Unlocking Innovation: How Polygon's $640 Million Grant Program Fuels OPEN Blockchain Builders

Polygon is one of the fastest growing blockchains in the world right now. It is also the most vibrant. Just this week, the Polygon community voted unanimously to unlock an astounding $640 million in tokens for community grants with blockchain builders.

The Genesis of a Revolutionary Grant Program

At its best, the Polygon Community Grants Programme shows how communities can take things into their own hands to fund their collective agenda: 1 billion tokens over 10 years… this will enable a whole new generation of distributed blockchain projects

Season 01 Unveils a Lucrative Launchpad

Season 01, the first season, advances an unparalleled grant, pledging 35 million MATIC tokens (which equals to $27 million) to foster the most promising projects. Indeed, this grant is a community investment to drive creative ingenuity and excellence across the Polygon and the Ethereum ecosystems.

A Treasury for the Community, by the Community

The Polygon community voted in a true democratic fashion to create the Community Treasury, a central fund that will distribute around 100 million POL tokens each year, to the most talented blockchain developers in the world. Season 01 will distribute the funding in MATIC as the token upgrade is underway, but all roads lead to the future.

Applications Are Now OPEN

The doors are wide open for these and other ambitious builders to apply for a grant. It’s an announcement that emphasises the openness and inclusivity of Polygon – and for a whole plethora of projects to join this season of discovery and creation.

Nurturing Builders: The Heart of OPEN Innovation

Embracing a Wide Spectrum of Creativity

Polygon acknowledges that these builders – the bold explorers of the technological fringes – are at the core of its vibrant ecosystem, and so the Community Grants Program has been designed to create a space where artistic skills are reflected, extended and amplified without restraint. Whether you are a hackathonist with a love for scalable gaming, a DeFi startup with dreams of financial liberation or an NFT artist already exploring the potentialities of the ‘phygital’ space, builders everywhere are invited to submit applications to participate in the ecosystem.

A Dual-Track Approach to Encourage Diversity

The first season of the grant programme offers applicants two different tracks: the General Grant Track and the Consumer Crypto Track. This two-track framework demonstrates Polygon’s intention of not only enlargening the scope of projects it wishes to fund, but also of fostering utility and adoption of crypto technology through the lens of consumer products.

A Strengthening Community Through Collective Governance

Polygon’s grant programme isn’t just a funding initiative – it’s the beginning of a vision for the world where a robust, democratically powered web of chains can grow up together. The parameters of the program encourage projects that are moving, or have already moved, to Polygon, creating a shared mentality among network members.

Success Stories and Future Stars

Several projects are already under way, thanks to grants from Polygon, while others such as Quickswap, Keom, Jokerace and Intraverse are already up and running. Season 01 is Polygon’s first showcase of projects to the world.

Enter the Era of OPEN Innovation with Polygon

A Canvas for Creativity and Collaboration

With Polygon’s new Community Grants Program, a new chapter in blockchain development has begun. For the first time, we are opening the door for teams from anywhere in the world to join Polygon and bring their dreams and expertise to this ecosystem. By creating a culture of openness, collaboration and innovation, we will help enhance blockchain for everyone.

Exploring the OPEN Nature of Polygon's Initiative

Polygon’s landmark grants programme underscores its commitment to building an open, inclusive and people-powered future for blockchain technology and its goals to foster a new digital economy based on creator economy, creator sovereignty, and open innovation and development.

Polygon invites any builder around the world to submit their applications to its open call. Photo courtesy Polygon. Polygon’s open call for application is also an open door to the future of blockchain development. Any developer, whether a seasoned entrepreneur or a budding builder, can now contribute to the Polygon ecosystem via its grants programme. Polygon aims to play a catalytic role in nurturing the creativity of these builders and in enabling them to contribute to the evolution of blockchain technology. Whether it’s a concept for a web2-grade blockchain gaming startup, or a novel implementation of an identity protocol in the blockchain space, Polygon’s support will transform innovative ideas into disruptive solutions. In other words, Polygon will play a crucial role in ushering in a more open blockchain future.