There are two main types of grants that the Optimism Collective supports builders with: Retroactive Public Goods Funding (Retro Funding), which are retroactive grants based on the demonstrated impact of projects that have already been built, and Mission Grants, which are upfront grants for projects to be completed over a 12 month period.

Retroactive Public Goods Funding (Retro Funding)

Retroactive Public Goods Funding grants are given to reward work based on impact. It's simple: build something impactful on the Superchain and you could receive Retro Funding based on your impact!

Each Retro Funding round will have its own scope, specific criteria for eligibility, and define the relevant impact metrics. Builders who are eligible for each round must meet the criteria and the scope.

If you’re a builder who is creating impact, or doing high impact work, that you believe is aligned with the Collective and within the scope of a Retro Funding round - you should apply for Retro Funding! Builders across the Superchain are all eligible.

You can sign up for current rounds, and keep up with information about upcoming rounds, via retrofunding.optimism.io (opens new window).

So far, over 50,000,000 OP has been rewarded to high impact projects across the Optimism Collective, with nearly 800,000,000 OP dedicated to future rounds of Retro Funding!

How to apply:

1. Build something that provides positive impact to the Collective or Superchain, and is within scope of a specific Retro Funding round, and sign up for rounds at retrofunding.optimism.io.

   • Not sure what to build for Retro Funding? Checkout the Builders Ideas list for inspiration at contribute.optimism.io (opens new window).

2. Start building impact today for future rounds! These include:

   • Retro Funding 5: OP Stack
     • Contributions to the OP Stack and improvements to the foundational elements of Optimism's infrastructure will be rewarded in this round. Submit your application August, 2024!
   • Retro Funding 6: Governance
     • This round will focus on rewarding key governance infrastructure that enables continued decentralization, as well as research and analytics tools that provide valuable insights into governance design. Submit your application August, 2024!
   • Retro Funding 7: Dev Tooling
     • From SDKs to testing frameworks, contributions that streamline the development process and empower builders will be rewarded, ensuring a more efficient and productive development environment. Submit your application October, 2024!

3. You can keep up with any Retro Funding updates on the governance forum: https://gov.optimism.io/c/retrofunding/

   • Any questions can be directed towards the #retrofunding-discussion channel on the Optimism Discord (opens new window).

Mission Grants

Mission Grants are upfront grants from the Governance Fund for specific initiatives aligned with strategic goals, which we call Collective Intents (opens new window).

Mission Requests are created at the beginning of each Season (2x per year) by the Token House. You can think of each Mission Request as a request for specific types of contributions. You apply by submitting a grant application to complete a Mission Request.

Mission Requests outline tightly scoped initiatives to be accomplished start-to-finish within a 12 month period. Any team can submit an application to receive an OP grant to fulfill a Mission!

All Mission Grants are locked for one year. The only exception to the lock up period is if a team is delivering OP directly to end users. All Mission Grants are subject to the Collective Grant Policies (opens new window).

There are two different kinds of Missions - Foundation Missions and Token House Missions.

Foundation Mission Requests are processed by the Foundation on a rolling basis. Previous Foundation Missions have included projects ranging from implementing a zero knowledge proof for OP Chains to measuring the concentration of power within the Collective.

Token House Missions are processed by the Grants Council on regular cycles. During Season 6, Token House Mission grant applications open on July 18th and run every 3 weeks through December 11th. Keep up with dates via the public governance calendar (opens new window).

How to apply for a Foundation Mission:

1. Visit the Foundation Mission Requests (opens new window) page and find an open Mission Request on the list that you’d like to work on.

2. Submit your application directly as a comment, as specified, on the Github Issue. Each issue will specify a submission and selection deadline.

   • The OP amount requested to complete the Mission Request should reflect the minimum amount required to execute the Mission. Additional rewards may be received via Retro Funding, based on the impact of the executed Mission. Eventually - all work within the Collective can be rewarded via Retro Funding! You can view the Mission Application Guide (opens new window) for Season 6 for more information.

3. Foundation Mission Applications will be evaluated and selected by the Optimism Foundation.

4. If you're selected, you will be notified and required to complete the Foundation's KYC process. Once you start completing the Mission, make sure to update your milestone progress as directed by the Foundation point-of-contact.

Ask any questions about Foundation Missions by commenting directly on the Github issue.

How to apply for a Token House Mission:

1. Visit the Token House Mission Requests (opens new window) and find an open Mission Request on the list that you’d like to work on. All Token House Mission applications open on July 18th and run every 3 weeks through December.

2. Submit your application by following the link in the issue to Charmverse. All Token House Mission grants are completed by via Charmverse.

   • The OP amount requested to complete the Mission Request should reflect the minimum amount required to execute the Mission. Additional rewards may be received via Retro Funding, based on the impact of the executed Mission. Eventually - all work within the Collective can be rewarded via Retro Funding! You can view the Mission Application Guide (opens new window) for Season 6 for more information.

3. Token House Mission Applications will be evaluated and selected by the Token House's Grants Council, with the help of the Developer Advisory Board.

4. If you're selected, you will be notified and required to complete the Foundation's KYC process. Once you start completing the Mission, make sure to update your milestone progress monthly (or as directed) in Charmverse.

Ask any questions you have about Token House Missions in the #grants channel of the Optimism Discord (opens new window). You can also visit the Grants Council Office Hours on Mondays from 12pm-1pm ET / 4-5pm GMT via the OP Governance Calendar (opens new window).

Other Foundation Grants

The Optimism Foundation also makes private grants out of the Partner and Seed Fund on a case-by-case basis. There is no application process for these grants.