For creators, publishers, and community-run platforms, building a sustainable future on the web has become increasingly difficult. Advertising revenues continue to decline, audiences are experiencing subscription fatigue, and smaller publishers are often left choosing between paywalls, platform dependence, or giving content away for free.

At the same time, decentralized and community-run social platforms are gaining momentum. These platforms offer greater control over distribution and audience relationships, but they often lack viable monetization tools.

This growing gap between independence and sustainability is what Grant for the Web is designed to address.

What is Grant for the Web?

Grant for the Web is a grant program that supports the exploration of the problems and opportunities surrounding the Social Web. This grant encourages experimentation with Web Monetization, an open web technology that enables creators, publishers, and content owners to earn revenue directly from their audiences through small, automatic payments based on real engagement. Web Monetization is designed to complement existing models such as advertising, subscriptions, and memberships, offering a flexible alternative to paywalls while preserving open access. Web Monetization addresses the growing friction between users wanting flexibility in how they access and support content, and content owners who need monetization models that are sustainable, frictionless, and aligned with user trust. 

Social Web Foundation 

As part of the effort to drive awareness and experimentation with decentralized social platforms, the Interledger Foundation has awarded a $200,000 grant to the Social Web Foundation (SWF) to research sustainable revenue and operating models for digital publishers and community-run platforms.

Evan Prodromou, Research Director at the Social Web Foundation, emphasized the urgency of the work, stating,

“Challenges for the Social Web in 2026 are more social and economic than technical. People are the load-bearing infrastructure of the Social Web. The network has grown by leaps and bounds, it’s true, but participants need more funding mechanisms and organizational tools to sustain it. Thanks to this grant from the Interledger Foundation, we can work with the community to put existing services on a solid footing, identify and clear barriers to growth for the Social Web, and make the network a positive factor of even more people’s lives.”

The research will explore four key areas:

• Creator economy: How can individual subject matter experts build and maintain their audience relationships without relying on centralized social media platforms?
• Web Monetization and multimedia: How can content other than webpages (e.g., podcasts, short- and long-form video) benefit from tools like Web Monetization or Open Payments?
• Sustainability: How can federated social web community servers operate with sustainable revenue and governance models?
• Cooperatives: How can the legal and operational challenges of collectively-owned and operated community infrastructure be solved?

Jeremiah Lee, Grant for the Web Program Officer and Tech Lead at the Interledger Foundation, highlighted that:

“Social networks and payment networks both benefit from a decentralized, federated network topology. Interoperability standards make it possible for communities to govern themselves locally while remaining globally connected. The Interledger Foundation is excited to support the Social Web Foundation as they explore how healthier online spaces and more resilient economic models are possible with this approach.”

By supporting research that connects open standards, community governance, and sustainable revenue, the Interledger Foundation invests in a future where creators and publishers can thrive — and where the web remains open, accessible, and economically resilient. Stay tuned to hear more about the research and project outcomes!