Filecoin Grants

Description

Filecoin Grants support projects building on the Filecoin decentralized storage network through the Filecoin Foundation and community programs. Filecoin turns cloud storage into an algorithmic market, enabling anyone to rent spare storage or purchase storage at competitive prices. Built on open-source protocols, it provides secure, verifiable, and censorship-resistant storage for humanity's most important information.

The grants program funds developer and data tooling, integrations, research, storage/retrieval infrastructure, and Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM) development. With multiple funding streams including Open Grants (up to $50K), FIL Builder Next Step Grants ($5K-$10K), and community-driven ProPGF ($4M+ available), the ecosystem has supported 100+ projects across 50+ countries.

For ZHC builders, Filecoin offers non-dilutive funding for blockchain storage infrastructure, developer tools, decentralized applications, and cross-chain solutions. All projects must be open-source and dual-licensed under MIT and APACHE2.

Eligibility

Open Grants (Up to $50K)

Support projects that:

Drive Filecoin ecosystem forward
Enhance network utility and functionality
Bring significant new usage
Advance Filecoin mission statement
Novel ideas with ecosystem impact

FIL Builder Next Step Grants ($5K-$10K)

For builders taking Filecoin projects to the next level:

Existing Filecoin project momentum
Clear next steps identified
Milestone-based progression
Technical implementation readiness

Priority Funding Areas

Developer & Data Tooling:

SDKs and APIs
Developer experience improvements
Data onboarding tools
Storage provider tooling
Retrieval infrastructure

Integrations:

Cross-chain bridges
Protocol integrations
Wallet and interface connections
Third-party service integrations

Research & Protocols:

Technical research
Economic research
Protocol improvements
Cryptographic innovations
Performance optimization

Storage & Retrieval:

Storage provider tools
Retrieval market solutions
Data onboarding innovation
Deal-making infrastructure

Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM):

Smart contract development
FVM tooling and infrastructure
Programmable storage solutions
Compute over data applications

ProPGF Community Grants

Milestone-based funding for new projects:

Up to $4M total funding available
Technical mentorship included
Focus: tools, infrastructure, applications
Clear roadmap required

RetroPGF (Retroactive Funding):

Rewards past contributions
Community-driven selection
No milestones required
Recognition for delivered impact

Universal Requirements

Open-source: All code must be public
Dual-licensed: MIT and APACHE2 licenses required
Self-managed: Teams must be autonomous
Alignment: Projects benefit Filecoin ecosystem

ZHC-Specific Fit

✅ Excellent for:

Decentralized storage applications
Developer tools and infrastructure
Smart contract automation (FVM)
Cross-chain storage solutions
Data preservation and archival
Storage provider tooling
Open-source blockchain projects

❌ Poor fit if:

Closed-source requirements
Not building on/for Filecoin
No storage/data component
Proprietary licensing needs

Application Process

Open Grants Process

Step	Timeline	Details
Review criteria	—	Check GitHub requirements
Create proposal	1-2 weeks	Use GitHub issue template
Submit proposal	—	New issue on GitHub repo
Preliminary review	~30 days	Initial evaluation
Final review	~30 days	Detailed assessment
Decision	~60 days total	Funding determination
Agreement	2-4 weeks	Contract execution
Milestone payouts	Ongoing	Deliverable-based funding

FIL Builder Next Step Grants

Step	Timeline	Details
Review guidelines	—	Check GitHub criteria
Prepare proposal	1 week	Project status + next steps
Submit	—	Via GitHub template
Evaluation	2-4 weeks	Quick turnaround review
Award	1 week	$5K-$10K funding

ProPGF Application

Step	Timeline	Details
Choose program	—	ProPGF or RetroPGF
Draft proposal	2-3 weeks	Technical approach, milestones, budget
Community feedback	1-2 weeks	Ecosystem input
Submit	—	Via grants portal
Evaluation	4-6 weeks	Technical and strategic review
Milestone execution	Varies	Phased funding release

Review Cycles

Quarterly cycles: Proposals reviewed every 3 months
Preliminary results: End of month after submission
Final decisions: End of following month
Rolling submissions: Always accepting new proposals

Grant Sizes

Open Grants:

Small: $5K-$50K
Typical: $10K-$30K
Maximum: $50K per grant

ProPGF:

Milestone-based: Up to $4M available
Phased funding based on deliverables
Technical mentorship included

Community Programs:

Event sponsorships available
Educational initiatives supported
Security audits funded

Ecosystem Statistics

Storage capacity: 1.7 EiB+ across network
Projects funded: 100+ globally
Countries represented: 50+
Total community funding: $4M+ ProPGF
Focus areas: 6 key categories

Past Grant Recipients

Cavalry: 2D animation software
FileDrive: Distributed storage R&D
Fileverse: Web3 file-sharing (IPFS)
Museum of Crypto Art: NFT preservation
Portrait: Blockchain address websites