Polkadot grants for all three.

Cosmos

The Interchain Foundation's only new program in 2026 is a targeted grant program, announced September 1, for chains hit by the Cosmos EVM exploit. On Secret Network, a community-run Secret Network Foundation says an Ecosystem Fund and a Builder Program will return, but it had published no application process as of October 1, 2026. Open Cosmos programs are on Cosmos grants.

Solana

The Solana Foundation's own grant program is open, along with five other Solana programs on Solana grants.

Other chains

Two of these may return. The TON Foundation lists its grants program as "Coming soon", after Telegram announced it would replace the Foundation as TON's main steward. XRPL Grants promised new programming in October 2026, but none had appeared by October 29.

Multichain and infrastructure programs

Programs that look dormant

Some programs have not ended officially but show no way to apply or no activity. We counted 48 as unclear. Four have their own status guides:

• MetaMask Grants DAO: the site is online, but its last Snapshot grant vote was created on December 22, 2023.
• Celestia grants: no program found; grant pages return 404.
• Linea grants: Linea's docs say it does not currently offer grants or stipends to apps that are not live.
• Monad grants: no grant program; builder funding comes as investment, prizes and credits.

Still listed, but paused or winding down

Ten programs in web3grant's directory are paused or winding down. They stay listed with a notice on their page, so read it before you apply.

For more on the Cardano case, see Cardano funding.

Why grant programs closed

The notes behind these tables point to a few repeated causes. Each is drawn from what the programs themselves published:

• The chain shut down or changed direction. Kadena ended operations, Moonbeam moved to Base, Lisk became a finance product, Radix went into maintenance mode, and Scroll is becoming an app-specific network.
• The foundation moved from open grants to its own priorities. Web3 Foundation now funds a few strategic initiatives, the Interchain Foundation funds teams it owns, and the Sui Foundation offers long-term support instead of grants.
• Governance closed the grant body. Optimism's delegates dissolved the Grants Council, the ENS DAO ended its Public Goods Working Group, and Aave Grants DAO was sunset.
• Funding was held back. SSV paused new grants in November 2025 to conserve funds and suspended them indefinitely in August 2026, and SafeDAO has paused all resource allocation since August 2025.

Where to apply instead

Plenty is still open. As of October 31, 2026, 80 of the 99 programs in web3grant's directory accept applications at any time, 7 have an open round and 12 are closed between rounds. Start with the full directory, filter by your chain or field, and check the deadline calendar for rounds closing soon.

If you were relying on one of the programs above, the most direct replacements by ecosystem are:

• Ethereum DeFi: Lido Ecosystem Grants, CoW DAO Grants and the 1inch DAO's Aqua incubator; see DeFi grants.
• Ethereum L2s: Ink Spark and Unichain Grants for live apps, and audit subsidies from Ethereum and Arbitrum; see layer 2 grants.
• Polkadot: the Polkadot OpenGov Treasury and the Kusama Vision bounties.
• Solana: the Solana Foundation, Solana Mobile, Metaplex DAO, Nosana, Render and DoubleZero programs.

Our guide on how to find Web3 grants explains how to check that a program is live before you apply, and what Web3 grants are covers the basics if you are new to grant funding. To hear when a closed program reopens, sign up for email alerts.

FAQ

How many Web3 grant programs closed in 2026?

web3grant checked 222 Web3 grant programs between October 1 and October 29, 2026, and found 53 with no open way to apply: 26 discontinued, 23 paused, 2 replaced and 2 closed. Not all of them closed in 2026; some, like Aave Grants DAO and the Chainlink Grant Program, stopped earlier but are still described as open on outdated pages.

What is the difference between a paused and a discontinued grant program?

A discontinued grant program has ended, and nothing says it will return, like Web3 Foundation's Grants Program or Aave Grants DAO. A paused grant program has stopped taking applications but has said, or left open, that it may come back, like Polkadot Fast-Grants, Superteam Instagrants or the TON Grants Program. Neither accepts applications today.

Can a closed Web3 grant program come back?

Yes, some closed Web3 grant programs have said they may return. As of October 2026, the TON Foundation lists its grants program as "Coming soon", XRPL Grants promised new programming for October 2026, Polkadot Fast-Grants' curators said they would reassess, and the new Secret Network Foundation says a Builder Program will return. None had published an application process when we checked.

How can I tell if a Web3 grant program is still open?

Check the program's own site, not a third-party list. A live program has a working application form linked from its official page, recent award announcements or rounds, and a page that appears in the site's navigation. Many closed programs, including Aave Grants DAO, still have pages with outdated text saying applications are open, so look for dated activity.

Which large Web3 grant programs are still open?

As of October 31, 2026, open programs with large grant sizes in web3grant's directory include the Polkadot OpenGov Treasury, Zcash Community Grants (past awards up to $750,000), TheDAO Security Fund (open until January 31, 2027), The Graph Grants Program (past awards up to $325,000) and Gravity Developer Grants (up to $200,000). In total, 80 of the 99 programs in the directory accept applications at any time.