Web3 grants for students: fellowships and research funding

Which fellowships accept students?

Five fellowship-style programs in the directory suit students or recent graduates. Only the Ethereum Foundation's PhD Fellowship requires enrollment; the others ask for skills and some prior open-source work.

Ethereum Foundation PhD Fellowship

The EF's Academic Secretariat ran this fellowship in 2026 in place of its annual Academic Grants Round, which last ran in 2025. Fellows got $24,000 over one year as a supplement to their existing PhD stipend. You had to be actively enrolled in a PhD program, aim for publication in a conference or journal, publish open access under a permissive license, and link a public repository or published work. The 2026 call leaned toward governance, political economy, decentralized AI and enterprise use of Ethereum. No 2027 call has been announced, so set an email alert rather than plan around a date.

Ethereum Protocol Fellowship

The Ethereum Protocol Fellowship (EPF) is a five-month program for developers moving into core protocol work: client implementations, testing, specifications and protocol research. It does not cover smart contract or app development. Anyone can join the open program, but only selected applicants get a stipend, set individually and paid after KYC. You need to commit at least 20 hours a week, which is a real load next to coursework. Cohort 7 applications ran from April 30 to May 13, 2026, and Cohort 8 dates have not been announced.

Bitshala, Brink and Btrust for Bitcoin

Bitshala's fellowship is the step after its study cohorts, for people who already understand Bitcoin basics and have done some open-source or self-driven work. Fellows join a project with a mentor, or propose their own, and log progress monthly. It is open only to people based in India or South-East Asia.

Brink's fellowship is a full-time year in London for engineers new to Bitcoin protocol work, and Brink says evidence of open-source contributions matters far more than formal education. Btrust's six-month Starter Grant needs at least one merged, non-trivial pull request, meaningful reviews and a positive word from a project mentor. Vinteum in São Paulo also describes a fellowship for early-career developers alongside its grants for experienced contributors.

How do graduate students get blockchain research funding?

Graduate students usually get research funding through their supervisor, because the largest awards are paid to the university. The money then covers a student's stipend for the project.

• SDF Academic Research Grants: each award is meant to cover one graduate student or postdoc for 12 months plus expenses such as conference travel. Budgets go up to $150,000, and SDF says the historical average is about $75,000. The applicant must be a principal investigator at a degree-granting institution, and proposals are reviewed quarterly; the current window closes December 31, 2026.
• Sui Ecosystem Academic Research Award: not in our directory, but when we checked on October 1, 2026, the Sui Foundation still offered a fixed $25,000 award, paid to the researcher's university and run with the Walrus Foundation. A principal investigator with peer-reviewed publications must lead it (award page).

If you are a PhD student, ask your supervisor whether they would apply with you as the funded researcher. The guide to blockchain research grants for academics compares these awards in more depth, and the crypto research grants page lists every research-category program.

Which open grants can students apply to?

Most grants that accept individuals do not exclude students, so you can apply to them on the strength of your work. A few stand out for early-career applicants:

• Sentient Open Source AGI Grants name students in their eligibility list, next to researchers and independent developers, for open-source AI work.
• OpenSats funds developers, designers, researchers and educators anywhere in the world, and welcomes pseudonymous applicants. Its Q4 2026 window is open until November 30, 2026.
• The MAGIC Monero Fund accepts "any developer or researcher, regardless of degree or occupation".
• Tether Grants and Bounties pays for defined tasks, such as documentation and libraries, for applicants who are 18 or the age of majority where they live.
• Nym Squad League lets anyone apply, alone or as a squad, for small grants of up to about $2,700.

• MAGIC Monero FundMAGIC GrantsUp to $55KAnytime
• Tether Grants and BountiesTether$1.5K–$5KAnytime
• Nym Squad LeagueNymUp to $2.7KAnytime
• The Graph Grants ProgramThe Graph Foundation$1K–$325KAnytime
• Kusama Vision BountiesWeb3 FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• Solana Foundation grantsSolana FoundationUndisclosedAnytime

Which student-friendly programs are paused or gone?

Several programs that suited students were not open when we checked in October 2026, and none is in the directory:

• Avalanche Foundation research proposals: grants of up to $50,000 for research on cryptoasset economics, listed on the Avalanche Builder Hub but marked closed on October 2, 2026, with no next call date (call page).
• BuidlGuidl Community Grants: small grants from 0.08 ETH for BuidlGuidl members building on Ethereum, paused as of October 2, 2026.
• Superteam Instagrants: every regional Solana Foundation listing on Superteam Earn showed "Applications Paused" on October 1, 2026.
• Next Billion Fellowship: the Ethereum Foundation's fellowship ran from 2021 to 2025 and has ended.

The Ethereum Foundation's Academic Grants Round also has not run since 2025, which is why the PhD Fellowship replaced it in 2026.

How can students stand out in a grant application?

Students stand out the same way anyone does: public work a reviewer can check, a scope that fits the time you actually have, and a plan written in the program's own terms.

1. Build a public record first. EF's PhD Fellowship asked for a link to a public repository or published work, and Btrust's Starter Grant requires a merged pull request. A few merged contributions beat a long CV.
2. Use the free on-ramps. Bitshala's fellowship follows its study cohorts, and EPF publishes a wiki and study group materials to work through before you apply. Hackathons are another route; see Web3 hackathons vs grants.
3. Size the scope to your term. EPF expects 20 hours a week. If you can give 10, propose a smaller project or a part-time grant such as Bitshala's.
4. Check your university's rules. SDF requires a statement that you will not patent the results, and EF required open-access publication. Ask your department or financial aid office whether outside funding affects your stipend or scholarship.

For a full walkthrough, see how to write a Web3 grant proposal and the overview of Web3 fellowships.

Next steps

Browse the full directory and filter by the education and research categories, check the deadline calendar for round-based programs such as OpenSats and SDF, and apply through each program's official site. web3grant does not take applications.

FAQ

Do I need to be enrolled at a university to get a Web3 grant for students?

No. Only the Ethereum Foundation's PhD Fellowship in web3grant's directory requires enrollment, and its 2026 call has closed. The Ethereum Protocol Fellowship, Bitshala, Brink's fellowship and Btrust's Starter Grant judge skills and open-source work instead. Brink says evidence of open-source contributions matters far more than formal education, so a strong GitHub history can carry an application without a degree.

Can undergraduate students apply for blockchain fellowships?

Yes, most blockchain fellowships in web3grant's directory do not ask about degree level. The Ethereum Protocol Fellowship wants a technical foundation such as software development or a computer science or math background, and Bitshala wants basic Bitcoin knowledge plus some prior open-source or self-driven work. The EF PhD Fellowship is the exception, since it requires active enrollment in a PhD program.

Are there Web3 grants for students under 18?

Web3grant's directory has no program aimed at students under 18. Tether Grants and Bounties, the Golem Ecosystem Fund and World One (an in-person San Francisco residency) set a minimum age of 18, and the TRON Builders League requires individuals of legal age. Many other programs publish no age rule but require KYC before payment, so ask the program directly before applying as a minor.

Will a Web3 grant affect my scholarship or student visa?

A Web3 grant can count as income, and some scholarships and visas restrict outside income or work, so the answer depends on your country and funding terms. The EF PhD Fellowship was designed as a supplement to an existing PhD stipend. Before accepting any grant, check with your university's financial aid office, international student office and, where needed, a tax professional.