Real grant programs, with real application guides.
Opportunities are everywhere, but they're hard to find and harder to verify. Each program below is real, with eligibility, the actual application steps, and honest tips — not run by Afriplex, and not a promise of funding. Always confirm current deadlines directly on each program's own site before applying.
TEF Entrepreneurship Programme
Tony Elumelu FoundationAfrica's largest entrepreneurship programme, open to founders across all 54 African countries. Non-dilutive — no equity or repayment required — plus 12 weeks of business training, mentorship and access to a large alumni network.
- Citizen or legal resident of any African country
- Aged 18 or older
- Business idea stage, or an early-stage business (reported cutoffs vary between sources — confirm the current cycle's exact age limit on TEFConnect, commonly cited as up to 3–5 years)
- For-profit venture, one application per person
- Create an account on TEFConnect (www.tefconnect.com) once the cycle is open
- Complete your founder profile in full — incomplete profiles are a common rejection reason
- Submit your business idea or plan through the application form
- If shortlisted, complete the required training modules
- Selected founders receive the $5,000 seed capital and are onboarded into the mentorship network
- Apply as early in the window as possible — cycles have fixed close dates and don't extend
- Write a clear, specific problem statement rather than a broad vision statement
- Show a realistic path to revenue, not just a big idea
Ecosystem Support Program (ESP)
Ethereum FoundationFunds free, open-source work that strengthens Ethereum's ecosystem — infrastructure, developer tools, research and education. For-profit companies can apply, but the specific funded work must be open-source and freely available.
- Project must be open-source or otherwise freely available
- Work should strengthen Ethereum infrastructure, tooling, research, or the builder ecosystem
- Relevant team background and prior work strengthens an application
- Browse ESP's published Wishlist or open RFPs for something that matches your work
- If unsure whether your project fits, apply for Office Hours first to get direct feedback
- Submit the Direct Grant Application with: team/organization info, country and time zone, a short bio, budget, and a project overview including links to existing public work and a repository (GitHub, GitLab or HackMD)
- ESP's Grant Management team reviews and follows up if more information is needed
- Have something public already — even an early repo — before applying
- Be explicit about how the work benefits the Ethereum ecosystem specifically, not blockchain in general
- Cost-effectiveness matters — ESP expects non-dilutive capital to go further than a market-rate budget
Gitcoin Grants
GitcoinFunds open-source public goods through direct community donations plus a matching pool that disproportionately rewards projects with many small backers over one large one. Requires a crypto wallet and a small gas fee to submit — payout isn't guaranteed and depends on how much support your project attracts.
- Project should be a public good — open-source, non-exclusionary benefit
- A crypto wallet (e.g. MetaMask) is required to apply and to receive funds
- Set up a wallet if you don't have one
- Build out your project page on Gitcoin's Grants Stack — clear description, team, links to real work
- List your project during an active funding round (rounds are seasonal, not always open)
- Promote your project to your own network — individual donations, even small ones, are what the matching pool amplifies
- Pay the small gas fee to finalize your submission
- A compelling project story matters as much as the technical description — this is community-funded
- Apply across multiple rounds over time rather than expecting one round to fully fund the project
Web3 Foundation Grants Program
Web3 FoundationFunds software development and research specifically for the Polkadot, Kusama and Substrate ecosystem. Only relevant if a project is actually built on that stack — included here for completeness, not as a general-purpose grant.
- Project must add technical value to the Polkadot/Kusama/Substrate ecosystem
- Strong technical background and relevant prior work expected of the team
- Research, business, or open-source oriented projects are all considered, if ecosystem-relevant
- Fork the Web3 Foundation's Grants-Program repository on GitHub
- Add your application as a markdown file following their required template
- Submit it as a pull request for the Open Grants Program (faster path, up to $30K initial)
- The Grants Committee reviews, may request a call, and notifies you of the decision
- Approved grants are paid out per milestone, in Bitcoin, USDT or DAI
- Link GitHub profiles for every team member — past code and activity are reviewed
- Be specific about what doesn't already exist in the Polkadot ecosystem that your project provides
- Show a maintenance plan beyond the grant period
This list is maintained informally and may go stale — programs open, close and change eligibility often. If you know of a real, currently-open program worth adding, reach out through the contact page.