Request for Applications: Digital Financial Services Grant Program

The grant is designed to help the Interledger Foundation’s vision for a world where everyone can send a payment as easily as an email. Expanding digital financial inclusion through inclusive systems means advocating for the adoption of an open-source, currency-agnostic payment network powered by the Interledger Protocol (ILP).

Objectives

• The goal of the Digital Financial Services grant is to create an ecosystem that facilitates secure, private, fast, and free payments across currencies and ledgers. This grant opportunity is focused on using the Interledger Foundation’s open standards and open source implementations to expand financial services available to historically marginalized and underrepresented communities.
• They want more financial service providers to implement the Open Payments API specification and peer with other financial service providers using the Interledger Protocol. They specifically are interested in working with digital wallet providers, banks, neobanks, community banks, and credit unions. Additionally, they want to expand use of Open Payments and Interledger as a payment method online and in-person.

Funding Tracks

• This grant opportunity supports players in the ecosystem that seek to build digitally inclusive finance systems through the Internet, by building on Interledger with an intent to either become a financial node within the Interledger Network or expand payments options on an existing web-based platform. If you are interested in joining a global network of inclusive financial service providers,  here are the available funding options:
  • Track 1: Interledger | Enabled (up to $250,000.00)
    • Designed for digital financial service providers—including digital wallets, mobile money providers, banks, savings co-ops, and neo-banks—this track helps integrate Rafiki into existing financial infrastructures, establishing new financial nodes on the Interledger Network.
  • Track 2: Interledger | Unlocked (up to $150,000)
    • For web-based platforms (e.g., e-commerce sites, donation platforms) that want to expand payment options for users by integrating Open Payments APIs into their systems.

Outcomes

• Interledger Foundation’s 2025 Digital Financial Services Grant program is a culmination of research, development, and prototyping with more focus levied on experimental output yielding workable prototypes demonstrating movement of money within the Interledger Network. On a broad scale, they see digital financial inclusion as a key enabler for economic justice and poverty eduction. Their mission is to build, support, and fund solutions geared toward digital financial inclusion to uplift underrepresented populations and those who are economically vulnerable.
• With respect to further engagement, after grantees have successfully implemented their projects and are ready to launch and operate, the Interledger Foundation may offer Project Related Investments (PRI), a low interest loan facility for projects interested in pursuing further financing.
• This facility will be made available on a case by case basis. More details on this program will be made available at the appropriate time. Together, they hope to foster an ecosystem that supports a paradigm shift in digital payment systems, their accessibility, and who they serve.

Eligibility Criteria

• All eligible applicants must:
  • Be a registered organization.
    • Commercial Business
    • Education Institution
    • Cooperatives
    • Non-Government Organization
    • Nonprofit
    • Foundation
• Applicants must be 18 years or older.
• Applicants must have read and agreed to the Participation Guidelines.
• Applicants must review the Developers’ Portal and demonstrate an understanding of the Interledger Protocol and Open Payments API specification.
• Once applicants meet the above criteria, they can access the application form for completion. Applicants must also:
  • Support The Interledger Foundation’s compliance with relevant U.S. laws, rules, and regulations.
    • The Interledger Foundation must comply with the economic and trade sanctions program administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. These sanctions have been imposed on specific countries, individuals, and entities that appear on OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (the “SDN List”).
    • The Interledger Foundation is prohibited from providing most goods or services to residents of sanctioned countries or their governmental entities or to SDNs without an applicable U.S. government authorization or exemption.
  • Have no conflicts of interest.
    • The Interledger Foundation provides various grant programs accessible to organizations and individuals worldwide, with the exception of the countries listed on the US sanctions list.

For more information, visit Interledger Foundation.