Thank you for your interest in the Interledger Open Payments Accelerator Program.

The Open Payments Accelerator is a 4-month learning and exploration program designed to help innovators, developers, and teams understand, experiment with, and evaluate how Open Payments can support digital financial products and services, especially those intended to improve access and usability for underserved communities.

Through technical guidance, mentorship, and ecosystem support, participants will gain hands-on exposure to Open Payments standards, APIs, SDKs, and implementation approaches, while developing an initial technical proof of concept.

We are looking for teams with a clear problem or opportunity they want to explore, a strong understanding of the communities or users they aim to serve, and an interest in interoperable digital payments. Applicants do not need to have a fully built product or production-ready integration to apply.

Before starting your application, please review the Program Application Resource Kit carefully for information on eligibility, selection criteria, program expectations, and application guidance. This application is intended to help us understand your idea, your team, and the impact you hope to create. There are no trick questions, and we value clarity and honesty over polished language. Please answer as clearly and concisely as possible, drawing on your lived experience, community insights, and early validation where available.

Applications close on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT. We encourage you to submit ahead of the deadline to avoid last-minute issues. If you have any questions, please contact programteam@interledger.org.

We strongly encourage applications from founders and teams working in underrepresented regions and communities. We look forward to learning more about your work and the ideas you are interested in exploring through Open Payments.

Software development kits (SDKs) reduce the time and effort required to integrate an API like Open Payments into an app. However, creating bespoke SDKs in many programming languages requires broad expertise and duplicative maintenance effort. Tools exist to automate the creation and maintenance of SDKs, but do not yet support the latest security features used by Open Payments.

The Interledger Foundation seeks to improve the developer experience of Open Payments by funding proposals in these themes:

• Support for RFC 9635 Grant Negotiation and Authorization Protocol (GNAP) as a security scheme in the OpenAPI Specification (up to $25,000)
• Support for GNAP in the Kiota SDK generator for TypeScript, PHP, Python, and Go (up to $10,000 per language)
• Support for Rust and Ruby languages in the Kiota SDK generator (up to $25,000 per language)
• Software libraries for RFC 9421 HTTP Message Signatures (up to $5,000 per language)
• Documenting Open Payments flows in Arazzo Specification (up to $1,000)
• Support for Arazzo Specification in the Kiota SDK generator (up to $25,000)
• Support for RFC 9421 in curl (up to $10,000)

Complete details: https://github.com/interledger/Grants/wiki/SDK-grant-program

Questions? Ask on GitHub.

PREAMBLE

The Interledger on Campus (IoC) Mini-Grant Program, launched by the Interledger Foundation, supports student-led innovation, learning, and community engagement focused on open payments and digital financial inclusion.

Through this initiative, student organizations at accredited universities worldwide may apply for funding of up to USD $5,000 to design and implement projects that explore interoperable payment systems and expand awareness of equitable financial technologies. The program encourages students to take leadership roles in building campus communities that understand and experiment with open financial infrastructure, including technologies such as the Interledger Protocol.

The primary goal of the Interledger on Campus program is to empower student leaders to explore, promote, and experiment with open payments and digital financial inclusion within their universities and surrounding communities.

Key Program Parameters

Applicants should review the following information carefully before preparing and submitting a proposal.

Target Audience: This program is intended for student-led organizations at accredited universities around the world. Both existing clubs and newly formed student groups are eligible to apply. Projects must be initiated and led by students, with the support of a faculty advisor or university administrator.

Grant Amount: Selected student organizations may receive up to USD $5,000 to support their proposed project.

Project Duration: Projects should be implemented within 3 months and must be completed before December 31, 2026.

Application Deadline: Friday, July 31, 2026, at 11:59 pm (ET/EDT)

Eligible Activities: Funding may support student-organized initiatives that advance learning and experimentation around open payments, including:

• Workshops and training sessions on open payments and digital financial infrastructure
• Campus hackathons or innovation challenges
• Student research projects, policy briefs, or publications
• Awareness campaigns and community outreach initiatives
• Development of small technology prototypes or payment tools

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Interledger on Campus program RESOURCE FOLDER before completing this form to ensure their proposal aligns with program goals and eligibility requirements.

If you have questions about eligibility, application preparation, or program details, please contact the Interledger Foundation program team [Email: programteam@interledger.org] before submitting your application.

We look forward to learning about the innovative ways students around the world are advancing open, inclusive financial systems.