After 6+ months of research and collaboration with the community, we’re excited to announce that applications for the Stacks Decentralized Grants – Pilot Program (Stacks De-grants Pilot) are now open. Applicants will have until November 19th to submit their applications but are highly encouraged to attend grants support sessions in the meantime (details below).

The de-grants pilot is a crucial step in developing a fully fledged decentralized grants program for the Stacks ecosystem. It is an opportunity for de-grants participants to identify high quality grant ideas and build lasting relationships with a new set of community contributors. Indeed, the success of the pilot program will determine whether the Stacks community is ready to maintain an official de-grants program on an ongoing basis. Unlike the original Stacks Grants Program, in which the Stacks Foundation team led the end-to-end grant process, the de-grants program puts the solicitation, review, and selection of grants predominantly in the hands of community. Community grant stewards, volunteers nominated by the community to represent their interests, review and recommend grants for the Foundation team to fund based on the needs of the broader community.

Designed and incubated by dedicated community members from all corners of the Stacks ecosystem, the de-grants pilot program aims to operate with even greater levels of inclusivity, transparency, and community. And while the de-grants program is open to a wider range of ideas than the original grants program, it is still focused on funding projects that will be noticeably beneficial to Stacks community members, as you can see from the review criteria listed here.

If you’ve been wanting to apply for a grant but couldn’t find a fitting opportunity through the Critical Bounties program, the de-grants pilot could be a great place to start. For more info on the application criteria, review process, and possible funding pool, read through the de-grants documentation here. We also recommend attending one of the upcoming grant support sessions, which are listed under Events in the Stacks Discord server.