The Atom Accelerator DAO Regular Grant Program is the first program that gave birth to the DAO. This program empowers innovators and developers to drive the future of the Cosmos Hub.
Our goal is to provide strategic funding and support to projects that have the potential to significantly contribute to the growth and development of the Cosmos Hub and the Atom Economic Zone (AEZ).
This category aims to visualize and understand the widespread use of ATOM across IBC platforms. Projects should help the community grasp ATOM’s total value locked (TVL), usage, and movement within the interchain.
Possible projects include:
ATOM interchain TVL dashboard
Visualization of ATOM bridging flows and usage heatmaps
Analytics for ATOM yield farming and liquidity provision
Growth metrics for the ATOM ecosystem
Generalized ATOM interchain data APIs
ATOM Zone build-out
The Atom Economic Zone (AEZ) consists of blockchains that borrow security from the Cosmos Hub through shared validators and slashing mechanisms.
This category seeks to expand AEZ by supporting various app chains contributing to the Cosmos Hub’s value. ATOM Zone Build Out grants may evolve into Venture Grants, providing more intimate support to projects. Inspiration for projects includes:
IBC and non-native IBC ecosystem bridges
Integration grants for consumer chains
Security enhancements for AEZ
Improved slashing mechanisms
Advanced network monitoring tools
Consensus algorithm optimizations
Stress testing for consumer chains
Tokenomic design for AEZ
Models for optimizing tokenomics and distribution for AEZ chains
Security research on partial set, layered, and replicated security
AEZ growth grants, hackathons, and developer bounties
AEZ-wide coordination in marketing, business development, and governance
ATOM as Interchain Money
As the Cosmos Hub matures in its decentralization and distribution, ATOM is poised to become the most liquid and functional IBC-native token within the Cosmos ecosystem.
This grant category aims to enhance ATOM’s role as interchain money by expanding its DeFi utility, liquidity profile, and usability as gas within the Cosmos network. Ideal applicants are those building DeFi projects that align with the Cosmos Hub. Potential projects include:
Restaking ATOM
Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs) for ATOM
ATOM-backed stablecoins
Cross-chain money markets and loans for ATOM
Options and futures for ATOM
Perpetual contracts for ATOM
ATOM-based DAOs
Interchain payments using ATOM
Index funds and DeFi ETFs based on ATOM
Automated Market Makers (AMMs) and liquidity pools involving ATOM
Insurance and risk hedging protocols
Wallets supporting Cosmos ecosystem
Bridges within the Cosmos network
Research and development for using ATOM as gas
Cross-Ecosystem Collaboration
The Cosmos ecosystem offers vast opportunities for economic alignment and partnerships both within and outside its native environment.
This category encourages collaboration to enhance the Cosmos Hub’s functionality and extend its reach, while also unlocking the potential of Web3 technology for traditional industries.
Projects under this category should focus on:
Liquidity partnerships and cross-chain collaborative research
Cross-chain DeFi integrations leveraging ATOM and asset bridges utilizing ATOM
Cross-chain data oracles and identity/reputation systems
Developing enterprise integration solutions (e.g., ERP, CRM, SCERT systems) using the CosmosSDK
Creating industry-specific use cases in finance, healthcare, supply chain, logistics, energy, and telecommunications
Hosting enterprise blockchain showcase events to onboard businesses into the Cosmos ecosystem
Infra & Tooling
Effective developer and user tooling is essential for the Cosmos Hub.
This category supports projects that improve access to and the quality of tools and infrastructure we have available to the Cosmos Hub and AEZ – to improve the experience of both developers and users.
Ideas include:
Enhancements to governance tooling (UI, voting mechanisms, dashboards)
Standardization of developer tooling
Providing vital core infrastructure for the Cosmos Hub
Creating tools to help users manage their assets
New tools and dashboards not covered elsewhere
Interchain Public Goods
Investing in core public goods is vital for the interchain ecosystem’s health. This category supports projects that develop and maintain essential infrastructure, including:
Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC)
Cosmos SDK
Consensus mechanisms
CosmWasm
Open-source libraries
Relaying and validating
Smart contract development and testing
Cryptographic primitives
Interchain Security
The Cosmos Hub’s ability to rent out its security to other blockchains is a key product that benefits ATOM holders. This category supports the development and optimization of various security frameworks.
Applicants can focus on:
Partial set security
Layered (mesh) security
Replicated security
Economic implications of different security models
Novel shared security concepts
Optimization of security frameworks
Improving efficiency and resilience against attacks
Simulation and testing of security models
Creating interchain security standards
Mechanism design to incentivize participation and prevent malicious behavior
Marketing, Growth & Developer Engagement
Promoting the Cosmos Hub and AEZ to developers and users is crucial for driving onchain activity.
This category supports activities that highlight the Cosmos Hub’s innovations, supports developer engagement and onboarding, and fosters community engagement.
Potential projects include:
Developer education, mentorship, and training programs
Local community events and meetups
Developer-focused workshops and hackathons
Content translation and localization
Enhancement of developer documentation
Brand ambassador programs
Educational and promotional content (podcasts, videos, interviews, articles)
Multi-channel marketing campaigns
User feedback and engagement programs
Co-marketing and cross-ecosystem promotional activities
R&D
Research is fundamental to informed decision-making. This category focuses on applied research to enhance the Cosmos Hub’s economic impact and effectiveness. Possible research topics include:
Optimization of staking mechanisms
Tokenomics research for liquidity, price stability, and growth
Network performance analysis and optimization
Economic resilience testing and game theory
Uncategorized / Other
How to apply for Cosmos Hub Grants
If you have a project that adds value to the Hub, apply now!
You stand a better chance if you are applying for something we have listed. If not, that's fine - just remember that you will have to prove your arguments.
#2 Submit Your Application
Start by filling out our grant application form with detailed information about your project, objectives, and how it aligns with the Cosmos ecosystem.
#3. Review & Evaluation
Our Grants Committee will review your application, focusing on its potential impact, feasibility, and alignment with our strategic goals.
#4. Interview & Feedback
If you pass the initial screening of your application, you will be invited for an interview to discuss their project in more detail and receive feedback.
#5. Approval & Funding
Assuming you are successful, you will receive a grant agreement outlining the terms of funding, milestones, and reporting requirements.
We assess applications using a rating sheet to pre-screen them. Two members of our Grant Committee team complete the pre-screening task, chosen by their expertise in the grant category you applied for.
A total of 16 points is possible, and an average grade of 13.5 or higher from the two reviewers is the threshold needed for an application to move on to the interview stage.
I want to apply for a grant but I don’t see my category. Can I still apply?
Absolutely, although we expect to give funding priority to the categories we listed on our website. We are aware some grant ideas might not be covered in the listed categories and as such are committed to process them as well.
What is the maximum amount available?
Grants range from $10k to $1m and are paid in $USDC to a Noble address. We don’t anticipate many projects requiring that level of support but if you have a big idea that is going to be open source and drive value to $ATOM then we would love to hear from you.
Who will review my application?
Applications will be initially screened by two members of our Grant Committee team, chosen by their expertise in the grant category that you applied for.
Should your grant application pass this initial screening, you may be invited to an interview or we may request further information by email.
After the interview, there will be a vote within our Grant Committee – with the grant being approved once there is a majority consensus. Any member with a potential conflict of interest will be recused from the vote.
Passive open grants: applicants find an idea they have an interest in and submit their applications. Please note that the categories listed above are the ones the ATOM Accelerator will be focusing on but they are not exhaustive
Outreach based grants where the ATOM Accelerator proactively seeks out to fund specific initiatives and encourages specific individual or teams to apply for a grant
RFPs. In a few instances, the ATOM Accelerator will manifest its interest in projects its Reviewer Committee deems strategic for ATOM and will be publishing more detailed guidelines on its functional and technical needs. Multiple teams are encouraged to participate and submit their application.
What is your funding policy regarding Interchain public goods such as the Cosmos SDK or CosmWasm?
The ATOM Accelerator is focused on the Cosmos Hub and the ATOM token. Since our funding is not unlimited and because Interchain public goods are often expensive, our stance is to fund some in association with other app-chain grant programs. We have a liaison with these grant programs and will coordinate with them when necessary to fund together Interchain public goods.
