Gitcoin Grants Stack is an open-source grants management platform built on Allo Protocol. It provides shared infrastructure for creating and operating grants programs using multiple allocation mechanisms, including quadratic funding, direct grants, and retroactive funding.
Designed as an application layer on top of programmable capital allocation primitives, Grants Stack enabled ecosystems to run grants programs without building custom smart contracts or bespoke tooling. The platform served as the primary infrastructure for the Gitcoin Grants Program from 2023 through May 2025 and supported dozens of ecosystem partner rounds across the Ethereum ecosystem.
What This App Does
Gitcoin Grants Stack provides a no-code toolkit for operating grants programs end-to-end, from round configuration and project applications through community contributions and fund distribution.
In practice, it enables:
- Grant program managers to configure and launch funding rounds using multiple mechanisms without writing smart contracts
- Project builders to create persistent onchain profiles, apply to multiple programs, and build reusable funding history
- Community members to discover projects, contribute funds, and participate in allocation processes such as quadratic funding
- Sybil resistance through integrated Gitcoin Passport scoring, which gates eligibility and can weight matching outcomes
- Ecosystem partners to operate branded grants programs using shared infrastructure and configurable eligibility criteria
This structure supports decentralized operation of grants programs, allowing ecosystems beyond Gitcoin to run funding programs using shared infrastructure.
Features
Grants Stack is built on Allo Protocol, a set of open-source smart contracts for programmable capital allocation. Allo provides the protocol layer—project registration, funding pool creation, and modular allocation strategies—while Grants Stack provides the application layer that translates these capabilities into user-facing workflows.
Core Components
- Manager: Program managers create and deploy rounds, define eligibility criteria, set timelines, and manage applications. Rounds can be configured for quadratic funding, direct grants, or retroactive funding.
- Explorer: A public-facing interface where community members browse active rounds, discover projects, and make donations. Multi-round checkout enables contributions across multiple programs in a single transaction.
- Builder: Project owners create persistent profiles with onchain reputation, manage applications across rounds, and track funding history.
- Gitcoin Passport Integration: Aggregates verifiable identity signals to support Sybil resistance. Rounds can require minimum scores for eligibility or use attestation data to weight matching outcomes via Connection-Oriented Cluster Matching (COCM).
Platform Capabilities
- Multi-mechanism support: Support for multiple allocation mechanisms, including quadratic funding, direct grants, retroactive funding, and additional allocation strategies.
- Multichain deployment: Deployed across Ethereum mainnet, Optimism, Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, Celo, zkSync, Scroll, and Avalanche.
- Open-source and forkable: The full application layer is open-source, enabling communities to fork, customize, or extend the platform.
- Sybil defense at scale: COCM applies social-graph-based adjustments to reduce matching influence from coordinated clusters.
- Multichain checkout: Contributors can donate across multiple rounds and chains within a single transaction flow.
Use Cases
Protocol Foundations Running Ecosystem Grants
Protocol foundations use Grants Stack to run ecosystem grants programs using shared infrastructure. Program operators configure eligibility, timelines, and allocation mechanisms while relying on built-in application management, Sybil resistance, and fund distribution. The platform supports partner-run rounds across multiple chains and funding priorities.
Open-Source Maintainers Seeking Community Funding
Developers and small teams building open-source infrastructure apply to grants programs through a single persistent profile. Grants Stack enables projects to participate across multiple rounds and programs while accumulating reusable funding history and community support over time.
DAOs and Communities Allocating Treasury Capital
DAOs and community organizations use Grants Stack to distribute treasury funds through structured grants programs. The platform supports both community-driven allocation and operator-managed grants, enabling branded or delegated rounds without requiring custom tooling.
Multi-Mechanism Funding Programs
Organizations running grants programs across different stages of project maturity use Grants Stack to deploy multiple allocation mechanisms within a single program. This allows early-stage discovery, targeted grants, and impact-based allocation to operate side by side under a shared operational framework.
