Interledger Local Impact Mini-Grants 2026: Apply for Up to USD 3,000 for Community-Led Financial Inclusion Projects

Applications are now open for the Interledger Local Impact Mini-Grants 2026, a global funding programme supporting locally designed projects that advance open payments, digital financial access, financial inclusion, open-source innovation and digital public infrastructure.

The programme recognizes that some of the most effective financial-inclusion initiatives begin at the community level. Local organizers, nonprofit organizations, cooperatives, fintech innovators, researchers and civil-society groups often understand the financial barriers facing their communities better than outside institutions. The initiative therefore provides flexible funding directly to people and organizations capable of designing activities around those local needs.

Selected applicants can receive between USD 500 and USD 3,000 to organize workshops, community conversations, demonstrations, hackdays, research, awareness campaigns, local ecosystem events and other activities connected to open and inclusive payment systems.

Applications opened on 6 July 2026 and are being reviewed on a rolling basis. The final deadline is 11 November 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET/EDT.

Interledger Local Impact Mini-Grants 2026: Key Information

Programme detail	Information
Programme name	Interledger Local Impact Mini-Grants 2026
Funding organization	Interledger Foundation
Funding amount	USD 500–3,000 per selected project
Application opening date	6 July 2026
Application deadline	11 November 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET/EDT
Review process	Rolling review
Project duration	Within six months of accepting the funding
Application platform	Submittable
Geographic coverage	Worldwide, subject to applicable United States sanctions
Priority communities	Global South, rural and peri-urban communities with limited access to formal financial services
Eligible applicant types	Individuals and registered or unregistered organizations
Previous Interledger experience	Not required
Main application documents	Application form, two-page concept note, project budget and implementation timeline

What Are the Interledger Local Impact Mini-Grants?

The Interledger Local Impact Mini-Grants provide small and flexible awards for grassroots initiatives focused on open payments and digital financial access.

The programme is built around the idea that local people should have an active role in identifying financial-access problems, convening affected communities and experimenting with appropriate solutions. Rather than prescribing one project model, the Interledger Foundation allows applicants to propose activities based on their community’s circumstances.

Projects may focus on education, research, community engagement, technical experimentation, public awareness, policy discussion or local ecosystem development. A project does not necessarily have to build a new financial product. Nontechnical initiatives such as community workshops, research, storytelling, policy conversations and educational content may also qualify if they clearly connect to open payments or digital financial inclusion.

The programme’s central objective is to help communities:

• Understand open and interoperable payment systems;
• Explore barriers to digital financial access;
• Learn about financial technologies that may improve inclusion;
• Conduct locally relevant research;
• Bring together community members, developers, policymakers and financial-sector stakeholders;
• Experiment with open-payment technologies;
• Produce knowledge and educational materials;
• Share local evidence and lessons with the wider Interledger community.

About the Interledger Foundation

The Interledger Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to expand equitable participation in the digital economy. It supports financial-service initiatives, education programmes, community engagement and technologies intended to make payment systems more open and interoperable.

The Foundation works with entrepreneurs, community organizations, governments, educational institutions and technology developers. Its wider vision is to make it easier for people to send and receive digital payments across platforms, currencies and national borders.

Traditional payment networks frequently operate as separate systems. This can make transactions between different providers, ledgers or currencies expensive, slow or inaccessible. The Interledger Protocol is an open protocol designed to enable value to move across independent payment networks. It is not restricted to one company, currency or payment provider.

Applicants do not need to be technical experts in the Interledger Protocol. However, their proposed activities should create opportunities for communities to learn about or engage with open payments, interoperability, digital financial infrastructure or related financial-inclusion issues.

Why the Local Impact Programme Was Created

Financial exclusion is not experienced in exactly the same way in every community. One region may struggle with expensive remittance services, while another may face limited access to bank accounts, weak digital infrastructure, low financial literacy, inaccessible payment platforms or a lack of trust in formal financial institutions.

Local organizations and community practitioners are often well positioned to understand these barriers because they already have trusted relationships, firsthand knowledge and established local networks.

Through the Local Impact Mini-Grants, the Interledger Foundation aims to place resources in the hands of people who can:

• Identify specific financial-access problems within their communities;
• Explain open-payment concepts in locally appropriate ways;
• Convene relevant community members and stakeholders;
• Create space for discussion and practical experimentation;
• Build local knowledge about interoperable financial systems;
• Document lessons that could benefit other communities;
• Connect local initiatives with a wider global network working on financial inclusion.

The programme is particularly interested in proposals that emerge directly from the communities they intend to serve.

Who Can Apply?

The programme is open to both individuals and organizations. An applicant does not have to be a registered nonprofit or formally incorporated entity.

Eligible applicants include:

• Individual community leaders;
• Individual practitioners with concrete project plans;
• Registered and unregistered community organizations;
• Nonprofit organizations;
• Cooperatives;
• Civil-society organizations;
• Advocacy and consumer-rights groups;
• Local fintech startups;
• Mission-aligned businesses;
• Social enterprises;
• Research groups;
• Open-source communities;
• Innovation hubs;
• Hacker spaces;
• Coworking communities;
• Incubators and accelerators;
• Startup communities;
• Universities and university-linked groups;
• Fintech and payment-sector communities;
• Organizations working on Sustainable Development Goals;
• Groups focused on digital public infrastructure or digital public goods.

Applicants should have a direct connection with the community they propose to serve and a realistic plan for delivering the project.

The official announcement does not state a minimum academic degree, professional certification or age requirement. Formal organizational registration is also not mandatory.

Geographic Eligibility and Priority Communities

Applications are welcomed from around the world. Projects may be proposed from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania and other regions.

For the 2026 cycle, priority will be given to projects serving:

• Communities in the Global South;
• Rural communities;
• Peri-urban communities;
• Areas with limited access to formal financial services;
• Regions that have historically been underrepresented in open-payment and financial-technology initiatives.

The Interledger Foundation is incorporated in the United States and must comply with sanctions administered by the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Applicants from countries subject to applicable United States sanctions may be ineligible. The Foundation is also prohibited from supporting sanctioned individuals and entities appearing on relevant restricted-party lists unless an authorization or exemption applies.

Applicants who are uncertain about sanctions-related eligibility should contact the Interledger Foundation before preparing a full submission.

How Much Funding Is Available?

Each selected project may receive between:

• Minimum funding: USD 500
• Maximum funding: USD 3,000

The amount requested should be proportionate to the proposed activities. Applicants should not automatically request the maximum amount unless their budget demonstrates that the full amount is necessary.

The award is intended primarily for direct project costs rather than an organization’s routine operating expenses.

The published call does not specify the total number of awards available. Because applications are assessed on a rolling basis, early submission is strongly recommended.

What Selected Applicants Will Receive

Successful applicants will receive more than project funding. According to the official programme information, grantees may benefit from:

• USD 500–3,000 for approved project activities;
• Flexible support for community-led education and engagement;
• Access to Interledger educational and technical resources;
• Opportunities to connect with the wider open-payments community;
• Exposure to a global network of practitioners working on digital financial access;
• Opportunities to document and share local findings;
• Potential connections with other community leaders, developers and organizations.

The programme can therefore help an applicant test a local idea, build community understanding and establish relationships within the international open-payments ecosystem.

Main Areas the Programme Supports

Projects should connect meaningfully with at least one of the programme’s main focus areas.

1. Open Payments and Digital Financial Access

Projects may help communities understand, discuss or experiment with payment systems that are open, accessible and capable of working across different platforms.

Potential topics include:

• Barriers to receiving digital payments;
• Access to payment accounts;
• Cross-border payments and remittances;
• Payment interoperability;
• Community understanding of digital financial services;
• Affordable payment tools for small businesses, creators or underserved populations.

2. Open Source and Open Innovation

Applicants may propose activities that encourage communities to learn about, develop or experiment with open-source technologies.

Eligible formats could include:

• Open-source workshops;
• Developer meetups;
• Community demonstrations;
• Innovation sprints;
• Collaborative learning sessions;
• Technical documentation or educational content.

3. Financial Inclusion and Fintech Ecosystems

Projects may examine how financial technology can improve access for underserved groups or strengthen local financial ecosystems.

Relevant initiatives may involve:

• Bringing together fintech startups and community organizations;
• Mapping financial-access barriers;
• Convening discussions on responsible financial innovation;
• Raising awareness of inclusive digital-finance solutions;
• Researching consumer experiences with payment services.

4. Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Public Goods

Applicants may explore the role of Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Public Goods in enabling equitable access to services.

Projects could examine:

• Open digital-payment infrastructure;
• Public-interest technology;
• Open standards;
• Financial infrastructure policy;
• Connections between digital identity, payments and public services;
• Community participation in the design of digital systems.

5. Interoperability

Interoperability concerns the ability of different financial systems, providers or technologies to communicate and exchange value.

Projects may help participants understand why disconnected payment systems create barriers and how open standards could support more inclusive financial services.

Eligible Project Activities

The programme supports a broad range of community-led activities.

Community meetings and conversations

Applicants may organize:

• Neighborhood discussions;
• Community listening sessions;
• Roundtable meetings;
• Fintech community gatherings;
• Consumer-rights discussions;
• Conversations about local payment challenges.

Workshops, training and demonstrations

Possible activities include:

• Introductory workshops on open payments;
• Digital financial-literacy sessions;
• Demonstrations of Interledger technologies;
• Training on digital public infrastructure;
• Capacity-building sessions for nonprofits or community leaders;
• Practical sessions for developers, students or fintech practitioners.

Hackdays, sprints and innovation challenges

Funding may support:

• Hackdays;
• Design sprints;
• Innovation challenges;
• Participatory learning sessions;
• Small-scale technical experiments;
• Collaborative problem-solving events.

Research and policy work

Eligible research-related activities may include:

• Community needs assessments;
• Financial-access studies;
• Policy briefs;
• Publications;
• Interviews and surveys;
• Documentation of local payment barriers;
• Research on fintech ecosystems or consumer experiences.

Storytelling and awareness campaigns

Applicants may develop:

• Community stories;
• Case studies;
• Awareness campaigns;
• Articles and blog posts;
• Videos or digital content;
• Educational materials;
• Public information resources.

Hands-on experimentation

The official programme factsheet also refers to experimentation with technologies such as the Interledger Test Wallet and Web Monetization.

These activities can be organized independently or in partnership with existing institutions such as universities, innovation hubs, coworking spaces, accelerators, incubators, hacker spaces, open-source groups or civil-society networks.

What Grant Funds Can Cover

Funding must be used for costs directly related to delivering the approved project.

Eligible expenses may include:

• Venue costs for project events;
• Workshop and training materials;
• Community-event expenses;
• Facilitator compensation connected directly to approved activities;
• Project-specific organizer stipends;
• Travel required for project delivery;
• Local transportation and logistics;
• Research expenses;
• Communication and awareness materials;
• Design and production of educational content;
• Costs associated with demonstrations or participatory sessions;
• Documentation and reporting materials.

Applicants should make a clear connection between every budget item and a proposed activity or deliverable.

What the Funding Cannot Cover

The programme does not support:

• General organizational operating expenses;
• Routine overhead unrelated to the project;
• General salary or compensation not tied to direct project delivery;
• Capital expenditure;
• Major equipment or long-term asset purchases;
• Costs that cannot be linked to the proposed activities.

The public guidance lists project-specific facilitator compensation and organizer stipends as eligible while excluding general operating compensation. Applicants should therefore distinguish clearly between a limited, activity-based stipend and an organization’s routine payroll or administrative costs.

Any applicant uncertain about a budget item should seek written clarification from the programme team before submitting.

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit their proposal through the Interledger Foundation’s Submittable portal.

A complete application includes:

1. A completed online application form;
2. A two-page concept note;
3. A project budget;
4. An implementation timeline;
5. Key project milestones.

The official programme factsheet confirms that the resource folder contains an application guide, concept-note template, and budget and timeline templates.

What to Include in the Two-Page Concept Note

The concept note should provide a concise but convincing explanation of the project.

A strong concept note should address the following points:

Project background

Explain the financial-access, open-payment or digital-infrastructure issue the project will address.

Target community

Identify the people, organizations or local networks that will participate in or benefit from the project.

Local need

Describe why the issue matters in the proposed community. Use local evidence, observations, examples or data where available.

Proposed activities

Clearly explain what the project will do. Activities should be realistic, specific and appropriate for the requested amount.

Connection to the programme

Demonstrate how the project advances open payments, digital financial access, open-source innovation, financial inclusion, fintech ecosystems, interoperability or Digital Public Infrastructure.

Expected results

Describe the knowledge, participation, outputs or changes expected from the project.

Community involvement

Explain how local participants will contribute to the design, delivery or learning process.

Knowledge sharing

Describe how findings, materials or lessons will be shared with the Interledger community and other stakeholders.

Applicants should avoid filling the concept note with broad claims that are not supported by a practical implementation plan.

Preparing the Project Budget

The budget should be realistic, transparent and directly connected to the project’s activities.

Each budget line should show:

• The proposed item or expense;
• The quantity or number of units;
• The estimated unit cost;
• The total requested amount;
• The activity the expense supports;
• A short justification where necessary.

Applicants should ensure that:

• The total request falls between USD 500 and USD 3,000;
• All expenses relate directly to project implementation;
• Costs are reasonable for the applicant’s location;
• General operating expenses are excluded;
• Capital purchases are excluded;
• Travel and logistics are necessary and proportionate;
• Facilitator or organizer payments relate to specific project activities;
• The budget matches the activities described in the concept note.

An inflated or unclear budget is likely to weaken an otherwise promising proposal.

Developing the Timeline and Milestones

Projects must be completed within six months of accepting the award.

The timeline should identify:

• Project start date;
• Community outreach and participant recruitment;
• Preparation of training or event materials;
• Research or content-development stages;
• Dates of workshops, meetings or hackdays;
• Expected completion dates for outputs;
• Documentation activities;
• Blog and reporting deadlines;
• Project closing date.

Milestones should be measurable. Instead of writing “conduct community engagement,” an applicant could identify the number of planned sessions, expected participants and target completion date.

Although projects may run for up to six months, the Foundation states that priority review will be given to initiatives expected to finish before 31 December 2026.

How Applications Will Be Reviewed

Applications are assessed as they are received. Applicants do not need to wait until the final deadline for the review process to begin.

The programme is looking for proposals that demonstrate:

• A clear and realistic project plan;
• Direct knowledge of the community being served;
• A meaningful focus on open payments or digital financial access;
• Strong potential for community learning and participation;
• Appropriate and well-justified use of funds;
• Realistic outcomes for the proposed budget;
• Willingness to share findings and lessons;
• Capacity to complete the project within six months;
• Alignment with the programme’s geographic and inclusion priorities.

The Interledger Foundation says its team will follow up within approximately two weeks of submission. Applicants should not assume that this necessarily guarantees a final funding decision within that period, but they should monitor the email address linked to their Submittable account.

Submitting early may improve the likelihood of receiving an award during the current funding cycle.

Is Previous Interledger Experience Required?

No previous experience with Interledger is required.

However, applicants should demonstrate:

• Genuine interest in learning about Interledger technologies;
• Willingness to explore open-payment concepts;
• A plan for introducing their community to the Interledger ecosystem;
• Readiness to participate in community learning and knowledge sharing.

Applicants who are new to the subject should review Interledger documentation, educational resources, community discussions and developer materials before preparing their concept note.

Expected Deliverables from Successful Projects

Successful applicants will typically be required to produce two main knowledge-sharing deliverables.

Project introduction blog

This blog should introduce the project, explain the planned activities and describe how the wider community may support or engage with the initiative.

Final summary blog

The final blog should summarize:

• Activities completed;
• Number of participants reached;
• Project outcomes;
• Key performance information;
• Participant feedback;
• Lessons learned;
• Challenges encountered;
• Recommendations or possible next steps.

Grantees are also encouraged to submit:

• Photographs;
• Event materials;
• Workshop presentations;
• Research documentation;
• Educational resources;
• Other materials that could help the wider Interledger community learn from the project.

Applicants should incorporate documentation and monitoring into their project plans from the beginning rather than attempting to reconstruct evidence after the activities have ended.

Can More Than One Project from the Same Region Be Funded?

The Foundation may fund multiple projects from the same city or region on a case-by-case basis.

However, it also aims to promote geographic diversity. Proposals from regions and communities that are underrepresented in open-payments work may therefore receive priority.

Applicants should focus on the distinct local need their project addresses rather than assuming that the existence of another project in the same region makes them automatically ineligible.

How to Apply

Applicants should follow these steps:

Step 1: Review the programme information

Read the official call, eligibility guidance and frequently asked questions on the Local Impact Mini-Grants page.

Step 2: Study the supporting resources

Review the Local Impact Mini-Grants Factsheet and the official resource folder.

Step 3: Create a Submittable account

Applicants must create a free account on the application platform. A draft can be saved and completed later.

Step 4: Prepare the concept note

Use the official template and keep the document within the required two-page limit.

Step 5: Prepare the budget and timeline

Provide realistic costs, measurable milestones and a completion schedule of no more than six months.

Step 6: Complete the online application

Answer every required question accurately and ensure that the information matches the uploaded documents.

Step 7: Review the submission

Check project dates, contact details, budget totals, attachments and alignment with the programme’s focus areas.

Step 8: Submit early

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants should not wait until the final deadline if their documents are ready.

Step 9: Monitor email communications

The Foundation will communicate through the email address connected to the applicant’s Submittable account.

If submitted information changes, applicants can request permission to edit their submission.

Important Dates

Stage	Date or timeframe
Applications opened	6 July 2026
Review process	Rolling
Expected follow-up	Approximately two weeks after submission
Final application deadline	11 November 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET/EDT
Priority completion date	Projects expected to finish before 31 December 2026 receive priority review
Maximum project duration	Six months from acceptance of the award

Applicants should treat the time displayed on the official application portal as authoritative.

Practical Tips for a Competitive Application

Start with a specific local problem

Do not describe financial exclusion only in global terms. Explain the particular problem facing the proposed community.

Demonstrate community connection

Show that the applicant already understands or works with the people the project intends to serve.

Keep the project proportionate

A USD 500–3,000 award is suitable for a focused activity or small series of activities. Avoid proposing a large programme that cannot realistically be completed with the available resources.

Make participation measurable

State how many workshops, participants, interviews, demonstrations, publications or community sessions are expected.

Explain the open-payments connection

The application should make clear how the activities relate to open payments, interoperability, digital financial access or another stated focus area.

Build documentation into the plan

Assign responsibility for photographs, attendance records, participant feedback, project data and final reporting.

Use a transparent budget

Avoid lump-sum costs without explanations. Show how each expense contributes to delivery.

Use plain language

The project should be understandable to reviewers who may not know the applicant’s local context.

Apply before the final deadline

Rolling review means that waiting until November may reduce the opportunity for funding within the current cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an individual apply?

Yes. Individual community leaders and practitioners can apply if they have a concrete project plan and a direct connection to the proposed community.

Does an organization have to be registered?

No. Registered and unregistered organizations are eligible.

Is a university degree required?

No minimum academic degree is stated in the published eligibility criteria.

Is there an age limit?

No age restriction is stated in the official call.

Is previous technical experience required?

No. Applicants do not need prior experience with Interledger, although they should be willing to learn and introduce relevant concepts to their communities.

Must the project develop software?

No. Software development is not compulsory. Workshops, community conversations, research, storytelling, awareness campaigns, policy briefs and educational content may also qualify.

Can a research project apply?

Yes. Research, publications and policy briefs are listed among eligible activities, provided they align with the programme’s focus.

Can the funding pay for travel?

Travel and logistics may be covered when they are directly necessary for project delivery.

Can the funding pay organizational salaries?

Routine salaries and general operating compensation are not eligible. A facilitator fee or limited organizer stipend may be included when it is directly tied to approved project activities.

Are capital purchases eligible?

No. Capital expenditure is excluded.

Are applicants from the Global South eligible?

Yes. Projects in the Global South are specifically prioritized, together with rural and peri-urban communities that have limited access to formal financial services.

Can applicants from Pakistan apply?

Yes. The call welcomes applications from any geography, including Pakistan, subject to the Foundation’s sanctions and applicant-screening requirements.

Is there a fixed number of awards?

The public programme information does not state the total number of grants to be awarded.

Is co-funding required?

The public call does not identify a mandatory matching-fund or co-funding requirement.

Contact and Support

Applicants can obtain further information through:

• Grant information: LIG@interledger.org
• Eligibility and application questions: programteam@interledger.org
• Submittable technical support: submittersupport@submittable.com
• Community support: Interledger Slack, including the #local-impact-grants channel
• Application portal: 2026 Interledger Local Impact Mini-Grant

Applicants should use the official programme and application pages and should not send sensitive financial information through unofficial channels.

Conclusion

The Interledger Local Impact Mini-Grants 2026 provide an accessible funding opportunity for community leaders, nonprofits, cooperatives, researchers, fintech innovators and civil-society groups working to improve digital financial access.

With funding of USD 500–3,000, the programme is suitable for focused, community-led initiatives such as workshops, hackdays, research, storytelling, awareness campaigns, policy conversations and experiments with open-payment technologies.

One of the programme’s most important features is its accessibility. Individuals and unregistered groups can apply, no university degree or previous Interledger experience is required, and applications are accepted worldwide. What matters most is a concrete project plan, a direct connection to the community, a clear relationship with open payments or financial inclusion, and the ability to produce measurable results within six months.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and will close on 11 November 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET/EDT. Interested applicants should study the official resources, prepare a concise concept note and transparent budget, and submit as early as possible.

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