The Interledger-NextGen Higher Education program supports universities in building the next generation of leaders, innovators, and advocates for inclusive, open, and interoperable digital finance. Through partnerships with higher education institutions, the Interledger Foundation (ILF) creates opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to explore real-world financial inclusion challenges, engage with open-payment technologies such as the Interledger Protocol, and design more equitable payment systems.

The program aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ILF’s broader commitment to expanding digital financial access for underrepresented groups and vulnerable populations. Through NextGen, ILF invests in diverse talent pipelines and supports universities in creating educational, technical, and community-based pathways that prepare students to contribute to a more inclusive digital economy.

This application is the first stage of the Interledger–NextGen Higher Education Grant application process. At this stage, institutions are not required to submit a full project proposal. Applicants should submit a concise Letter of Intent (template available) that introduces the institution and proposed project at a high level, including the intended participants, proposed activities, anticipated outcomes, and overall alignment with the objectives of the NextGen Higher Education Grant. The LOI must be submitted on the institution’s official letterhead and signed by an authorized university representative. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to proceed to Phase 2 and submit a more detailed full proposal.

Before starting your application, please review the Program Application Resource Kit carefully for information on eligibility, selection criteria, program expectations, and application guidance.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at nextgen@interledger.org. 

Applications close on Monday, December 14, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT. We encourage you to submit ahead of the deadline to avoid last-minute issues.

PREAMBLE

The Interledger on Local Impact Mini-Grant Program, launched by the Interledger Foundation, supports community-led innovation, learning, and community engagement focused on open payments and digital financial inclusion.

Through this initiative, community organizations and local community leaders worldwide may apply for funding ranging from USD $500 to $3,000 to design and implement projects that explore interoperable payment systems and expand awareness of equitable financial technologies. The program encourages local communities to take leadership roles in building local communities that understand and experiment with open financial infrastructure, including technologies such as the Interledger Protocol.

The Local Impact Grants program provides small, flexible grants to support local community groups and individual community leaders in designing and producing meetups, workshops, demos, sprints, hackdays and conversations at existing community spaces and groups, including but not limited to coworking hubs, open-source groups, hacker spaces, incubators, accelerators, startup communities and fintech meetups. 

The primary goal of the Interledger Local Impact program is to empower local communities and leaders to explore, promote, and experiment with open payments and digital financial inclusion within their regions 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 community-led organizations around the world. Both individual community leaders and community groups are eligible to apply. 

• Individual Community Leaders
• Civil society organizations
• Cooperatives
• Existing community spaces or groups such as coworking hubs, Innovation hubs, hacker spaces, incubators, accelerators, and startup communities
• Communities centred around Policy, Consumer rights, FinTech, Financial access, Payments ecosystems, Open Source, Open Innovation, Open Standards, DPI/ DPG, SDGs, research groups and Community support groups 
• Mission-aligned businesses and social enterprises

Supported activities:

• Meetups and community conversations
• Workshops and demos
• Hackdays, sprints or participatory learning sessions
• Local ecosystem gatherings
• Research, storytelling, and awareness campaigns
• Content/material on open payments and digital financial infrastructure

Grant Amount: 

• Selected projects may receive between $500 to USD $3,000 to support their proposed project.

Project Duration: 

• Projects must be completed within 6 months of accepting the grant.

Application Deadline: 

• Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 11:59 pm (ET/EDT)

Eligible Activities: 

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

• Workshops and training sessions on open payments and digital financial infrastructure
• Sprints or innovation challenges
• Research projects, policy briefs, or publications
• Awareness campaigns and community outreach initiatives
• Design, development and production of content/material on open payments and digital financial infrastructure

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Interledger Local Impact Grants 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 communities around the world are advancing open, inclusive financial systems.