How Bitcoin Developers Can Get Funding for Open-Source Work
Bitcoin doesn't have a shortage of developers who could contribute meaningfully to it. It has a shortage of developers who can afford to.
Open-source development requires sustained technical attention, but for many engineers, contributing to Bitcoin has to compete with the work that pays their bills. Reading unfamiliar code, working through reviews, testing changes, writing documentation and staying with a problem through multiple iterations all take time that can be difficult to find alongside a full-time job.
Funding has become one of the ways developers can create the time and stability required to make sustained contributions to open source. In 2025, Btrust awarded more than $2 million in grants, with 39.7% of that funding going directly to developers working on open-source Bitcoin infrastructure. Across the year, 18 Btrust grantees contributed to 15 open-source projects spanning the Bitcoin stack. For developers who want to make that transition, the question is how to find funding, understand what funders are looking for, and make a credible case for the work they want to pursue.
This guide walks through what Bitcoin open-source funding looks like, what kinds of work can be supported, what to have ready before you apply, and how to put together an application that gives reviewers a clear understanding of your work and its potential impact.
What Does Funding for Bitcoin Open-Source Work Look Like?
Funding can take several forms, depending on the nature of the work and where a developer is in their journey.
A grant provides financial support for a defined period, giving a developer the time to work on open source without necessarily tying that support to one fixed deliverable. This can be particularly useful for technical work that involves research, exploration and iteration.
A fellowship typically combines funding with a structured programme of learning, mentorship or professional development, and can be useful for developers who are still building the experience required for independent contribution.
Project funding is attached to a specific piece of work, such as developing a feature, building a tool or improving a particular part of infrastructure. A bounty, meanwhile, usually involves payment for completing a clearly defined task.
There is also longer-term support for developers who have already established a sustained contribution record and need the financial stability to continue working within open source over a longer period.
The appropriate model depends on the developer, the work and the stage of contribution. Someone who is still learning Bitcoin's technical foundations will have different needs from someone who is already working regularly with maintainers on an established project.
What Kind of Bitcoin Work Can Be Funded?
Before you go looking for an application form, start by defining the work you want to do. Bitcoin's open-source ecosystem spans protocol development, layer 2 systems, Lightning, security, wallets, developer tooling, privacy, payment infrastructure and user-facing applications. Recent Btrust grants have supported work across several of these areas, including wallet infrastructure, Bitcoin Core testing, developer tools, privacy-preserving payments, peer-to-peer exchange infrastructure, cryptography and user-facing Bitcoin applications.
Btrust does not maintain a fixed list of projects that developers have to choose from. Our developer grants focus on open-source work that contributes meaningfully to Bitcoin.
That means the starting point for an application should be the work itself. What problem have you identified? Which project or area of Bitcoin does it relate to? What have you already done to understand the problem? What would you like to accomplish with dedicated time? A proposal becomes easier to evaluate when these questions have clear answers.
What Should You Have Before Applying?
A funding application does not need to contain every detail of the work you will eventually undertake, particularly when the work involves research or exploration. It should, however, give the funder enough information to understand your ability, your proposed work and what funding would make possible.
A Clear Area of Work
You should be able to identify the part of Bitcoin open source you want to contribute to and explain why you are interested in it.
Evidence of Technical Ability
Give reviewers something concrete to evaluate. This could include repositories, previous software projects, merged pull requests, code reviews, technical writing or other relevant work.
A Contribution Record
If you have already started contributing, show that history. Contributions can include code, reviews, testing, documentation, technical discussions or other work that demonstrates your participation in an open-source project.
A Clear Proposal
Explain what you want to work on, the problem you are addressing and the approach you intend to take.
A Realistic Timeline
Consider the time required for implementation, testing, review and iteration. Open-source work often develops through collaboration, so your timeline should leave room for that process.
A Budget
Explain how much support you are requesting and why. If funding would allow you to leave another job, reduce outside work, purchase development hardware or dedicate yourself to the project full-time, that context is useful.
A Reason the Work Matters
Explain who benefits from the work and why it is useful to the wider Bitcoin ecosystem rather than just to you.
An application built on honest, specific answers to each of these tends to read very differently from one built on enthusiasm alone.
What Makes a Strong Funding Application?
A strong application gives a reviewer a clear understanding of what you want to do, why you are capable of doing it, and what dedicated funding would allow you to accomplish.
Start with precision. Rather than describing your goal broadly as “improving Bitcoin”, identify the particular problem, project or area of infrastructure you want to work on. The more specific the proposal, the easier it is for a reviewer to understand what they would be supporting.
Your previous work should provide evidence for your proposal. A developer's GitHub history, software projects, contributions, technical writing and participation in open-source communities can demonstrate technical ability more effectively than a long list of claimed skills.
The scope of the work also matters. Open-source development involves testing, review and iteration, and a realistic proposal should account for those parts of the process. A focused project with a credible timeline will generally be easier to assess than a long list of ambitious goals.
It is equally important to explain the problem before presenting the solution. A reviewer needs to understand why the work matters, what gap it addresses and how your proposed approach relates to that problem.
Finally, explain what funding changes for you. If you are currently contributing during evenings and weekends, what would become possible if you could work on it full-time? If you already contribute full-time, what additional resources or stability would allow you to deepen that work?
The answer to that question helps connect the proposed work to the reason funding is necessary in the first place.
What if You Don't Have Years of Bitcoin Experience?
If you're not already contributing to Bitcoin Core or a comparable project, it's tempting to read all of the above and conclude none of it applies to you yet. Some of it probably doesn't, and that's worth saying plainly rather than glossing over. Not every developer will arrive at the funding stage with the same level of experience.
The Btrust Starter Grant is built for engineers beginning their contribution to open-source Bitcoin projects, and the Open-Source Cohort is built for people already making sustained contributions, neither one is designed as an entry point for someone with no Bitcoin-specific background at all. This is why Btrust Builders provides programs designed to help software developers develop the technical understanding and practical experience needed to participate in Bitcoin open source, including work across Bitcoin, Lightning and related infrastructure.. It is worthy of note that of the seven developers awarded grants in Q2 2026, all but one had come through Btrust Builders first.
As a developer progresses, needs can change. The opportunity to learn and contribute within a structured environment can eventually lead to a point where dedicated funding becomes useful because the developer has identified a direction and is ready to spend more time working on it.
What Btrust Funding Actually Provides
With that context in place, here's what Btrust specifically offers. Btrust Developer Grants fund open-source Bitcoin developers through two programs built for different stages of a contributor's career, but the support goes beyond financial assistance.
The Starter Grant provides six months of full-time funding for software engineers beginning their contribution to open-source Bitcoin development. The program gives developers financial space to focus on their work while providing technical and social support as they establish an area of focus for longer-term contribution.
The Btrust Open-Source Cohort supports developers who are already making sustained contributions. Members receive monthly remuneration alongside technical mentorship, management, project relationships and peer support, providing a structure around the practical and professional demands of full-time open-source development.
Funding is only one part of that support. We take a personal approach to working with our grantees and look for ways to help each developer grow, contribute and build meaningful relationships across the ecosystem. This can include mentorship, introductions to relevant projects and people, and opportunities to share their work through Btrust's communication channels or at conferences and ecosystem gatherings around the world.
Where possible, we also support grantees in attending the events that are most relevant to their work. This may include travel to conferences, developer meetups and other ecosystem gatherings, where being present can lead to collaboration, technical feedback and professional opportunities. We recognise that international travel is not equally accessible to everyone. In some cases, visa difficulties have made it impossible for grantees to attend events in person. That experience contributed to opportunities such as the pull partnership with 2140, helping create alternative ways for developers to connect with the wider ecosystem when travel is not possible.
The form of support therefore depends on the individual grantee and what will be most useful at their stage of development. Some developers may need technical mentorship and guidance as they find their direction. Others may benefit from greater visibility for their work, introductions to potential collaborators, or support in sharing their experience with a wider audience. The goal is not simply to fund a developer for a defined period, but to help create the conditions in which they can continue making valuable contributions to open-source Bitcoin over the longer term.
Together with Btrust Builders, these programs form a broader pathway through which developers can develop their technical foundations, begin contributing, receive the time and support required to work more consistently, and continue developing as open-source engineers.
Other Funding and Fellowship Opportunities
Btrust is part of a wider ecosystem of organizations supporting Bitcoin developers and open-source work. Other organizations that have funded or supported developers include OpenSats, the Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund, Brink, Spiral, Vinteum and other regional or ecosystem-focused initiatives.
The type of support and eligibility requirements vary. Some programs offer direct grants, while others provide fellowships, residencies, mentorship, bounties or project-specific funding. Developers should review each organization’s current opportunities to identify the option that best fits their experience and proposed work.
A Practical Checklist Before You Apply
Before you apply anywhere, work through these honestly:
- Do you have a clear area of Bitcoin open-source work you want to contribute to?
- Can you demonstrate your technical ability with something concrete?
- Can you point to previous work or contributions on the record?
- Do you understand the problem you're proposing to solve, beyond wanting to solve it?
- Do you have a plan and a timeline that would survive scrutiny?
- Can you explain, specifically, what funding would let you do that you can't do today?
- Can you explain how your work connects to Bitcoin's open-source ecosystem, not just to your own interests?
If you can answer all seven with specifics rather than good intentions, you're ready to start an application. Ready to spend more time contributing to Bitcoin open source? Explore Btrust's Developer Grants to learn about the Starter Grant and Open-Source Cohort, and find the path that matches where you actually are.
