2026 Interledger Fellowship

INTERLEDGER FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP

The Interledger Foundation (ILF) is committed to building equitable pathways for digital financial access by advancing open payment standards through (digital) outreach and participation via our redesigned program, the Interledger Foundation Fellowship program. The program is open to anyone seeking to advance the domain of digital financial access through the Interledger Protocol and Open Payments by honing the expertise unique to each Fellow.

We are excited to announce a new 2026 grant opportunity: the Interledger Foundation Fellowship. This program is critical to the Interledger Foundation's efforts to expand digital financial access. During their tenure, Fellows raise awareness, promote thought leadership, increase participation, encourage research, facilitate experimentation, and foster innovation in Interledger Protocol (ILP)-enabled networks and Open Payment Standards. Additionally, their contributions advance our global strategy for change and provide essential tools for promoting digital financial access.

Why Digital Financial Access Matters

The financial sector and financial technology (FinTech) increasingly shape how people earn, send, and access money. Yet billions of people, especially in the Global South and underserved communities, remain excluded from formal financial systems. Barriers such as high transaction fees, fragmented digital infrastructure, limited interoperability, and weak consumer protections reinforce this inequality.

For the Interledger Foundation, effective digital financial access means leveraging technology to expand access to affordable, secure financial services for all. As we aim to create systems that are equitable, open, and interoperable through the Interledger Protocol, we ensure that innovation benefits people rather than deepens divides.

The Role of the Interledger Foundation (ILF)

The Interledger Foundation advances financial access through open technologies and standards, such as the Interledger Protocol (ILP), to enable seamless, cross-border, low-cost payments. ILF supports research, education, and community-led innovation that makes financial systems more accessible, transparent, and user-driven.

About the Fellowship

The Interledger Foundation's Digital Financial Access Fellowship supports innovators, researchers, and community leaders advancing Open Payments, digital financial access, and rights. The Interledger Foundation aims to empower fellows building solutions that make financial systems more accessible, interoperable, transparent, and user-driven, with a focus on underserved communities. To this end, the Interledger Foundation offers a 12-month program in which Fellows focus on socially impactful projects.

This program is ideal for researchers, developers, open-source contributors, entrepreneurs, educators, policy regulators, open-standards practitioners, digital and financial rights advocates, creators, and artists working at the intersection of technology and community.

Fellowship projects vary in approach but share a common orientation toward open standards, access, inclusion, and systemic change.

Projects may span one or more of the following areas:

Systemic and International Impact: Addressing barriers to digital financial access at the level of policy, regulation, or cross-border infrastructure. This includes work with multi-jurisdictional scope or projects engaging underserved populations facing structural exclusion.

Ecosystem and Community Connection: Serving as a bridge between web advocates, open standards practitioners, and digital rights communities on one side, and the Interledger ecosystem on the other. This includes surfacing and connecting community-developed solutions to wider networks and resources.

Innovation and Tool Development: Designing, building, or deploying digital financial access tools for underserved populations. This may include work on micro-payments, cross-border remittance, local currency exchange, or exploratory projects in areas overlooked by mainstream fintech.

Technology Stewardship and Knowledge Sharing: Contributing to the protocols, specifications, and standards that underpin open payment technology. This also encompasses original research, technical documentation, and publications that advance shared understanding among developers, policymakers, and academics.

These areas are not mutually exclusive. Many projects span multiple categories, and applicants should describe their work in terms that reflect its actual scope.

Key Milestones

The opportunity to apply for this call for proposals opens on April 2, 2026, with a generous stipend of USD 72,000 in recognition of your dedication and a project budget of USD 20,000 to help advance digital financial access.

How to Apply

To apply for the Fellowship program, applicants must create a Submittable account. Once you have an account registered, you will be able to find the open grant opportunities from the Interledger Foundation.

The Fellowship call for proposals is a two-phase process. Only phase one is an open grant opportunity.

Phase one of the application includes registration and project information. After submission, our reviewers will evaluate it, and if selected, the applicant will receive an invitation to participate in phase two.

Phase two is an interview with the reviewers and the Interledger Foundation Program Team. This is an invitation-only stage. Applicants will receive this invitation only after being selected by the Interledger Foundation for successfully completing phase one.

The Interledger Foundation will require a complete application submitted via Submittable. Incomplete applications that do not include all required documentation or attachments will be returned to the applicant without further review. At its discretion, the Interledger Foundation may request supplemental materials from applicants, and those must be received within 7 working days of the requested date.

Application Window

The application window for this grant will be three months, giving interested applicants enough time to submit their proposals. If rejected, applicants cannot resubmit their applications during the application window. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Shortlisted applicants will receive an invitation to continue to phase two of the application process.

Additional Information on the Submission

Supporting documentation:

• Budget, Timeline, and, if required, a technical work plan
• Resume (upload a PDF or submit a LinkedIn profile)
• Letter of recommendation (max 2)
• Any additional information you would like to share to strengthen the proposal

Tips for Submitting Your Proposal

• Avoid repetitions in the text.
• Please structure your project plan and ensure that you do not add too many objectives.
• If you provide us with a link, ensure that it is publicly accessible and active (no temporary file-sharing links such as WeTransfer).
• Use the upload section to provide additional information. Please note there is a limit to the number of uploads. You can include research proposals, images, sketches, or links to videos or demos. Include anything that you feel is crucial to clarify your plans. You may also include a link to a short video that explains your project in greater detail.

We are looking forward to your participation in the Fellowship's Grant Program!

For more information, visit the Interledger Foundation website and community forum. 

Please review the Interledger Fellows Grant Guidebook for information on the current call for proposals, including eligibility requirements, application forms, and other details. 

All are welcome to join the Interledger Slack channel or contact us at programteam@interledger.org with any questions