Grants of USD $500–$3,000 available to support locally led initiatives advancing open payments and digital financial access.

Some of the most impactful work starts with local communities. Developers hosting meetups, nonprofits leading workshops, community organizers bringing people together, and innovators responding to the unique challenges they see every day. This is where impact happens.

The Interledger Foundation's Local Impact Mini-Grants program is designed to support those grassroots efforts by putting flexible funding directly into the hands of the people leading change in their own communities.

The program offers grants ranging from USD $500 to $3,000 to support community organizations, nonprofits, cooperatives, civil society groups, local fintech startups, social enterprises, and individual practitioners with a concrete project plan. Funding can be used to organize meetups, workshops, hackdays, community conversations, research, storytelling, and other activities that expand awareness and understanding of open payment technology and digital financial access.

The Local Impact Mini Grants recognize that communities already have trusted networks, local expertise, and ideas worth investing in. Rather than prescribing new solutions, the program empowers local leaders to design initiatives that respond to their own context while contributing to a growing global ecosystem of open, interoperable financial systems.

Chief Program Officer, Chris Lawrence, explains that "The most sustainable innovation happens when communities have the resources to explore ideas that matter to them. Through the Local Impact Mini-Grants, we're supporting local leaders who are already building trust, creating opportunities for learning, and expanding access to digital financial services in ways that reflect the needs of their communities."

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from July 6 through November 11, 2026. Projects should focus on community engagement around open payments, digital financial access, open-source innovation, financial inclusion, or Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and may be hosted independently or in partnership with existing local organizations, coworking spaces, universities, incubators, accelerators, hacker spaces, or fintech communities.

Applications are open to anywhere in the world, however, projects serving communities in the Global South, as well as rural and peri-urban regions with limited access to formal financial services, are encouraged to apply.

Applicants will complete a short application through Submittable, including a two-page concept note, project budget, and implementation timeline. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submissions are encouraged.

To learn more about the Local Impact Mini-Grants, review the program factsheet and explore the application resources.

Applications open July 6, 2026. Apply online through Submittable.