CL Web3 Grants #21
New grants, hard truths about grant hopping from Outlier Ventures, Ethereum London is back, and EthCC side events are taking over Cannes! Your Web3 summer starts here!
Welcome to the 21st edition of the CL Web3 Grants newsletter!
In CL Web3 Grants, you’ll find new grant opportunities, insider tips for writing winning applications, pitch competitions, and events to elevate your Web3 journey.
🔍 Latest Web3 Grants
Here’s a fresh batch of funding opportunities for builders, researchers, and innovators in Web3:
ZetaChain Ecosystem Grants
Push the boundaries of DeFi, NFTs, Gaming, AI, and more with milestone-based funding from ZetaChain. This program offers deep support for projects building on universal infrastructure.
Focus: DeFi, NFTs, Gaming, AI, Social, DePIN, DeSci, Infrastructure
CREATE Catalyst Fund
Fueling the onchain creator economy — from onboarding tools to storytelling and governance frameworks. Ideal for creators, curators, and builders advancing social and community infrastructure.
Focus: DevTooling, Social, Education, Infra, Events, Public Goods
FILLiquid Foundation – FIG Grant Program
With 20M FIG tokens available, this grant funds cross-chain DeFi innovation on Filecoin. Priorities include Filecoin-native DeFi, FIG governance, and smart contract infrastructure.
Focus: DeFi, Cross-Chain, Infra, Education, Open Source
Chromia Container Grant Program
Get six months of free mainnet hosting for dApps leveraging Chromia’s chain-per-dApp model. Supports projects exploring decentralized AI, data layers, and EVM extensions.
Focus: dApps, AI
Wormhole Grants Program
Backed by a $250K fund, this program supports both specific product development (audits, research, tools) and broader community initiatives (marketing, events).
Focus: DevTooling, Education, Infra, Public Goods, Events, AI
Ripple Japan-Focused Web3 Program
Ripple teams up with Asia Web3 Alliance and JETRO to offer grants of up to $200K per project for early-stage Japanese startups building on the XRP Ledger.
Focus: DeFi, RWAs, Digital Payments
Unichain Conditional Funding Markets by Uniswap Foundation
A pilot program offering $900K in grants via Butter’s Conditional Funding Markets. Forecasters predict outcomes, and lending protocols win based on delivery.
Focus: DeFi, Cross-Chain, Infra, DevTooling
👉 Explore all active grants in the CL Web3 Grants Database
🚀 Have a grant to share? Submit it here. Let’s keep building Web3 together!
🧠 Insights from the Field
In their latest report, “Chasing Grants Is Killing Web3 Innovation. Here’s the Fix”, Outlier Ventures argues that too many Web3 projects are stuck in a cycle of chasing grants without clear product direction. This “grant-hopping” trend can lead to technical debt, short-lived communities, and an overreliance on incentives rather than solving real user problems. At Cornaro Labs, we echo this concern.
We always advise teams to apply only to grant programs that genuinely align with what they’re building. That should be a small, strategic selection—not a scattershot approach.
Grants should empower you to build something meaningful that delivers long-term value—not just give you a temporary boost. A project that relies solely on grants without a sustainable model or clear product-market fit is simply setting itself up to fail.
Grants can absolutely accelerate innovation—but only when used wisely. That’s why programs like Outlier accelerators matter: they align funding with real goals, long-term vision, and measurable outcomes.
🗓️ Upcoming Events
EthCC [8] – Ethereum Community Conference
June 30 – July 3, 2025 | Cannes, France
Europe’s largest Ethereum event featuring 390+ speakers, 6,400+ attendees, and 580+ side events.
EthCC Side Events
June 28 – July 6, 2025 | Cannes, France
You know what they say — EthCC is all about the side events! With hundreds of options across the city (and Monaco), it’s the ultimate networking marathon for builders, founders, and funders alike.
Ethereum London Relaunch
July 30, 2025 | London, UK
Ethereum turns 10 — and Ethereum London is back! After a long pause, this iconic community event returns to celebrate a decade of Ethereum with builders, devs, and friends.
Coinfest Asia 2025
August 21–22, 2025 | Nuanu Creative City, Bali
The world’s largest crypto festival returns with 10,000+ attendees from 90+ countries.
Korea Blockchain Week (KBW)
September 22–28, 2025 | Seoul, South Korea
A premier Web3 event featuring the IMPACT conference on September 23–24.
Stay connected
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