Tezos Foundation Ecosystem Funding Programs

A key activity of the Tezos Foundation is to deploy resources to entities and initiatives that will help to ensure the long-term success of the Tezos blockchain and the Tezos ecosystem. The Areas of Interest reflect some of the Tezos Foundation's and Tezos ecosystem's current needs. We invite you to also reach out with your own unique ideas and innovations. We look forward to discovering your project!

Grant Program

Grants are primarily given to non-profit, commons-enhancing projects, which address a need in the Tezos ecosystem. Results of such projects are typically publicly accessible open source code. For example, grants may be given for the creation of reusable software artifacts or the integration of Tezos in popular applications.

Read more

Bounty Program

The Bounty program allows the Tezos Foundation to publish projects, which are perceived as a Tezos ecosystem need. Tezos ecosystem members can apply to work on and get rewarded for the completion of these bounties. Bounties can be proposed by both the Tezos Foundation and ecosystem members.

Read more

Bug Bounty Program

In order to continuously improve the security of Tezos, the Foundation has set up a Bug Bounty program.

Read more

Other Funding Options

There are also other funding options available in the Tezos Ecosystem. Small grant programs (Tezos Commons) is a regional effort focused on providing funding for low cost, intermittent, or experimental projects. Further, an Ecosystem DAO curates, votes on and distributes tez for the benefit of various initiatives in the Tezos ecosystem in a decentralized manner.

Areas of Interest

Core Development

The Core Engineering and Infrastructure vertical support in the design, development and maintenance of the key software components that form the basis of the Tezos ecosystem, including the Tezos protocol, Octez and Smart Rollups. This is a collective effort of ecosystem teams – Nomadic Labs, Trilitech and Functori – where each team contributes their unique expertise to the development of the protocol and related infrastructure. These teams actively collaborate with infrastructure and tooling teams, ensuring seamless integration across the Tezos technology stack to offer optimal deployment targets for distributed applications.

Criteria: Core projects should ensure regular security and reliability audits.

Proposal target list

Tech.Rel

The Tech.Rel Team focuses on supporting and engaging Tezos' key technical users, including developers, bakers, builders, and operators. The team ensures these users have a productive experience by providing comprehensive support, resources, and guidance. It actively captures feedback to improve product usability and incorporate this feedback into the roadmap. The team's mission is to empower technical users and enhance their interaction with Tezos products, ensuring both satisfaction and success.

Criteria: Projects should have clear objectives and goals, align with blockchain trends, demonstrate technical feasibility, and ensure sustainability and scalability. The proposals should address the needs of Tezos technical users, including bakers, builders, and integrators, in improving the usability, reliability, and adoption of the network.

Proposal target list

Infrastructure & Tooling

The Infrastructure & Tooling Vertical for Tezos ensures the stability and performance of the Tezos blockchain by maintaining nodes, developing block explorers, and supporting smart contract languages like Michelson, Ligo and SmartPy. They handle core infrastructure development, including consensus algorithms and network protocols, and continuously optimize performance. The team creates and maintains essential tools like SDKs and APIs for developers to build, deploy, and manage dApps. Security is a top priority, with regular audits and rapid vulnerability resolution. Integration support enhances interoperability with other blockchains and technologies. Comprehensive documentation and resources are provided to help developers effectively utilize the Tezos infrastructure and tools.

Criteria: Projects should have a robust technical plan, demonstrate scalability and interoperability, ensure security and reliability, and provide comprehensive documentation and support.

Proposal target list

Arts & Culture

Tezos has a rich history of art innovation through web3 native platforms like hic et nunc, objkt and fxhash. This dovetails with Tezos usage by globally famous institutions such as Musee d’Orsay and the Serpentine and a large number of entertainment projects including the likes of Manchester United and McLaren. The Arts and Culture vertical aims to find new and exciting ways for fans to get closer to the things they love most. Whether that is through art, sport, entertainment or other fandoms, the team is focused on supporting projects that fuel creativity and give users the chance to have a regular, deeper, more connected relationship with their passions.

Criteria: Projects should have a clear vision for regular, ongoing community engagement, promote creativity, diversity and inclusivity, foster education and understanding of Tezos. It is also crucial that all projects are backed with a strong lead/team with a clear path to onboarding users to their concept.

Proposal target list

Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

The DeFi Vertical is dedicated to fostering a robust, thriving DeFi ecosystem within Tezos and its associated rollups. Our team is committed to promoting the growth and adoption of the Tezos blockchain in the decentralized finance domain. We collaborate closely with ecosystem teams, projects, and partners to enhance the success and impact of DeFi within Tezos and the broader Web3 community. Cryptocurrencies and the wider blockchain space at their core revolve around the idea of facilitating transfers of value online. This has led to the DeFi developments we’ve seen and continue to see and the DeFi grants program is all about facilitating the emergence of further quality DeFi and OpenFi apps on Etherlink and Tezos.

Criteria: Projects should have a secure and transparent technical framework, innovative financial solutions and robust risk management strategies. To ensure the security and reliability of DeFi projects built on our blockchain, all projects must undergo a comprehensive security audit conducted by a reputable and recognized third-party auditing firm, covering all smart contracts and relevant codebases.

Proposal target list

Business Development

The Business Development Vertical for Tezos focuses on expanding blockchain adoption by forging strategic partnerships and driving growth initiatives. They establish relationships with enterprises, startups, incubators and universities to promote Tezos technology and facilitate its usage inside of these organizations. The team promotes ecosystem growth by supporting high-potential projects and developers, exploring new markets and use cases like finance and gaming. They engage with the Tezos community to foster collaboration and gather feedback. Additionally, they conduct educational events to increase awareness and understanding of Tezos.

Criteria: Projects should lead to Web3 on-chain adoption and strong channel partners. Initiatives to promote the Tezos ecosystem (events, hackathons, web3 hubs, incubators & accelerators). Proposals will be evaluated based on the target audience and expected outcome in terms of on-chain activity amongst other things.

Proposal target list

Gaming

The Gaming vertical aims to make Tezos the most developer- and player-friendly blockchain. They work with game developers to discover new ways to create fun on the blockchain and pioneer new game genres with player-driven economies and player owned assets that support interoperability. The team also aims to empower and reward the community of early adopters and contributors within each game. The Gaming vertical collaborates with a wide range of partners, including game engines like Unity, AAA developers like Ubisoft and ambitious venture-backed games like MetaPals. Their vision is for a wide variety of high-quality games built on Tezos and enjoyed by millions of players.

Criteria: We support projects with high market potential, strong core gameplay, and capable teams. Our evaluation prioritizes user acquisition efficiency, strong retention metrics, and robust monetization potential. We seek meaningful Tezos integration that enhances gameplay and player value.

Proposal target list