Web3 grants GitHub lists: are they up to date?

Why do GitHub grant lists go out of date?

GitHub grant lists go out of date because grant programs change faster than volunteers edit a README, and nothing in the file expires. An entry stays "open" until someone notices and removes it.

The change rate is high. Of the 222 candidate programs web3grant checked between October 1 and 29, 2026, 26 had been discontinued, 23 were paused, 2 replaced and 2 closed, and for 48 more we could find no way to apply. Some of the best-known names in older lists are among them:

Three more reasons lists drift:

• Status lives somewhere else. Programs announce pauses on their own forums and blogs, as Aave did in a governance forum thread, not in the lists that link to them.
• Dead programs don't always look dead. The MetaMask Grants DAO site and form were still online in October 2026, but its last grant vote was created in December 2023 and its apply page says Consensys cannot promise when or whether applications will be reviewed. A link checker would pass it.
• Stars measure attention, not accuracy. A repository collects stars when it is new and shared, and keeps them long after the content goes stale.

What did we find when we checked GitHub grant lists?

We tried GitHub "awesome" grant lists as research sources on October 29, 2026, and decided not to use them. The ArabsInBlockchain/web3-grants list was years out of date.

A second, smaller list, with no stars and a handful of commits, raised different concerns. It listed its maintainer's own "grant" first and described it as the first step toward an equity-adjacent investment. A grant in the usual sense is non-dilutive: it doesn't take equity or tokens in return, as Web3 grants vs venture capital explains. The same list marked Aave Grants DAO and the Interchain Foundation's grants as open, although we had confirmed both closed.

We don't name the second list, and we don't suggest the maintainers acted in bad faith; small volunteer lists often stop being maintained. The point is narrower: an entry on a list is a claim, and the program's own channel is the evidence.

How do you check whether a listed program is still open?

You check a listed program by going to its official channel and looking for recent activity, not by trusting the list's label. These seven checks take a few minutes per program:

A parked domain is not hypothetical: when we checked Arweave's Open Web Foundry in October 2026, its domain redirected to a GoDaddy parking page. Anyone who asks for a fee to process a grant application is a warning sign; see crypto grant scams.

When is GitHub an official grants source?

GitHub is an official source when the program itself runs there. Several programs in web3grant's directory take applications or publish priorities in their own repositories:

• Filecoin Open Grants take proposals as GitHub issues, though proposals filed since April 2026 have had no reply.
• Canton Development Fund takes proposals as pull requests to its repository.
• Zcash Community Grants use a GitHub application form, linked on the Zcash forum.
• BNB Chain Builder Grants publish a grant wishlist on GitHub, though the last winner announcement on BNB Chain's blog is from 2023.

Official repositories close too, and GitHub shows it. The Web3 Foundation's Grants-Program repository README was marked closed on January 6, 2026, and the Interchain Foundation archived its funding repository on April 20, 2026. In a program's own repository, recent issues, pull requests and maintainer replies are the best signal that money is still moving.

How does web3grant verify programs?

web3grant checks each program against its own site, documentation, governance forum or GitHub, and shows the result on the program page. Between October 1 and 29, 2026, we checked 222 candidates: 99 had a way to apply and are in the Web3 grant directory, and 123 are recorded with what we found and when.

Every program page shows the date it was last checked and the sources behind it. Closed rounds were rechecked on October 29, 2026. Programs that are paused, winding down or changed carry a notice, such as the Ethereum Foundation's Ecosystem Support Program, which as of October 2026 has no open Wishlist or RFP items. As of October 31, 2026, 80 programs are always open, 7 have an open round and 12 are closed between rounds. If a program is missing or wrong, suggest it or send a correction.

For a status-first view, see the Web3 grant deadline calendar, the Web3 grants list and Web3 grant programs closed in 2026. To find programs the right way from the start, read how to find Web3 grants, then how to apply for Web3 grants.

FAQ

Is there an official list of Web3 grants?

There is no single official list of Web3 grants. Each program is the official source for itself, through its own grants page, forum or repository. Directories and GitHub lists collect those programs, and their value depends on how recently each entry was checked. web3grant shows a last-checked date and sources on every program page so you can judge that for yourself.

How often should a Web3 grants list be updated?

A Web3 grants list should be rechecked at least monthly for programs with rounds, and every few months for rolling programs. Programs change quickly: in web3grant's October 2026 research, 26 of 222 candidates had been discontinued and 23 paused. Round-based programs such as Rocket Pool's monthly grants (where funds are currently tight) and OpenSats' quarterly windows change status on a fixed calendar, so their dates need updating each cycle.

Can you suggest a grant program to web3grant?

Yes. You can suggest a grant program, or a correction to a listed one, through web3grant's suggestion form. Every submission is checked by hand against the official source before it appears. web3grant lists programs that pay builders directly, have an official page with criteria and a way to apply, and are taking applications now or have a round coming up.

Are Web3 grants that ask you to apply on GitHub legitimate?

Many legitimate Web3 grants take applications on GitHub, but the repository must belong to the program. Filecoin Open Grants take GitHub issues, the Canton Development Fund takes pull requests, and Zcash Community Grants use a GitHub form. Confirm the repository is linked from the program's official site, and never send keys, seed phrases or fees to anyone claiming to process a GitHub grant application.