The Stellar Development Foundation has launched SCF v7.0, a major upgrade to the Stellar Community Fund grant program featuring three new build award tracks (Integrate, Open, RFP), improved submission pathways with referral incentives, milestone-based funding tied to execution, ambassador-led Instawards for early-stage projects, and post-launch growth pathways for successful teams.
SCF v7.0 represents a significant evolution of the Stellar Community Fund after 6.5 years of operation. The upgrade introduces three specialized build award tracks designed for different builder needs: the Integrate Track for teams leveraging existing ecosystem components, the Open Track for novel protocol and functionality development, and the RFP Track for addressing identified infrastructure gaps. A new unified submission system combines open applications with a referral pathway that incentivizes trusted ecosystem actors to recommend high-quality builders while maintaining accessibility through AI-based prescreening. Funding is now structured as four milestone-based tranches (10/20/30/40%) tied to MVP, testnet, and mainnet launch with UX readiness requirements. The program also introduces Instawards, decentralized ambassador-led incubation for early-stage projects up to $15K, and post-launch growth pathways including additional build awards, growth hacking support, audit access, and investor connections for teams that successfully ship and demonstrate traction.
