Interledger-NextGen Higher Education Grant

Interledger-NextGen Higher Education Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Interledger Foundation
Amount: Up to US $50,000
Last Updated: October 05, 2025

Summary

The Interledger-NextGen Higher Education Grant aims to nurture a talent pipeline for inclusive digital financial systems by collaborating with educational institutions. This initiative focuses on developing open payment technologies and enhancing digital financial literacy among students. With funding up to USD 50,000 for projects lasting 12 months, the grant supports educators in creating innovative programs that prepare students for careers in open-source and fintech. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, making it accessible to universities worldwide.

Overview

NOTE: We've decided to keep the LOI process open and accept submissions on a rolling basis. Interledger Foundation will be accepting letters of intent from interested universities up until the deadline. About We nurture talent pipelines by working with educational institutions to inspire future leaders to advocate for inclusive digital financial systems. Through the Interledger NextGen Open Payments program we work with education institutions to co-design and implement an Open Payments curriculum, as well as providing real-world opportunities that highlight careers in open technology. Interledger-NextGen Higher Education Grant Interledger Foundation seeks to nurture a talent pipeline of builders and advocates for inclusive digital financial systems by collaborating with educational institutions to inspire future leaders. We aim to adequately prepare tomorrow’s open-source, open-payment, and digital financial inclusion workforce. To do this, we are looking for educators in higher education institutions to build campus and classroom programs that expose students to emerging open payment technologies with the potential to disrupt the economic landscape. Following two pilot undertakings with Bowie State University (USA) and the University of Cape Town (South Africa), the Interledger Foundation will launch this program as an open call accessible to all universities globally. This grant cycle aims to accomplish the following goals: Increase student engagement, interaction, and learning about open-payment technologies, open-source, and digital financial inclusion with a significant focus on the Interledger Protocol and related technologies. Enable faculty to implement effective forward-thinking initiatives to enable digital financial literacy and inclusion. Showcase career pathways in open payments, open-source, sustainable development, and the multi-disciplinary fintech space. The Interledger-NextGen Higher Education Grant will accept project considerations for a project length of up to 12 months and for funding up to USD 50,000 to cover work on the proposed project and any costs associated with event participation, training, or software development.

Eligibility

We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

Application Details

Interledger
NextGen
Higher Education
Grant
Call for Letters of Intent (LoIs)
Application Guide
A comprehensive guide to applying for the Interledger NextGen Higher Education Grant. The
Applicant Guide provides prospective applicants with the resources and information on how to
submit a Letter of Intent (LoI) for this grant program.
January 2025

INTRODUCTION
About the Interledger Foundation
The Interledger Foundation is a global nonprofit foundation and steward of the Interledger
Protocol (ILP) and Open Standards. We advocate for adopting open, interoperable payment
solutions while supporting organizations that want to build on Interledger and maintain a robust
open-source community.
We aim to increase access to digital financial services for the 1.4 billion people worldwide who
are currently excluded from traditional banking systems. We do this by making it easier to send
money to anyone, anywhere. When payments are powered by Interledger, transactions are not
limited to a particular bank, mobile money provider, or location.
Mission
We aim to build equity and inclusion within Interledger, the global payments network for
inclusive digital financial service providers.
We work with entrepreneurs, organizations, and government agencies to research, prototype,
and implement Open Standards solutions aligned with our mission. We actively support
underrepresented groups and vulnerable populations to advance digital financial inclusion which
will ignite progress towards attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Vision
In the same way that the internet has eased the way information is shared across the world,
Interledger applies similar principles in easing the flow of payments across the web - through
packets. It’s a secure and fast way for anyone, anywhere, to send or receive payments, and one
of its best features is that it can be in any currency. This supports our vision for a world where
anyone can send a payment as easily as an email.
We work with partners worldwide who share our vision to change the way digital financial
services work to improve people’s lives. Our global strategy for change is:
● Support the development of digital financial systems in vulnerable areas.
● Fund innovative solutions geared toward serving underrepresented populations.
● Foster an ecosystem that supports a paradigm shift in payment systems.
● Create a robust and active Interledger community that grows together.
● Enrich talent pipelines to bring new voices and perspectives into the fintech space.

Values
We are a value-based organization operating on the following principles:
● Be Open: Our technology is always open, accessible, and shared with the global
community.
● Be Inclusive: We bring new voices into the tech ecosystem, working with
underrepresented groups and vulnerable populations.
● Be Innovative: Through fresh perspectives and creative thought partnerships, we intend
to shake up the status quo.
To learn more about the Interledger Foundation, visit our website and/or preview our
presentation on how our work seeks to revolutionize digital payments.
About the Interledger Foundation Programs
The Interledger Foundation Program Department designs and manages programs that advance
the Interledger Foundation’s mission and ILP’s adoption through community-led, innovative
projects. At the Interledger Foundation, we believe that the best solutions come from within the
communities they serve. That’s why we directly fund grassroots organizations and support whole
governments in creating open payment solutions.
The Program Department manages competitive grants, funded partnerships, and community
activation. All to build sustainable equity in technology and the global financial ecosystem.
The Program Department has various grant programs targeting individuals (developers,
entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders in open tech) and organizations (NGOs, Nonprofits,
Companies, Governments, Universities, and other collectives). We support innovative ideas
focusing on digital financial services, university-level youth education, and engagement and
connecting systematically financially excluded communities through ambassador engagement.
To get an overview of the varying programs we have on stream, please visit our grants portfolio
on our website.

INTERLEDGER-NEXTGEN HIGHER EDUCATION GRANT
As part of our global strategy, we are seeking to collaborate with universities around the globe to
create more diverse pathways for undergraduate and graduate students to help shape a future
where people aren’t just fixing legacy systems' mistakes but are building fairer, inclusive, and
interoperable payment networks. Through this grant, we hope to nurture talent pipelines by
working with educational institutions to inspire future leaders to advocate for inclusive digital
financial systems; help shape the next generation of digital financial inclusion leaders, and
prepare students to be innovators in open payments, open-source, fintech, and social change.
The Interledger Foundation has soft launched this program with two pilot undertakings with
Bowie State University (USA) and the University of Cape Town - Financial Innovation Hub (South
Africa). The 2025 grant cycle is an open call accessible to all registered, duly accredited
universities, globally.
This open invitation to Universities worldwide is to submit a letter of interest for its competitive
Interledger-NextGen Higher Education Grant funding opportunity. The application process will
comprise two phases starting with the request for LoIs. Shortlisted universities will advance to the
application round, which will require more extensive details about the proposed project.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
This grant is open to registered, accredited institutions including public and private two to
four-year institutions, colleges, institutional systems or consortia of institutions, and
university-affiliated research centers and laboratories.
Applying universities must align the proposed initiative with their undergraduate or graduate
departments in any of the following areas: computer science, information technology, business,
sustainable development, or related fields.

FUNDING FOCUS
The proposed project/initiative should be built on diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and
support the Interledger Foundation's thrust to foster an empowering ecosystem for digital
financial inclusion.
To learn more about the Interledger NextGen Higher Education Grant, visit here.
This grant seeks to collaborate with tertiary institutions to highlight the impact of technology on
financial access and inclusion. Overall, the grant aims to accomplish the following goals:
● Increase student engagement, interaction, and learning about open-payment
technologies, open-source, and digital financial inclusion with a significant focus on the
Interledger Protocol and related technologies.
● Enable faculty to implement effective forward-thinking initiatives to enable digital financial
literacy and inclusion.
● Showcase career pathways in open payments, open-source, sustainable development,
and the multi-disciplinary fintech space.
EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS
The Interledger Foundation will consider a wide range of projects representing a blend of
campus activities, including but not limited to, those that seek to
● Highlight new open-source technologies (Interledger Protocol & Rafiki) and intend to
integrate them into the course curriculum by designing a project for students to complete
using this technology. This could also take the shape of:
○ Revamping, developing, and delivering a curriculum with an essential focus on
digital financial inclusion and how technology through open payments can foster
access to underserved and unbanked communities.
○ Technological exploration which includes incorporating and/or prototyping a
solution enabled by Interledger Protocol or Rafiki. This can be in the form of
Hackathons or the development of a demo software solution.
● Provide career guidance and placement opportunities to connect students with emerging
careers in open-source technology, whether through internships, fellowships, etc.
○ This focus should be on exploring means to build students' skills in the following
areas: entrepreneurship, social impact, marketing & communications, fintech
policy & regulations, research, etc.

KEY ELEMENTS
The following key elements describe the fundamental aspects of this grant cycle. Subsequent
cycles will be implemented after a review of the current cycle, which may result in changes to key
elements of the program and updated guidance for applicants.
➔ Minimum and Maximum Grant Request Amounts:
The fund will grant up to USD 50,000 to cover both work on the proposed project and
any costs associated with event participation, training, or software development.
➔ Minimum and Maximum Project Duration:
The maximum project duration is 12 months.
GRANT TIMELINES
We will accept LOI submissions on an ongoing basis up to Friday, October 3, 205. Any changes
to the timelines will be communicated to applicants.
Grant Cycle Timelines - NextGen Higher Education Grant
➔ Call for LoIs window open for application submission Feb 3, 2025
➔ Grant Window Closes for Applications Oct 3, 2025
➔ Review and Shortlisting of Applicants Ongoing
➔ Invitation to Submit Full Application1 Ongoing
APPLICATION PROCESS
The Interledger Foundation uses Submittable as the online grants application and management
system for our Grant Programs. Applications must be submitted through the Submittable portal
as made available by the Interledger Foundation. Applications submitted by any other means
are not admissible and will not be accepted or evaluated.
1 Details of the application process and timelines will be provided to shortlisted candidates.

If you are using Submittable for the first time, each organization must sign up and create an
account. After verification, you may proceed to complete the application.
For technical support with the application platform, please contact the Submittable Help Desk.
Applications must:
➔ Be submitted through Submittable, our online application platform
➔ Be submitted by the respective deadline stated.
➔ Be submitted in English (EN) (LoIs should be submitted in English).
➔ Request a grant amount based on the available indicated grant funding.
➔ Propose a project duration that matches the indicated timeline.
Applicant Eligibility
All applicants will be required to complete a form to assess their eligibility for the grant. If
successful, they will then gain access to the form to upload their letter of interest.
All eligible applicants must:
➔ Be a registered, accredited tertiary institution.
➔ Applicants MUST be 18 years or older.
➔ Applicants MUST have read and agreed to the ILF Participation Guidelines.
➔ Applicants should be a member of faculty/staff for the proposed institution.
Once applicants meet the above criteria, they can access the form for completion.
Applicants must also:

➔ Support The Interledger Foundation’s compliance with relevant U.S. laws, rules, and
regulations.
◆ The Interledger Foundation must comply with the economic and trade sanctions
program administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") of the U.S.
Department of the Treasury. These sanctions have been imposed on specific
countries, individuals, and entities that appear on OFAC's List of Specially
Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (the "SDN List").
◆ The Interledger Foundation is prohibited from providing most goods or services to
residents of sanctioned countries or their governmental entities or to SDNs
without an applicable U.S. government authorization or exemption.
➔ Have no conflicts of interest.
LETTER OF INTENT OUTLINE
The Letter of Intent (LOI) should be 2 pages or less. We’ve provided a sample template that can
be downloaded from the application form. We ask that you include the requisite details using the
outline below to populate the 2-page submission. Note, that this template is a sample and can be
edited as you see fit, but it should contain the following critical points:
● Executive Summary - a paragraph summary of the overall proposed project’s objectives,
its intended impact, and the estimated budget/grant amount being sought with an
indication of what the majority of the budget will be spent on.
● University Profile - provide an overview of the description of the University -
demographics, location, and related course/department that this project would benefit.
● Project Description, Implementation & Impact - an overview of the proposed program
including a high-level description of the nature of the activities to be undertaken e.g.
course offering, curriculum reboot/development, etc. An estimation of the project
execution timeline and key deliverables.
○ The project should indicate some level of investigation, integration, and student
exposure to the Interledger Protocol, and engagement with the ILF ecosystem.
○ The proposed initiative should focus on developing skills in open payment
technologies, social impact, entrepreneurship, and international development
research. Successful projects must have a theory of impact.
○ The project should focus on broadening participation and serving youths who
have been historically marginalized and underrepresented and value Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion in their mission.

REVIEW & EVALUATION OF LOI
All submissions will be reviewed by the Interledger Foundation team to assess their suitability for
consideration to submit a full proposal.
The submissions will be evaluated against the following criteria:
● Project goals: Clearly stated, measurable project goals that align with ILF’s education
focus and grant goals.
● Impact: Explanation of the short and/or long-term impact the project will have on the
students and the broader university community at large.

● Assessment: A plan for assessing project goals by comparing students’ learning before
and after the implementation of the project.
● Management: An indication of how the project’s implementation will be managed.
● Timeline: The project is feasibly accomplished within the one-year timeframe.
● Budget: The indicated expenditures are within the grant amount and relate to project
goals.

Frequently Asked Questions
At the Interledger Foundation, we work to improve our process of continuously making and
managing grants. Our goal is to increase impact and provide more guidance to help potential
grantees innovate, incubate, and develop great ideas that ultimately achieve results for
underserved communities across the globe.
This FAQ addresses common questions concerning the grantmaking process, our funding
opportunities, and timelines.
Does the ILF Foundation have particular funding areas?
Yes, guided by the Interledger Foundation's vision and mission, we have specified funding areas
related to open-source technologies. For more details on the current opportunities, please visit
our grants listing on the ILF website.
Does the ILF Foundation fund non-US organizations?
Yes, the Interledger Foundation welcomes applications and has granted organizations worldwide.
However, as a US-registered NGO, ILF recognizes and cannot support entities registered in
territories that are on the US sanctions list.
What funding area should I select for my project?
Please select the funding opportunity that best fits your organization/project. You can refer to our
grants page for a breakdown of our funding areas and insights on some of the projects
previously funded within each area. The application process and requirements differ for each
funding area, so our foundation program team does not reassign applications to other funding
areas.
Please review the requirements and be sure that this grant opportunity is the one you seek to
apply for.
What are the basic criteria for applying for the Interledger NextGen Higher Education grant?
Applicant MUST be a recognized registered, accredited tertiary institution (e.g. university, college,
or vocational institution in the country of its operation.
Applicants will be asked to submit proof of registration and accreditation as part of the
application process.
Can I submit a LOI with just a few items missing and get those items to you after the deadline?
No. We require that submissions be completed and submitted to us by the stated deadline. We
will not consider a proposal missing the required documents, and it will be withdrawn from
consideration.

If you submitted a LOI and would like to make adjustments and/or upload additional documents
before the grant deadline, you may submit a request to open your application for editing via the
Submittable portal.
Organizations that have been declined may apply again. We strongly encourage all organizations
to review our guidelines and contact us to discuss potential fit if necessary.
What will I need to start my grant application?
We recommend you read this Grant Application Guideline for the Interledger NextGen Higher
Education grant before you begin applying. All funding opportunities with respective grant
guidelines are also listed on our website.
How can I reach out if I have a question about the grant application?
You may submit your questions via our grant-dedicated Slack channel, or contact the ILF program
team at programteam@interledger.org.

Resources
About Interledger Foundation
● Website - https://interledger.org/
● Monthly Community Calls - archive here
● Interledger Foundation Presentation here
● Join the Interledger Slack community here
● ILF Participation Guidelines
● ILF Community Forum here
ILP Technology
● Interledger Protocol - https://interledger.org/developers/rfcs/interledger-protocol/
● Developer’s Portal - https://interledger.org/developers/
● Engineers Blogs - https://interledger.org/developers/blog/
Open Payments
● Learn about the Open Payments API - https://openpayments.dev/introduction/overview/
● Open Payments Github - https://github.com/interledger/open-payments
● Code snippet guide for using the Open Payments API -
https://openpayments.dev/snippets/before-you-begin/
Digital Wallets (Interledger-compatible / Open Payments-enabled)
● Fynbos - https://fynbos.app/wallet
Rafiki
● What is Rafiki - https://rafiki.dev/introduction/overview/
● Rafiki Github - https://github.com/interledger/rafiki
● Setup a Rafiki developer environment -
https://github.com/interledger/rafiki/blob/main/README.md#local-development-environm
ent
● Join the #rafiki channel on the Interledger community Slack - see “Join the Interledger
Slack community”
● Setup a local playground with 2 connected test Rafiki nodes -
https://rafiki.dev/playground/overview/
Interledger test wallet
● The Interledger test wallet is an ILP-enabled test wallet provider that developers can use
to test their Open Payments integrations. Sign up for a test digital wallet and get a wallet
address at https://rafiki.money/

Digital Money Blog
● Explore monthly blogs that focus on digital money, financial inclusion, instant payment
systems, and topical matters relating to digital financial services. Read blogs here:
https://community.interledger.org/t/digitalmoney
Interledger Podcast
● Listen to thought-provoking ideas and conversations challenging the ways of thinking
about our digital financial world and why it matters. Listen to the Future|Money Podcast on
Castapod - https://podcast.interledger.org/@futuremoneypodcast (available on all podcast
platforms)
Interledger Summit
● Website - https://interledger.org/summit
● 2024 Summit - Talks & Presentations Playlist
● 2023 Summit - Talks & Presentations Playlist
● 2022 Summit - Talks & Presentations Playlist
Previously Funded Institutions
● University of Cape Town
● Bowie State University