The blockchain-for-good startup Stellar, led by cryptocurrency pioneer Jed McCaleb, has launched the Stellar Partnership Grant Program, to promote the development of high-impact projects in the Stellar ecosystem.

Stellar is accepting proposals from innovative organisations that are interested in building upon its blockchain technology to promote global financial access and inclusion.

To incentivise our partners and reward network development, we will grant selected partners up to $2,000,000 per grant (paid in XLM) to ensure that they are co-beneficiaries of network growth, said a statement from Stellar. Grants will be subject to a multi year vesting schedule based on achievement of milestones.

Anchors and Exchanges

The goal of the program is to encourage organisations to develop useful and high-impact products and services using Stellar technology, with the primary focus on anchors (both fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies) and exchanges. Winners be chosen on the basis that each partnership meets the following high-level criteria:

The partnership fulfills an important and unmet need in the Stellar ecosystem OR significantly improves upon an existing solution; and The team exhibits great promise in being able to successfully develop, deploy, and scale the technology.

Other Proposals

Stellar says it will also consider partnership proposals from NGOs, Fintech companies, other organisations proposing projects that do not relate directly to anchors or exchanges, or teams working on the categories listed in the Stellar Build Challenge (SBC). "We encourage interested organizations to present new, innovative, 'outside the box' ideas or use cases that significantly enhance access to and/or functionality of the Stellar Network," it said.