Apply for a grant

Next deadline: November 3^rd 2026 12:00 CET (noon)

Through this form you can request financial support for your project. NLnet runs several funds with different themes and eligibility requirements, so learn more about our funding and see if any fund matches. Some general requirements:

Our grants are primarily for technical development.
Software, hardware and content must be released under open licences and apply (preferably open) standards.
We are not interested in AI-generated projects or proposals. See our Generative AI policy.
Our EU-supported funds require a strong 'European dimension'; usually this means applicants should (mostly) be from Horizon Europe-eligible countries.

Please be short and to the point in your answers; submitting a proposal can be quick!

Please answer in plain text and in English, in your own words. We don't care about spelling or grammar, only about your ideas. If you really need AI-assistance, keep your prompts/interactions and submit your logs below.

Select a fund

Which of our funds are you applying for?

Project overview

Proposal title

Project website(s) / repositories

Please summarise the proposed project and its expected results in a few lines. (max. 1000 characters)

Proposed effort

How much money do you request for your project?

In Euros. Between € 5 000 and € 50 000 for a first grant.

Please provide a breakdown clarifying how the requested budget would be used.

Which tasks will you undertake, and (roughly) how much time/effort will each take?
What hourly/daily/monthly rate did you use?
Will there be any expenses?

(max. 4000 characters)

Please compare your own project with other relevant efforts (both existing and historical). What is new, more thorough or otherwise different? Have you considered contributing to any of the others? (max. 4000 characters)

What technical challenges do you expect during the project? (max. 4000 characters)

What is the ecosystem around your own project, and how will you engage relevant actors? For example, does your project depend on other projects/people? And who would be the main users? (max. 2000 characters)

Background

What makes you the right person(s) for this effort? Do you have relevant experience in this or other projects/organisations? And if so, can you tell us a bit about your contributions? (max. 2000 characters)

Does (or did) the project have other funding sources? (max. 1000 characters)

Attachments

Attachments are not needed. Please ensure the proposal is self-contained. But in case you have supplementary material you wish to share (e.g. spreadsheets, diagrams, endorsements), you can do so here. (As HTML, PDF, ODF, images or plain text. Max 50 MB in total.)

AI disclosure

Did you use generative AI in writing this proposal? (See our GenAI policy.)

Which model did you use? What did you use it for? Please paste your prompts/interactions and the AI output in this text field (max. 8000 characters), or upload them as a file.

Upload prompts/dialogues used in creation of this proposal. (max. 50 MB in total)

Contact information

Your name (or pseudonym)

Email address

OpenPGP key (optional)

In case you have an OpenPGP key feel free to provide it. Note we are not (yet) equipped to encrypt every email to you. (max 10 000 characters)

Phone number

Please do not forget the country code.

Type of applicant

Name of organisation

Country

Your country of residence, or what comes closest.

If you apply for an EU-funded programme but you are not from a Horizon Europe-eligible country, please clarify how your project might satisfy the 'European dimension' requirement in the background question above. (e.g. European citizenship).

Ready?

Proposals and applicant details are considered confidential information, and only minimal information is shared with NLnet's partners when needed; please read our privacy statement.

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