Web3 RFP grants: how to answer a request for proposals

Who publishes Web3 RFPs?

Many foundations and DAOs in our directory publish RFPs alongside, or instead of, open applications. These programs list RFPs in their process as of October 2026:

• Walrus Grants and RFPsWalrus FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• Solana Foundation grantsSolana FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• Stellar Community FundStellar Development FoundationUp to $150K7 days
• Canton Development FundCanton FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• DoubleZero GrantsDoubleZero FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• Horizen Builder Ecosystem FundHorizen FoundationUp to $150KAnytime
• dYdX Grants ProgramdYdX FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• CoW DAO GrantsCoW DAOUndisclosedAnytime
• Kusama Vision BountiesWeb3 FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
• TheDAO Security FundTheDAO Security FundUp to $640K91 days

How each one uses them:

• Walrus Foundation: RFPs are open to any individual, team or organization. Review starts about two weeks after an RFP opens, and its RFP page lists what is open.
• Solana Foundation: a separate RFP route funds specific tools the Foundation wants built, next to its standard and convertible grants.
• Stellar Community Fund: the RFP Track funds developer tooling that matches an open RFP and is decided by the panel alone, without the community vote the Open Track has. Round SCF #46 closes November 8, 2026.
• Horizen: core apps answer its RFPs, starting with private agentic trading vaults and a private borrow-lend protocol, for up to $150,000, and need strong in-house privacy engineering.
• Canton Development Fund: RFPs sit in its 2026 to 2028 roadmap; you answer one, or propose your own initiative, as a pull request to its GitHub repository.
• DoubleZero and dYdX: you can answer a published RFP or apply with your own idea; DoubleZero runs both through the same form and evaluation.
• CoW DAO: its grants committee publishes RFPs for work it wants done, such as UI localization or a bring-your-own-solver setup.
• Kusama Vision: the zero-knowledge bounty publishes RFPs within its scope.
• TheDAO Security Fund: you can propose an initiative as an RFP, and teams compete for it once it is funded. Round Two is open until January 31, 2027.

Two directory programs need a caution. ESP had no Wishlist or RFP items open as of October 1, 2026, so there was nothing to apply to until it posts new ones; our guide to Ethereum Foundation grants tracks it. Compound publishes RFPs per domain, but new Dapps and Ideas proposals have been paused since April 14, 2026, and the other domains fund only exceptional teams.

Outside our directory, as of October 2026:

• Aztec Foundation posts one-off RFGPs on its forum instead of running an open application. The last two were Dark Forest on Aztec (up to $75,000, awarded to DFArchon) and Application State Migration ($60,000 across 2 to 3 teams), both due in January 2026.
• Logos runs an RFP program for the Logos Execution Zone with applications filed as GitHub issues in its RFP repository. When we checked on October 29, 2026, it published no amounts, tier ranges or payment terms, so it is not in our directory.
• Sui Foundation used to run RFPs such as DeepBook and SuiNS tooling. The last window closed on March 17, 2025, and the Foundation now says it offers long-term support, "not grants"; see our Sui grants status guide.

How do you read an RFP?

Read an RFP twice: once for what it asks, once for what it leaves out. Make a list of answers to these questions before writing anything.

1. Problem and users. Who is this for, and what do they do today without it?
2. Deliverables. Which items are required and which are nice to have?
3. Acceptance criteria. How will the funder decide a milestone is done?
4. Budget. Is there a ceiling? Aztec's Dark Forest RFGP said up to $75,000; Logos publishes none.
5. Timeline. The application deadline, the expected start and the delivery date.
6. Eligibility. The Canton Development Fund needs a Champion to sponsor any external proposal.
7. License and ownership. Many RFPs expect open-source outputs; check which license.
8. Number of winners. Walrus usually chooses one proposal per RFP; Aztec's state-migration RFGP split $60,000 across 2 to 3 teams.
9. Questions channel. A forum thread, chat room or email. Ask early.

Anything the RFP leaves unsaid becomes an assumption in your proposal. Write the assumptions down and state them.

How do you answer an RFP?

A strong RFP answer maps every requirement to a deliverable, prices each one, and proves the team has built something close before. Use this order:

1. The problem in your own words. Three or four sentences. It shows you understood it rather than copied it.
2. Your approach. The design, the main choices and the alternatives you rejected, with reasons.
3. A compliance table. One row per requirement, so the reviewer can tick them off.
4. Milestones. Each with acceptance criteria that match the RFP's language.
5. Budget. At or under the ceiling, broken into line items per milestone.
6. Team. The closest thing you have already shipped, with links.
7. Maintenance. Who maintains the output after delivery. Canton asks for a maintenance plan for every output.
8. Risks, assumptions and questions. Short and honest.

A compliance table for a fictional indexer RFP:

The general proposal advice still applies; see how to write a Web3 grant proposal and milestone-based grants.

How are RFP winners selected?

RFPs in our data are usually decided by a small committee after a shortlist, often with a call and some negotiation on scope and price. The details differ:

• Committee vote after a shortlist. Walrus sends shortlisted RFP proposals to a discussion and vote by its RFP committee. Sui's past RFP committee did the same: it assessed fit and feasibility, shortlisted and voted.
• Panel only. Stellar's RFP Track skips the community vote.
• The team that wrote the RFP. At ESP, the Grant Management team and the Ethereum Foundation team that owns the item review together, sometimes with an interview, rescoping or budget talks.
• Several layers. At Canton, Special Interest Groups and Core Contributors review, the Tech & Ops Committee assesses and a five-member Voting Group makes the final call.

Expect to negotiate. DoubleZero may ask for a follow-up call or a pivot, and ESP may rescope your proposal. Winners then sign an agreement with milestones, and many complete identity verification first: ESP grantees do, and Sui's past RFP winners had to. Our guide to KYC for crypto grants explains that step.

When should you pitch your own idea instead?

Pitch your own idea when no open RFP matches what you are good at. Bending a project to fit an RFP it does not fit wastes both sides' time. Several programs accept both routes: DoubleZero runs RFP answers and new ideas through the same form, dYdX takes open applications next to its RFPs, Canton accepts your own initiative as a pull request, and the Gear Foundation on Vara welcomes projects outside its published RFP lists if they fit its mission.

Where can you find new Web3 RFPs?

New RFPs appear on program forums, GitHub repositories and RFP pages, often with short windows. Check the program pages in the web3grant directory, watch the deadline calendar, and sign up for email alerts so a two-week RFP does not open and close while you are busy.

FAQ

What is the difference between an RFP and a grant?

An RFP is a kind of grant where the funder defines the work and teams compete to deliver it, while an open grant lets you propose both the problem and the solution. RFP grants usually choose fewer winners, often one per RFP at Walrus, and judge proposals on fit with the published spec, price and the team's ability to ship.

Can a solo developer answer a Web3 RFP?

Often yes. Walrus RFPs are open to any individual, team or organization, and TheDAO Security Fund's RFPs are open to any team, including for-profit companies. Some programs add conditions: the Canton Development Fund requires external applicants to have a Champion who sponsors the proposal. A solo developer should show a close prior project and a realistic timeline for one person.

Do Web3 RFPs publish a budget?

Some Web3 RFPs publish a budget and some do not. Aztec's Dark Forest RFGP offered up to $75,000, and its Application State Migration RFGP offered $60,000 across 2 to 3 teams, while the Logos RFP program published no amounts when we checked in October 2026. When no budget is given, price your work in line items and expect a budget discussion.

What can you do when no RFP is open?

When no RFP is open, ask for feedback and wait for the next one. ESP, which had no Wishlist or RFP items open as of October 1, 2026, still runs Office Hours: a 20-minute call for feedback on your project or help matching it to future items. Meanwhile, set email alerts and apply to programs that also take open proposals.