Authors: Polygon Community Treasury Board
Abstract
The second season of the Polygon Community Grants Program (CGP) will distribute up to 35 million POL tokens to builders across the Polygon network from January 14 to April 15, 2025. The program includes two key tracks: Independent Grant Allocators (GAs), responsible for distributing 15 million POL, and a Direct Track, managed by the Community Treasury Board (CTB), with up to 20 million POL available.
Season 2 aims to accelerate ecosystem growth by supporting projects focused on AI applications, DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks), memecoins, and novel experiments while continuing to provide direct funding opportunities for builders with outside-the-box ideas.
Rationale
Following the success of Season 1, the CTB is will continue its focus on fostering innovation through decentralized grant funding, while introducing new themes and support mechanisms for builders.
Independent GAs will play a central role in identifying and funding high-potential projects across their respective areas of expertise. This decentralized model allows experts to make funding decisions, ensuring targeted support for key themes and sectors within the ecosystem.
At the same time, the Direct Track ensures that builders with unique or experimental ideas outside of the predefined themes can still access funding. This track is designed to empower early-stage projects, consumer-facing applications, and cross-chain solutions, with a focus on long-term network growth. However, any builder with a project capable of of contributing to Polygon’s growth is encouraged to apply.
Specification
About Season 2 and Key Themes
In accordance with PFP-2, season 2 features a dual-track approach to grant distribution: the Grant Allocator Track and the Direct Track.
Grant Allocator Track
- Grant Allocators operate autonomously, with their own evaluation processes and public announcements.
- Up to 15 million POL distributed by Independent Grant Allocators.
- Focus areas include AI agents and infrastructure, DePIN, and memecoins.
To ensure an optimal experience for applicants, Allocators will be announced and launched in waves. Five Grant Allocators will go live at the start of Season 2, and the Community Treasury Board will announce additional allocators in the following weeks.
Direct Track
- Up to 20 million POL available directly from the Community Treasury Board.
- Open to all builders on Polygon, with a focus on high-quality, outside-the-box ideas.
- As in Season 1, Polygon Labs teams will assist the CTB in sourcing and vetting grant opportunities in parallel to direct applications.
- Evaluation will follow a transparent, structured process managed by the CTB.
Why Decentralized Grant Funding Matters
Decentralized grant funding through Independent Grant Allocators ensures that industry leaders can leverage their expertise to back the most promising projects. This approach:
- Distributes decision-making authority across multiple stakeholders
- Allows experts to focus on their specific areas of knowledge
- Reduces bottlenecks in the funding process
The Community Treasury Board believes that empowering experts to manage grants is the most effective way to foster innovation and drive long-term ecosystem growth.
How to Engage with Season 2
Builders interested in applying for funding through the Grant Allocator Track should:
- Review the themes and focus areas covered by Grant Allocators.
- Reach out directly to the relevant Grant Allocator for guidance and next steps.
- Prepare a project proposal that clearly outlines goals, milestones, and ecosystem impact.
For those pursuing funding through the Direct Track, more detailed guidance will be shared in a dedicated forum thread and on the Polygon Community Grants homepage.
Grant Currency
The Polygon Community Grants Program is a POL-native initiative. All grant applications must be denominated in POL, and approved grants will be distributed in POL. Any subsequent price changes will be borne by the applicant. POL will be delivered on Polygon Proof of Stake (PoS) chain, except where otherwise specified by the Grant Allocator. This ensures long-term alignment with the Polygon network and encourages the adoption of the POL token.