Scroll Grants is a multi-track funding program supporting developers, builders, and communities across the Scroll zkEVM Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem. The program includes several distinct funding streams: developer grants for building on Scroll (Starter Track grants up to $10,000 and Launch Track grants up to $100,000), Scroll Open (a retroactive rewards program with a potential allocation of up to $100 million in SCR tokens), the Ecosystem Growth Council (a DAO-governed body with a 2 million SCR budget for strategic growth initiatives), and the Community Grants Support Program (a Community Council-managed program funding events, meetups, hackathons, and educational activations).
Scroll launched its zkEVM mainnet on Ethereum on October 17, 2023, following more than two years of development and collaboration with the Ethereum Foundation's Privacy and Scaling Explorations group. The grants program launched in mid-2024 through the Level Up with Scroll platform, which combines developer education (including Solidity challenges) with grant intake. After the launch of the SCR governance token in October 2024, Scroll's funding infrastructure progressively decentralized, with the Ecosystem Growth Council and Community Council operating as delegated DAO bodies responsible for growth-focused and community-focused allocations.
What This Program Does
Scroll Grants allocates capital and ecosystem support across multiple funding tracks designed to serve developers building on Scroll's zkEVM and community organizers expanding grassroots adoption.
In practice, it enables:
- Early-stage developers to fund exploratory builds, MVPs, and initial experiments through the Starter Track without requiring prior traction or revenue
- Growth-stage projects to access capital for scaling high-impact applications that expand users and liquidity within the Scroll ecosystem
- High-performing builders to earn retroactive SCR token rewards through Scroll Open based on demonstrated onchain growth
- Community organizers to fund regional meetups, hackathons, conferences, and educational initiatives that onboard new builders and users
- Strategic ecosystem programs to receive DAO-governed funding for builder onboarding pipelines, liquidity infrastructure, and user acquisition campaigns
This structure creates multiple entry points for contributors – from solo developers to growth-stage teams to regional community leaders – with DAO governance progressively guiding allocation decisions.
Features
Scroll Grants operates through a hybrid structure combining foundation-managed developer grants, DAO-governed ecosystem funding, and Community Council-managed activation grants. Developer applications are submitted through the Level Up with Scroll platform, while community-focused grants are processed via the Scroll Grants Application portal, with governance oversight from Scroll DAO councils.
Core Components
- Level Up with Scroll: An integrated education and grant platform where developers complete beginner-friendly Solidity challenges and apply for ecosystem funding. Serves as the primary intake channel for developer-focused grants.
- Developer Grant Tracks: Two tiers – Starter Track for early-stage experimentation and Launch Track for projects targeting ecosystem-scale impact. Both tracks provide funding alongside ecosystem support such as technical guidance, collaboration opportunities, go-to-market assistance, and community amplification.
- Scroll Open: A metrics-driven retroactive rewards program evaluating builders each round based on ecosystem growth indicators including TVL, active wallets, transaction count, gas usage, and trading volume. Top-performing projects receive SCR token grants and public recognition.
- Ecosystem Growth Council (EGC): A 5-seat DAO-governed council operating under a six-month delegated budget. Focused on builder onboarding, liquidity and economic infrastructure, and user acquisition and retention programs. Operates through recurring governance sessions, public reporting, and defined Foundation oversight mechanisms.
- Community Grants Support Program: Managed by the Scroll DAO Community Council. Funds conferences (100+ attendees), meetups, hackathons, and flexible community proposals including education, scholarships, and creative initiatives. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with decisions typically communicated within 7 days.
Program Characteristics
- Multi-track funding architecture: Distinct funding streams address different maturity levels and contribution types, from small community activations to large-scale developer grants and retroactive token incentives.
- Progressive DAO governance: Following the SCR token launch, ecosystem and community allocations are increasingly governed by elected councils operating under defined budgets, reporting standards, and oversight mechanisms.
- Metrics-based retroactive rewards: Scroll Open evaluates builders using quantitative onchain growth indicators, aligning rewards with measurable network contribution.
- Ecosystem support beyond capital: Developer grants include technical support, partnership introductions, marketing exposure, and opportunities to showcase projects to global communities building on Scroll.
- Compliance requirements: Grants above $2,000 require KYC/KYB verification to maintain regulatory compliance while preserving accessibility for smaller community activations.
Use Cases
Developers Building on Scroll's zkEVM
Developers deploying DeFi protocols, NFT platforms, gaming applications, consumer apps, and infrastructure tools on Scroll use the Starter and Launch Track grants to fund development and scaling. Scroll's bytecode-level EVM compatibility allows many existing Ethereum applications to deploy with minimal modifications, and grants support both net-new builds and migrations from Ethereum mainnet or other Layer 2 networks. The Level Up platform integrates onboarding education with funding intake.
High-Growth Applications Seeking Retroactive Recognition
Projects that have already achieved measurable traction on Scroll participate in Scroll Open to receive retroactive SCR token rewards. This program aligns incentives around sustained ecosystem contribution rather than speculative proposals, with evaluation based on quantitative onchain performance data.
Community Organizers Running Regional Events and Hackathons
Community leaders use the Community Grants Support Program to fund local meetups, hackathons, educational workshops, and conferences introducing developers and users to Scroll's zkEVM. Funding supports venues, production costs, speaker coordination, and educational materials across regions globally.
Ecosystem Infrastructure and Growth Programs
Strategic initiatives – such as builder onboarding pipelines, liquidity bootstrapping programs, and user acquisition campaigns – receive funding through the Ecosystem Growth Council. The EGC evaluates proposals against ecosystem-level KPIs and allocates SCR resources to programs designed to generate durable network growth.