ZKsync grants in 2026: status and alternatives

What the Community Activation RFP pool was

The Community Activation Pilot Program was a 20M ZK program approved by ZK Nation token holders as TPP-8 and run by the ZKsync Foundation from September 2025 to August 2026. Of that, 13.6M ZK went to an RFP pool. The Foundation posted specific requests, such as a Devconnect meetup or a content campaign about Prividium, and picked one or two providers for each.

The Foundation itself says these RFPs commission defined work and are not grants for open ideas. Winners signed a service agreement, reported results on the forum and were paid in ZK, for example 50% at the start and 50% after a mid-term review.

Only three RFPs were issued:

The $0.05 figure is the program's own reference rate. ZK actually traded near $0.012 to $0.015 in mid-2026, so the market value of each award was well below those dollar figures.

How the pool ended

The program ran in two six-month seasons ending August 31, 2026. In September 2026 the Foundation proposed, under GAP-6, giving the remaining 5.8M ZK to ZKnomist, an existing content provider, instead of posting new RFPs. That vote was still open when we checked. Matter Labs' 2026 token allocation for Prividium is operating funding, not a grant program anyone can apply to.

Where ZK and L2 builders can apply instead

The open alternatives depend on what you build. Zero-knowledge and privacy teams have the most choice; general Ethereum L2 app teams have fewer options in late 2026, because several L2 grant programs are paused.

Zero-knowledge and privacy projects

Starknet Seed Grants suit early teams with a proof of concept that have not gone to market and are not yet live on mainnet for more than three months. Aleo funds developer work only, for projects with open-source elements, paid on milestones. Horizen, an EVM chain built on Base, has open requests for private agentic trading vaults and a private borrow-lend protocol.

Mina's program carries a notice: it 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. Confirm it is still reviewing before you invest time in an application. Our guide to zero-knowledge grants covers more programs in this field.

Ethereum L2 app teams

For general app teams, the L2 picture is mixed as of October 2026:

• Ink Spark grants pay 500 to 20,000 USDC for live products on Ink, with verifiable usage data.
• Unichain Grants pay up to $7,500 to live DeFi projects on Unichain with $250,000 or more in TVL.
• Arbitrum's D.A.O. Grant Program closed Season 3 on March 17, 2026 with no Season 4 proposed, but the Arbitrum Security Program subsidizes audits for projects launching on Arbitrum.
• Optimism Retro Funding has been paused since January 2026 for at least 12 months.

Our guide to layer 2 grants compares every L2 program we track, and Scroll grants covers another L2 whose grant program has ended.

What ZKsync builders should do now

If your product already runs on ZKsync, you have three realistic paths. Apply to a program whose chain or field you already fit, such as a multichain or privacy program. Deploy to a chain with an open program only if the product makes sense there without the grant. Or watch the ZK Nation forum, where the Community Activation RFPs were posted, for any new call.

In each case, the basics of the application are the same: a clear problem, a milestone plan with costs and evidence that you ship. Our guide on what Web3 grants are explains how programs decide, and the deadline calendar shows what closes next. For the full list of programs that closed or paused this year, see Web3 grant programs closed or paused in 2026.

FAQ

Does ZKsync have a grant program in 2026?

No. ZKsync has no open grant program for builders as of October 2026, and both zksync.io/grants and zknation.io/grants return 404. The only DAO-funded call in 2025 and 2026 was the Community Activation RFP pool, which paid for marketing and community work such as events and content, and issued its last request on March 9, 2026. Its two seasons ended on August 31, 2026.

What was the ZKsync Community Activation Pilot Program?

The ZKsync Community Activation Pilot Program was a 20M ZK program approved by ZK Nation token holders as TPP-8 and run by the ZKsync Foundation from September 2025 to August 2026. It put 13.6M ZK into an RFP pool for defined marketing and community work, such as meetups and content campaigns. Only three RFPs were issued.

Is ZK Nation still posting RFPs?

ZK Nation had not posted a new Community Activation RFP since March 9, 2026, when we checked on October 1, 2026. In September 2026 the ZKsync Foundation proposed, under GAP-6, giving the pool's remaining 5.8M ZK to one existing content provider instead of running new RFPs. The vote on that proposal was still open when we checked.

How were ZKsync RFP winners paid?

ZKsync RFP winners were paid in ZK tokens on a schedule set for each RFP, for example 50% at the start and 50% after a mid-term review. Budgets were published in ZK, such as 100,000 ZK for RFP 1, with dollar figures based on a $0.05 reference price. ZK traded near $0.012 to $0.015 in mid-2026, so market values were lower.

Where can zero-knowledge developers get grants instead of ZKsync?

As of October 2026, zero-knowledge developers can apply to Starknet Seed Grants (up to $25,000 in STRK), Aleo Developer Grants (up to $100,000), the Horizen Builder Ecosystem Fund (up to $150,000 in USDC) and the Kusama Vision ZK bounty. Mina Builders Grants also list $1,000 to $30,000, but that program was funded for one year from June 2025, so confirm it is still reviewing.