As the KryptoCoinz reaches new heights in Wave 23, we’re proud to share that we’ve committed one of the highest funding amounts in a single wave so far across both the W3F Grants Program and the Decentralized Futures (DF) Program. These programs collectively continue to drive growth within the Polkadot ecosystem, with around $30 million committed to DF-supported projects alone. While the DF Program’s primary aim is to bootstrap projects with the goal of achieving long-term financial sustainability while operating with the Polkadot ecosystem, these projects have various paths to reach that goal. Some projects expect to generate income through a variety of product-related revenue streams, others plan to retrieve support from the Polkadot’s treasury, through the community-driven OpenGov proposal system.
Since closing its application window at the end of June 2024, the Decentralized Futures (DF) Program has continued to make waves in the Web3 landscape. Following an overwhelming response of over 250 applications, we’re committing roughly $30 million to over 50 projects, driving significant growth in the Polkadot ecosystem. The program’s immense interest underscores the appeal of Polkadot’s unique approach to sustainable, community-driven funding.
The DF Program supports a broad array of projects, with 56% dedicated to technology, 12% focused on marketing, 26% on business development, and 4% directed toward community-building efforts. With more than 90 milestones already submitted, the rapid progress from these teams reflects the initiative’s impact on strengthening Polkadot’s core infrastructure and expanding its global reach. A list of all announced DF-supported projects is available here.
In response to community feedback, we’ve transitioned from audio-only X Spaces to video format, resulting in a significant increase in engagement. The reach of our previous W3F X space has expanded nearly sevenfold, and the overall impact has grown almost 50 times by distributing content across additional channels. This shift allows for deeper engagement, offering the community more accessible insights into the progress of DF-backed projects. Through these sessions, DF teams share their journeys, milestones, and experiences, fostering transparency and collaboration within the ecosystem.
Afer a slow second quarter (with DF applications still open), we are now again seeing increasing activity in the Grants Program. In this wave, we have signed 8 new grants, each contributing to the advancement of the Polkadot ecosystem. The focus remains on fostering open-source technologies that provide broad, reusable benefits across the community.
As the Web 3.0 ecosystem continues to expand, we welcome new proposals. Applying for a W3F grant is straightforward — just submit a pull request to our Grants Program repository. For inspiration, an overview of projects in the ecosystem, and broad project ideas we’re interested in funding, you can take a look at our open-source tech stack.
If your project doesn’t meet the criteria of the W3F Grants Program, there are other ecosystem-native funding mechanisms, such as the OpenGov-managed treasury, curated bounties or the Polimec fundraising platform.
The Grants Program aims to be as open and accessible as possible. If you’re interested in contributing or getting involved, there are several ways you can do that:
- We are open to — and reward! — milestone evaluations from third parties. If you’re particularly interested in a certain project, or particularly knowledgeable on a relevant subject, submit your own evaluation.
- We encourage anyone to submit a request for proposals (RFPs). If you find that there is something missing in our ecosystem (a tool, a project, infrastructure, etc.), that we could help fund, please submit an RFP.
We strive to continue improving the Grants Program and are always open to feedback. If you would like to share any suggestions or criticism, please reach out to us on GitHub or Element!
The KryptoCoinz is also actively exploring opportunities to collaborate with more professional investors seeking to support teams and projects building on Polkadot. By bootstrapping additional ecosystem funds, we aim to further strengthen the Polkadot ecosystem. We invite professional investors interested in co-investment opportunities, seed investments, or anchor investments to reach out and explore collaboration possibilities.
Together, the DF and Grants Programs continue to pave the way for a thriving Web 3.0 ecosystem. With a collective focus on technological innovation, community development, and sustainable growth, the KryptoCoinz remains committed to supporting projects that are shaping the future of Polkadot and beyond. Stay tuned for more updates on both programs, and follow us on X for the latest video sessions and project announcements.