ZK grants: funding for zero-knowledge projects in 2026
Updated 7 min readBy the web3grant editors
ZK grants, meaning grants for projects built on zero-knowledge proofs, come mostly from chains that use ZK cryptography and from research funders. As of October 2026, open options include Aleo Developer Grants (up to $100,000), Mina Builders Grants ($1,000 to $30,000), Starknet Seed Grants, Zcash Community Grants and Kusama's ZK bounty, while ZKsync and Scroll no longer run builder grant programs.
Key takeaways
- For ZK apps, Aleo pays up to $100,000 by milestone, Mina $1,000 to $30,000, and Starknet up to $25,000 in STRK for teams with an MVP, all on a rolling basis as of October 31, 2026.
- For ZK infrastructure, Web3 Foundation's Kusama Vision ZK bounty draws on a shared 10M DOT pool, and Zcash Community Grants have paid up to $750,000 for a single grant.
- For ZK research, SDF Academic Research Grants pay universities up to $150,000, with the Q4 2026 window open until December 31, 2026.
- The Ethereum Foundation's ESP lists zero-knowledge proofs as a focus, but no Wishlist or RFP items were open as of October 1, 2026.
- ZKsync and Scroll have no builder grant programs, and Aztec funds only through one-off requests for grant proposals; the last two closed in January 2026 and no new one had been posted by October 1, 2026.
What counts as a ZK grant?
A zero-knowledge proof lets one party prove that a statement is true without revealing the data behind it. A ZK grant is any grant that pays for work built on that idea, and in practice it means one of three things:
- Apps on ZK chains: products built on networks such as Aleo, Mina or Starknet, where ZK proofs are part of the chain.
- ZK infrastructure: provers, libraries, verifiers and integrations that other developers use.
- ZK research: new constructions, security analysis and formal work, usually at universities.
Each has different funders. A chain program wants users on its chain; an infrastructure funder wants reusable open-source code; a research funder wants publishable results. Pitching research to an app program, or an app to a research fund, is a common reason for rejection.
Grants for apps on ZK chains
The chains that run on zero-knowledge proofs are the most direct source of ZK grants. These are open as of October 31, 2026:
| Program | Chain | Size | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aleo Developer Grants | Aleo | Up to $100,000 | Open-source privacy apps; developer work only |
| Mina Builders Grants | Mina | $1,000 to $30,000 | Funded for one year from June 2025 |
| Starknet Seed Grants | Starknet | Up to $25,000 in STRK | MVP needed; KYC or KYB |
| Horizen Builder Ecosystem Fund | Horizen | Up to $150,000 in USDC | Privacy apps; favors zkVerify or TEE use |
- Aleo, a private and programmable layer 1, funds payments, identity, gaming and private DeFi apps with open-source elements built on Aleo. The Foundation says it gives initial feedback within one week, then a technical review; past grantees include Puzzle and Leo Wallet.
- Mina, the zero-knowledge layer 1, has two tiers run by o1Labs: Exploration Grants of $1,000 to $5,000 for prototypes, and Builder Grants of $5,000 to $30,000. Decisions come within 30 days. The program was funded for one year from June 2025, and later grants are meant to come from a Mina treasury that is still being set up, so check the page before you apply.
- Starknet Seed Grants are for early teams with an MVP or proof of concept that have not been live on mainnet for more than three months. Teams already live with users should apply for Growth Grants, which range from $25,000 to $1M in STRK.
- Horizen favors apps that use Vela, its confidential compute layer, or zkVerify for ZK proofs.
Grants for ZK infrastructure and libraries
Infrastructure funders pay for proving systems, libraries and integrations that many projects can reuse. Open as of October 31, 2026:
- Kusama Vision Bounties: Web3 Foundation's ZK bounty funds zero-knowledge proofs in Kusama parachain runtimes, smart contracts and apps, including ZK libraries for PolkaVM, selective disclosure, ZK identity, private governance, private DeFi and post-quantum proof systems. It also publishes RFPs, and it asks teams to build on Polkadot Hub's Revive stack rather than ink!. You need a Kusama Asset Hub address with a verified identity on the Kusama People chain.
- Zcash Community Grants: a five-person committee elected by the Zcash community funds core development, SDKs, light client infrastructure and audits. Grants range from a few thousand dollars to six-figure, year-long programs, and you must post your application on the Zcash Community Forum for at least a week of comment.
- Golem Ecosystem Fund: funds cryptographic research and ZK proving that uses Golem's compute; Satori, a distributed ZK proving project, is a past grantee.
- Subspace Foundation Grants: list research on ZK and FHE alongside decentralized AI on the Autonomys Network.
For the Polkadot side, the Kusama OpenGov Treasury also names zero-knowledge and privacy projects among the work it funds by on-chain referendum. See Polkadot grants for the rest of that ecosystem.
Grants for ZK research
Research funding for zero-knowledge work is concentrated in a few programs, and most of it goes through universities:
- SDF Academic Research Grants fund privacy-preserving payments and zero-knowledge proofs, among other topics, with gifts of up to $150,000 to a university for a year of PI-led research; SDF says the historical average is about $75,000. Recent grantees worked on SNARK security and threshold cryptography. The Q4 2026 review window runs from October 1 to December 31, 2026, and you must hold principal investigator status.
- The Ethereum Foundation's Ecosystem Support Program lists cryptography and zero-knowledge proofs as a focus, but since November 2025 you can only apply against a posted Wishlist or RFP item, and none were open as of October 1, 2026. Office Hours, a non-financial 20-minute feedback call, are still open.
- The EF PhD Fellowship paid $24,000 for a year of Ethereum-related PhD research in 2026; its window closed on April 22, 2026 and no 2027 call has been announced.
All of these are live below, with today's status:
- Aleo Developer GrantsAleo Network FoundationUp to $100KAnytime
- Mina Builders Grantso1LabsThis program is funded for one year from June 2025. Later grants are meant to come from a Mina treasury that is still being set up.$1K–$30KAnytime
- Starknet Seed Grants ProgramStarknet FoundationUp to $25KAnytime
- Horizen Builder Ecosystem FundHorizen FoundationUp to $150KAnytime
- Kusama Vision BountiesWeb3 FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
- Zcash Community GrantsZcash Community GrantsUp to $750KAnytime
- Golem Ecosystem FundGolem FactoryUndisclosedAnytime
- Subspace Foundation GrantsSubspace FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
- SDF Academic Research GrantsStellar Development FoundationUp to $150K60 days
- Ecosystem Support ProgramEthereum FoundationOpen proposals ended in 2025. As of Oct 1, 2026 no Wishlist or RFP items are open, so there is nothing to apply to until ESP posts new ones. Office Hours are still open.UndisclosedAnytime
For research funding beyond ZK, browse crypto research grants or read our guide to blockchain research grants for academics.
ZK programs that closed or have no open call
Several ZK ecosystems that once funded builders had nothing to apply to in October 2026:
| Program | What we found | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| ZKsync | No builder grants; the Community Activation RFP pool issued its last open RFP on March 9, 2026, and a September 2026 proposal would give the remaining 5.8M ZK to one content provider | October 1, 2026 |
| Scroll | Last grant round closed December 19, 2025; in September 2026 Scroll announced plans to become a private, app-specific network | October 1, 2026 |
| Aztec | Funds only through one-off RFGPs on its forum; the last two closed in January 2026 and none were posted by October 1 | October 1, 2026 |
| Polygon | Community Grants replaced by treasury investment funds; the last open season ended April 15, 2025 | October 1, 2026 |
| Taiko | The form still accepts submissions but asks you to name the Taiko team member who invited you | October 1, 2026 |
Aztec's last two RFGPs were sizable: Dark Forest on Aztec offered up to $75,000, and Application State Migration $60,000 across two to three teams. Aztec said in January 2026 to expect more, so its forum at forum.aztec.network is worth watching. On the ZKsync side, the Foundation's TPP-8 pilot thread documents the RFP pool and its end. Our guides to ZKsync grants, Scroll grants and Linea grants cover those ecosystems in detail.
What ZK grant reviewers look for
ZK funders share a few expectations, based on the published criteria of programs in our directory:
- Open, reusable code. Aleo requires open-source elements, Kusama's ZK bounty wants open, reusable components that run in real conditions on Kusama, and Zcash requires new open-source software to follow its contribution standards, including a CONTRIBUTING.md.
- The right stage. Starknet Seed Grants want an MVP but not a product already live for over three months; Mina wants a credible business or adoption plan that fits its roadmap.
- Novelty for research. SDF wants novel scientific contributions, not literature reviews, and asks you to state that you do not intend to patent the results.
- Identity checks at payout. Starknet requires KYC or KYB, Zcash requires KYC for grants above $50,000 (you can stay pseudonymous in public), and Kusama requires a verified on-chain identity.
ZK proposals also need to explain the cryptography to a reviewer who may not be a specialist: what is proven, by whom, and what it costs to verify. Our guide on how to write a Web3 grant proposal covers structure, and our guide to privacy grants covers the overlapping privacy funders.
FAQ
Can I get a ZK grant for research without a product?
Yes. ZK research without a product can be funded by SDF Academic Research Grants, which pay universities up to $150,000 for PI-led work on topics including zero-knowledge proofs, and by Kusama's ZK bounty, which publishes RFPs that include post-quantum proof systems. Golem's Ecosystem Fund also lists cryptographic research. App-focused programs such as Starknet Seed Grants expect at least an MVP instead.
Does the Ethereum Foundation fund ZK projects?
The Ethereum Foundation's Ecosystem Support Program lists cryptography and zero-knowledge proofs among its focus areas, but since November 2025 it accepts applications only against posted Wishlist or RFP items. As of October 1, 2026 none were open, so there was nothing to apply to. ESP Office Hours, a non-financial 20-minute feedback call, were still available for ZK teams.
Does Polygon still give ZK grants?
No. Polygon Community Grants ended with Season 2, which closed on April 15, 2025. Season 3 replaced grants with treasury investment funds, and as of October 1, 2026 polygon.technology/grants redirects to the Hadron Founders Club site and the Questbook grants portal no longer resolves. There was no open Polygon grant round of any kind when web3grant checked.
What is the difference between ZK grants and privacy grants?
ZK grants fund work built on zero-knowledge proofs, which can serve privacy but also scaling, identity and verification. Privacy grants fund any technology that protects user data, including mixnets, encrypted mempools and Bitcoin privacy tools that use no ZK proofs at all. Some programs, such as Aleo, Zcash and Kusama's ZK bounty, fund both.
Programs in this guide
Where each one stands today, soonest deadline first.
- SDF Academic Research GrantsStellar Development FoundationUp to $150K60 days
- Aleo Developer GrantsAleo Network FoundationUp to $100KAnytime
- Ecosystem Support ProgramEthereum FoundationOpen proposals ended in 2025. As of Oct 1, 2026 no Wishlist or RFP items are open, so there is nothing to apply to until ESP posts new ones. Office Hours are still open.UndisclosedAnytime
- Golem Ecosystem FundGolem FactoryUndisclosedAnytime
- Horizen Builder Ecosystem FundHorizen FoundationUp to $150KAnytime
- Kusama Vision BountiesWeb3 FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
- Mina Builders Grantso1LabsThis program is funded for one year from June 2025. Later grants are meant to come from a Mina treasury that is still being set up.$1K–$30KAnytime
- Starknet Seed Grants ProgramStarknet FoundationUp to $25KAnytime
- Subspace Foundation GrantsSubspace FoundationUndisclosedAnytime
- Zcash Community GrantsZcash Community GrantsUp to $750KAnytime
- PhD Fellowship ProgramEthereum FoundationThe Academic Grants Round last ran in 2025. The 2026 call was this PhD Fellowship, and no 2027 call has been announced.$24KClosed
Related guides
- Blockchain research grants for academics and PhD studentsBlockchain research grants for academics in 2026: SDF awards of up to $150,000, Sui's $25,000 award, the EF PhD Fellowship and grants paid to researchers.
- ZKsync grants in 2026: status and alternativesZKsync grants for builders don't exist as of October 2026: grant pages return 404 and the only DAO call was a marketing RFP pool. What to apply to instead.
- Privacy grants: crypto funding for Zcash, Monero and AleoPrivacy grants: crypto programs funding privacy tech in October 2026, from Zcash, Monero and Aleo to Nym, Shutter and Bitcoin privacy, and what they ask.
- Open source license for grants: what Web3 programs askOpen source license for grants: what ESP, Filecoin, Monero CCS and OpenSats require, MIT vs Apache-2.0 vs GPL vs AGPL vs BUSL, and how to keep closed parts.