Stacks Endowment Grants

Quarterly Stacks Endowment grants of $2,500 to $50,000 in STX for teams building Bitcoin-native finance on Stacks and sBTC.

The Q3 2026 cycle closed on Sep 23 and is in review. Q4 dates have not been announced.

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Opened Aug 31Closed Sep 23

It closed on Sep 23. Watch for the next round.

Grant size: $2.5K–$50K; Largest grant $50,000
Paid in: STX; In milestone tranches
Funding model: Round; Fixed application window, reviewed as a batch.
Typical decision: 3 weeks; From submission to an answer

Checked Oct 1 against 10 sources. Confirm amounts and dates on stacksendowment.co before you apply.

About the program

The Stacks Endowment runs the Stacks Ecosystem Grants Program, funded through SIP-031, to back builders who make Bitcoin more useful on chain through Stacks. Each quarter has a short application window and its own themes. The Q3 2026 themes were Bitcoin Staking and sBTC utility, distribution and integrations, and market efficiency and risk.

There are two main tracks. Getting Started grants give pre-product-market-fit founders $2,500 to $10,000 in STX, paid in two tranches. Builder grants reward teams already live on Stacks with measurable traction, typically $10,000 to $50,000 in STX released over four milestones. A separate, community-run DeGrants track funds education and culture projects of up to $5,000 in STX in cohorts.

Competition is tight. The first cycle drew 325 applications and funded 18 teams; the second, narrower cycle funded 10. You apply through the Endowment's portal, and the team asks you to check the public grants tracker first so you don't duplicate funded work.

What they fund

Bitcoin Staking and new uses for sBTC
DeFi primitives, liquidity, execution and risk tools
Integrations that bring existing users and products to Stacks
Payments and agent (AI) infrastructure on Bitcoin rails
Privacy, analytics and developer infrastructure

Who can apply

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Projects must integrate sBTC, support the Nakamoto-upgraded network or otherwise use the Stacks blockchain
Getting Started: early founders and small teams with a prototype, technical spec, user research or real traction
Builder: live on Stacks for at least 6 months with public metrics, no unremediated major security breaches, and KYB through the Endowment
Proposals should fit the current cycle's themes and not duplicate projects already funded

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How applying works

Check the cycle themes
Read the quarter's themes, the Requests for Projects and the grants tracker to see what is already funded.
Apply in the portal
Submit your application on portal.stacksendowment.co during the cycle's window, choosing the Getting Started or Builder track.
Committee review
Reviewers score strategic fit, ecosystem impact, team strength, feasibility and budget.
Contract and KYB
Selected teams complete contracting and verification before the public announcement.
Milestone payouts
Funds are paid in STX by milestone, with monthly check-ins with a program manager.

Sources

Checked on Oct 1 against these pages. Programs change often, so confirm the details on stacksendowment.co before you apply.

About the program

What they fund

Who can apply

How applying works

Check the cycle themes

Apply in the portal

Committee review

Contract and KYB

Milestone payouts

Sources

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