Interledger Foundation

Check the status first

• Most programmes are closed or paused for 2026. Each programme's entry states its status, so check it before you prepare an application.
• The only grant round its pages describe as open is the NextGen Higher Education Grant, with Phase 1 applications open until 14 December 2026.

Choose the programme that fits

• Researchers and advocates for open financial systems: the Interledger Fellowship. Its 2026 window has closed, so sign up to the newsletter for future opportunities.
• Early-stage founders and developer-led teams: the Open Payments Accelerator.
• Regulated financial service providers and web platforms: the Digital Financial Services grants.
• Accredited higher-education institutions: the NextGen Higher Education Grant.
• Student clubs and societies with faculty support: Interledger on Campus.
• Researchers worldwide: the Call for Papers.
• Developers building SDK tooling: the Open Payments SDK grant.
• Policy organisations: the Policy Activation Grant, which does not take open applications.

How applications work

• The Fellowship must be applied for through the Submittable platform.
• The Policy Activation Grant does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organisations may introduce their work by email.
• Hackathons take registrations from students, professionals and hobbyists.

What reviewers look for

• A clear problem, a community in mind and technical capacity on the team, for the Open Payments Accelerator.
• A strong Letter of Intent at Phase 1, which is the route to a Phase 2 invitation on the NextGen Higher Education Grant.

The Interledger Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation incorporated in California and founded in 2020. It stewards the Interledger Protocol and Open Payments, builds and maintains Rafiki, and funds work on open, interoperable financial systems through fellowships, grants, an accelerator and hackathons.

Programmes

The foundation runs several programmes, and each has its own eligibility, dates and status. Most are closed or paused at the time of writing. The only grant round its pages describe as open is the NextGen Higher Education Grant, with Phase 1 applications open until 14 December 2026.

The Interledger Fellowship is a 12-month programme for emerging leaders who are researching, building or advocating for open, interoperable financial systems. Fellows receive a stipend across the programme year and project funding for research, development or advocacy work. The 2026 application window has closed.

The Open Payments Accelerator supports early-stage founders and developer-led teams building digital financial services for underserved communities. The 2026 round is closed. The programme runs from August to November 2026 and ends with a showcase of proof of concept at a virtual Demo Day in November.

Digital Financial Services grants fund regulated financial service providers to integrate Interledger technology. There are two tracks. Enabled is for digital wallets, mobile money providers, banks, savings co-ops and neo-banks integrating through Rafiki. Unlocked is for web-based platforms, including e-commerce sites and donation platforms, integrating through Open Payments. Applications are reviewed in cycles, and no cycle is open at present.

The NextGen Higher Education Grant supports accredited higher-education institutions to implement and complete projects within 12 months. Applicants with a strong Letter of Intent at Phase 1 are invited to Phase 2, where a full proposal is needed.

Interledger on Campus provides grant funding for student-led projects at accredited higher-education institutions, where the project has faculty or institutional support. Projects must be completed by 31 December 2026, and applications for 2026 are closed.

Local Impact Mini Grants fund local projects that must be completed within six months of accepting the grant. They are paused, and the page gives no reopening date.

Grant for the Web funds publishers, platforms and developers exploring Web Monetization as a viable alternative to advertising and subscription models. It has awarded grants to content publishers and publishing platforms since 2025. It is closed, and the page says it is expected to reopen in 2027.

The Open Payments SDK grant is for developers and organisations with the technical capacity to build SDK tooling. Its 2026 grant cycle is closed.

The Call for Papers invites abstracts from researchers worldwide. Invited authors then develop full-length papers, and each selected paper receives a payment. The page gives Q3 2026 as the reopening quarter, which has already passed.

The Policy Activation Grant is not an open call. The foundation awards these grants by direct outreach and does not accept unsolicited proposals.

Open Payment Hackathons are ecosystem hackathons with cash prizes. The next one is on 16 and 17 October 2026 in Medellín, Colombia. The 2025 hackathon was held in Mexico City. Students, professionals and hobbyists can register, and no prior Interledger experience is needed.

Who can apply

Eligibility depends on the programme. Several programmes exclude applicants from countries or territories subject to US sanctions: the Local Impact Mini Grants, the Open Payments SDK grant and the Call for Papers. Digital Financial Services grants are for regulated financial service providers on the Enabled track and for web-based platforms on the Unlocked track. The NextGen grant is for accredited higher-education institutions with a faculty lead. Interledger on Campus is for student-led clubs, societies and associations at accredited institutions.

The programme's own eligibility notes limit Interledger on Campus clubs to business, finance, computer science, engineering, public policy, governance or related fields. Another page describes the programme as open to any discipline with a relevant project. Check the programme page before applying.

Track record

The foundation's about page says that since 2020 it has funded 271 projects in 42 countries. Its grantmaking page gives different totals, so the about page's count is the one quoted here. Its education pages say it has partnerships with 10 universities and that over 1,000 students have been skilled on open payments. They describe the universities' spread differently: across four continents on the education overview, and across six countries on the NextGen page. These are the foundation's own figures.

Who runs it

As a private operating foundation, it files annual returns with the IRS and is subject to an independent annual financial audit by a certified public accounting firm. It is not a financial institution of any kind. It does not hold deposits, transmit money, process payments, operate a payment network or provide financial services to end users.

Its team is described as more than 50 people in 17 countries, working across technology, policy, grantmaking and community.

How to apply

Each programme has its own page and status, so check the status of the programme you want before preparing an application. Applications for the Fellowship must be made through the Submittable platform. Sign up to the newsletter for future opportunities. For additional clarifications on grants, reach out to programteam@interledger.org.