Grants for Indie Builders / Microgrants
13 funding opportunities for individual builders, founders, and small-scale projects.
Large Fellowships
$50,000 and above
O’Shaughnessy Fellowships
| Organization: O’Shaughnessy Ventures | Amount: $100,000 | Deadline: Rolling applications |
Domains: Computer Science & AI, Open Tech / OSS / Internet
For ambitious individuals working on breakthrough ideas
Mid-Range Grants
$10,000 - $50,000
Prototype Fund (Germany)
| Organization: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research | Amount: €47,500 over 6 months | Deadline: Twice yearly |
Domains: Open Tech / OSS / Internet, Computer Science & AI
Funding for public interest technology projects
Mozilla Grants
| Organization: Mozilla Foundation | Amount: $10,000-$50,000 (Common Awards) | Deadline: Varies by program |
Domains: Open Tech / OSS / Internet, Computer Science & AI
Support for open internet and privacy projects
Open Technology Fund
| Organization: OTF | Amount: Variable (typically $10,000-$900,000) | Deadline: Rolling applications |
Domains: Open Tech / OSS / Internet
Supporting open technologies for global internet freedom
NLnet Foundation Grants
| Organization: NLnet Foundation | Amount: €5,000-€50,000 | Deadline: Rolling (8 calls per year) |
Domains: Open Tech / OSS / Internet
Supporting open source projects contributing to open internet
Emergent Ventures
| Organization: Mercatus Center | Amount: $1,000-$50,000 (median $15-20K) | Deadline: Rolling applications |
Domains: Computer Science & AI, Social Sciences & Policy, Open Tech / OSS / Internet
Supporting innovative ideas and moonshot projects
Fast Grants
| Organization: Fast Grants | Amount: $10,000-$500,000 | Deadline: Rolling (rapid decisions) |
Domains: Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Rapid funding for COVID and science projects (varies by availability)
Microgrants
Under $10,000
AI Grant
| Organization: AI Grant | Amount: $2,500-$5,000 | Deadline: Varies |
Domains: Computer Science & AI
Supporting AI researchers and builders
Unitary Fund Microgrants
| Organization: Unitary Fund | Amount: $4,000 | Deadline: Rolling applications |
Domains: Computer Science & AI, Engineering & Physical Sciences
For quantum technology open source projects
Awesome Foundation Microgrants
| Organization: Awesome Foundation | Amount: $1,000 | Deadline: Monthly (by chapter) |
Domains: Computer Science & AI, Humanities & Arts, Social Sciences & Policy, Open Tech / OSS / Internet
Monthly microgrants for awesome projects
Community Platforms & Equity
Alternative funding models
GitHub Sponsors
| Organization: GitHub | Amount: Variable (community-funded) | Deadline: Rolling applications |
Domains: Open Tech / OSS / Internet, Computer Science & AI
Community funding platform for open source developers
1517 Fund
| Organization: 1517 Fund | Amount: Variable (equity investment) | Deadline: Rolling applications |
Domains: Computer Science & AI, Engineering & Physical Sciences, Open Tech / OSS / Internet
Supporting young founders dropping out to build companies
FUTO Grants
| Organization: FUTO | Amount: Variable | Deadline: Rolling |
Domains: Open Tech / OSS / Internet, Computer Science & AI
Supporting people-controlled technology