CL Web3 Grants #23
Explore new grants from Cardano and Subspace to the EIC Pre‑Accelerator and Interledger. Plus a proud milestone as our AI-powered grants paper heads to the University of Malta this September.
Welcome to the 23rd 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:
Subspace Foundation Grant Program
The Ecosystem Grants Program is designed to support projects that expand Subspace functionality, drive usage, or build upon existing infrastructure. Funding is considered across categories including dApps, tools, integrations, and developer infrastructure.
Focus: DeFi, DePIN, DAOs, Infra, Governance, Privacy, Data Availability
Cardano Project Catalyst Fund 14
Project Catalyst is the world’s largest decentralized innovation engine, offering milestone-based funding for proposals that enhance the Cardano ecosystem. Fund 14 allocates $16M to dApps, infrastructure, and ecosystem growth.
Focus: DAOs, DeFi, Education, Growth, Toolkits, Blockchain Adoption, Research
Ultra Developer Grants Program
The Ultra Grants Program supports developers building tools, dApps, services, and infrastructure across the Ultra ecosystem. Priority is given to gaming and NFT-focused projects. Funding is milestone-based.
Focus: Gaming, Infra, dApps, NFTs
EIC Pre‑Accelerator – Widening (HORIZON‑WIDERA‑2025‑02)
This pilot call from the European Innovation Council and WIDERA targets deep-tech startups in widening countries, helping teams elevate from Technology Readiness Level 4 (TRL 4) to direct investment readiness (TRL 5/6). The initiative aims to prepare companies for the EIC Accelerator, private financing, or national innovation schemes through tailored grant-based support.
Focus: Deep‑tech innovation, investor readiness, commercialization, market validation, IP strategy, business model development
HYTOPIA Creator Fund
The HYTOPIA Creator Fund offers milestone-based grants to developers and creators building on the HYTOPIA platform. The fund supports new game development, tools, and content to expand the HYTOPIA ecosystem.
Focus: Game Dev, UGC, Tools, Mods, Infrastructure
dYdX Foundation Grants (DRC #4)
Pending community approval, the dYdX Foundation Grants Program aims to fund initiatives that accelerate adoption, improve developer tooling, and support research and educational efforts. The program proposes milestone-based funding through a structured, multi-stream approach.
Focus: DeFi, Tooling, Research, Education
Interledger Foundation Financial Services Grant
The Interledger Foundation is funding open-source financial services and infrastructure that support inclusive and equitable access to digital financial systems. Grants are available to projects working on interoperability, cross-border payments, and open payment networks.
Focus: Open Finance, Payments, Interoperability, Infrastructure, Financial Inclusion
👉 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
The Open Protocol Grant Reviewers Handbook, developed by members of the Aave Grants DAO, offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes to run an effective Web3 grants program. Drawing from two years of hands-on experience, it emphasizes the importance of reviewer accountability, second-order thinking, and structured onboarding processes. Rather than treating grants as simple funding mechanisms, the handbook frames them as strategic levers, tools for shaping protocol culture, attracting long-term contributors, and signaling priorities to the broader ecosystem. For newer DAOs launching grant programs, it’s a must-read playbook on turning funding into durable impact.
📣 Big News: Our Work Is Going Academic!
We’re thrilled to announce that our paper “Data-driven AI for Grant Allocation in Web3” has been officially accepted for presentation at the International Conference on Blockchain & AI, taking place this September at the University of Malta.
The paper introduces a novel, AI-powered system that helps match Web3 projects with relevant funding opportunities across ecosystems, using intelligent recommendation models, predictive analytics, and fairness-aware algorithms. It’s a major step toward building smarter, more transparent, and more inclusive grant infrastructure in crypto. Stay tuned!
🗓️ Upcoming Events
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.
International Conference on Blockchain & AI
September 18-19, 2025 | University of Malta, Malta
The conference brings together leading voices from academia and industry to explore the future of decentralized and intelligent systems. We’re proud to be participating with our accepted paper, presenting Cornaro Labs’ work on AI-powered grant allocation as a model for scalable, equitable funding in Web3.
Korea Blockchain Week (KBW)
September 22–28, 2025 | Seoul, South Korea
A premier Web3 event featuring the IMPACT conference on September 23–24.
Excited to be a Web3.0 event partner at the WikiEXPO Finance Cyprus 2025!
Join us on Sept 24th at one of Europe’s biggest gatherings for FinTech, Forex, Crypto & AI. 🎟️ Register for free!
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