Towns Protocol Grants Program
Build the future of blockchain communication
Overview
The Towns Protocol Grants Program is designed to accelerate the growth of decentralized social by funding builders who contribute meaningfully to the protocol. Our goal is to:
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Drive innovation through new products and features
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Onboard new projects that enhance the Towns ecosystem
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Improve protocol infrastructure with better tooling, automation, and scalability
Each year is divided into two Seasons, with grants awarded on a rolling basis throughout each season. This structure allows us to adjust priorities every six months, ensuring that grant allocations align with the protocol’s most pressing needs.
Season One Details
Grant Funding: Up to $250,000
Season 1 Deadline: April 30, 2025
Types of Grants
Towns Protocol Grants are categorized into two primary funding tracks:
1. Ecosystem Grants
These grants fund specific technical projects that expand the capabilities of Towns Protocol. We are looking for teams to:
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Build New Clients
→ Develop custom interfaces and applications on top of Towns Protocol, just like propeller.chat, which launched its own independent Towns-based client.
2. Registry Grants
For developers building bots, entitlement modules, and pricing models needed for Towns Protocol:
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Develop Bots
→ Automate governance, moderation, engagement, and integrations across the Towns ecosystem.
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Create Custom Modules
→ Design new entitlement (access control) and pricing models that enable novel economic structures and community governance.
Grant Funding & Distribution
In Season 1, we will distribute grants up to $250k allocated in Towns tokens to fund grants across four categories:
Building New Clients
Building New Clients
We’re looking for teams to build independent clients on Towns Protocol-mobile apps, web interfaces, or something entirely new. You can build any type of product that has a forum or messaging component: Think web3 versions of Substack, Patreon, Telegram, Reddit, etc.
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Check out Propeller.chat, a product feedback client built on Towns Protocol. If you want to launch your own product on top of Towns Protocol, we’ll fund you.
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We have an SDK to make things easier as you get started. You can find our React SDK in our docs.
Building Bots
Building Bots
Bots make communities smarter. Build tools that automate moderation, governance, notifications, or integrations with DeFi, trading, or other apps. If it makes Towns Protocol more functional, we want to support it.
Here are some ideas:
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Cross-Platform Social bots (post to Towns and also Lens/Farcaster)
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Wallet following bots
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DAO voting bots
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Music/Translation/Gaming/Meme bots
Building Entitlement Modules
Building Entitlement Modules
Access control matters. We’re funding token-gated systems, staking-based roles, NFT memberships, and other permission models to give communities more control over who can do what.
Here are some ideas:
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Token-Staking Access (If you stake a token for a certain length of time, you can access a specific Town)
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Submit a bid for a membership to a Town
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NFT-Based Permissions (Different NFT traits grant unique abilities, like voting power, moderation rights, or premium content access)
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Proof of Participation Roles: Users must complete tasks (e.g., voting, attending events, posting in discussions) to unlock new permissions.
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POAP-Based Entry: Users must have attended specific events (verified via POAPs) to gain access.
Check out the current entitlement modules implemented in Towns Protocol: https://github.com/towns-protocol/towns/tree/main/packages/contracts/src/spaces/entitlements
Building Pricing Modules
Building Pricing Modules
Monetization is key. Build paywalls, tipping systems, subscriptions, or custom pricing models that let communities experiment with value exchange on Towns Protocol.
Here are some ideas:
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Recurring weekly/monthly/yearly payments to access Towns
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Time-Release Models (This Town can be joined for a certain period of time)
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Auctions to create bidding for premium access to Towns
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Leaderboard-driven contributions (Top supporters of a Town get recognition and special perks)
Check out current pricing modules implemented in Towns Protocol: https://github.com/towns-protocol/towns/tree/main/packages/contracts/src/spaces/facets/membership/pricing
Grant Review Process
First Round
Initial Review on Relevance | We assess the project’s alignment with Towns Protocol’s mission, its potential impact on decentralized social, and its contribution to the ecosystem. |
Technical Assessment | We evaluate the project’s technical feasibility, scalability, potential challenges, and how it integrates with Towns Protocol and broader Web3 infrastructure. |
Decision on Progression | Reviewers determine whether the project meets our criteria for innovation, feasibility, and value to Towns Protocol. Successful projects move on to the second round. |
Second Round
Plan Presentation | Selected teams present a detailed project plan, incorporating feedback from the first round. |
Milestone & Grant Amount | We finalize key milestones and confirm the grant amount with each team, ensuring alignment on deliverables and funding structure. |
Q&A Calls | Grant reviewers and project teams engage in Q&A sessions to clarify objectives, expectations, and next steps before funding is released. |
How to Apply
If you have an idea that fits, apply for a grant here.
We look forward to reviewing your application and if you have any questions about the grants process, please reach out to the Grants Council at grants@towns.com.