Welcome to the SCF Handbook!
This guide helps you understand the Stellar Community Fund, find the right program, and apply with confidence. This handbook is a source of truth document for the Stellar Community Fund (SCF).
🌱 | SCF at a Glance
What is SCF?
The Stellar Community Fund leverages community input to fund and support Web3 teams building on Stellar. SCF consists of community-driven programs that fund and foster your project from ideation to launch and growth.
Who runs SCF?
The SCF is operated by the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF), with input from the Stellar community and verified members.
What can I apply for?
SCF offers a variety of programs to build and grow your project on Stellar: Currently, all new projects enter through an open-application interest form. From there, some teams may be invited to SCF Build — an award track designed to support product development and launch.
Teams may also be invited to apply for Public Goods Awards or participate in supporting programs like the Audit Bank, Liquidity Award, or Growth Hack.
📚 | What's in the handbook?
This handbook includes everything you need to:
Understand SCF programs and how funding works
Review eligibility and submission requirements before submitting
Prepare your budget and deliverables
Navigate payment tranches and reporting
Learn about governance and verified member roles
📣 | Getting Started
All projects new to the Stellar Community Fund begin by submitting the Interest Form on the SCF Website.
A review panel evaluates each submission based on:
Potential value to the Stellar or Soroban ecosystem
Eligibility and alignment with SCF goals
Team capability and readiness
If your project passes the eligibility review, you may be invited to apply for an SCF Build Award in an upcoming round.
💡 Need help before submitting? Join the SCF Discord to ask questions or get early feedback from community members.
📝| Quick Access
Tools for Applicants:
communityfund.stellar.org - view all SCF projects, check dates of upcoming rounds, and access submission forms for eligible projects
Supporting Programs - SCF-awarded projects can leverage audit and liquidity support to get ready for a secure and successful launch
Community & Info:
Stellar Developers Discord - participate in discussions, ask questions, and get updates and event information
Stellar Community Medium - check out the latest community blog posts
Get Verified - become an SCF Verified member to vote for award allocation, support projects, and participate in governance
❓ | Have questions?
Check out our FAQ section! Have questions not addressed in our FAQ? Hop over to the #scf-general channel on the Stellar Dev Discord. New to Discord? Learn more on how to navigate Discord here.
What’s New in SCF 7.0
SCF 7.0 is the Stellar Development Foundation’s redesigned awards program for teams building real on-chain impact with Stellar. SCF 7.0 officially launched in January 2026. These are the biggest updates to the program. You can find more information about all of these in the rest of the handbook, as well as check out some of the smaller programmatic changes meant to streamline the funding experience.
SCF Build is split into 3 tracks:
Open Track - for experienced teams building novel usecases
Integration Track - for teams looking to incorporate existing ecosystem solutions into their products
RFP Track - for dev tools that respond to an active SCF Request for Proposals.
Awarded budget is distributed in 4 payments:
Tranche #0: 10% of budget → Tranche #1: 20% of budget → Tranche #2: 30% of budget → Tranche #3: 40% of budget.
Implementation of a robust referral program to sharpen selection processes and increase application pool quality. While not mandatory to receive an award, SCF relies heavily on referral signals from a diverse set of Stellar ecosystem stakeholders.
After successfully completing all tranches of a Build Award, projects may submit for additional Build Awards up to a total of $150k worth of XLM in funding. Projects that exceed the $150k cap may be eligible for additional funding on a case-by-case basis.
Additional support provided beyond funding: In addition to the existing audit bank, awarded Build teams may receive a UX audit and rigorous user testing as part of the award process.
Previously Funded Projects
For the purposes of this handbook, a Previously Funded Project is a project that has applied and received funding from an SCF round prior to SCF #41. This includes projects that received Activation Awards and Community Awards from SCF 5.0, as well as SCF 6.0 Build Awards.
As we transition to Stellar Community Fund 7.0, we understand that some projects may not seamlessly fit into the new categories due to receiving funding under the previous structure. To help guide you through this change, we've outlined options for each situation below to ensure all projects continue to thrive within the new framework.
Submitting as a Previously Funded Project You may be eligible to apply for an additional SCF Build Award if all of the following apply:
All deliverables from previous SCF Awards are sufficiently completed
Teams should share evidence of significant traction from prior funding, ideally onchain metrics.
Products should be live and testable at the time of submission for a subsequent Build Award.
Any previously funded project satisfying all conditions above may submit for additional award(s), up to a total maximum of $150,000 in XLM across all awards accumulated over its lifetime.
Projects that have previously already received $150,000 may be eligible for additional awards only on a case-by-case basis, subject to a lifetime accumulated funding cap of $300,000 in XLM. If you fall into this category, reach out to communityfund@stellar.org when you submit for the additional award.
Any such follow-on awards may also require additional legal and business due diligence.
For purposes of calculating budget caps, each award is valued based on the market value of the XLM at the time the award payment is made, rather than its current market value.
Not Sure Where You Fit?
If your project does not meet the above conditions or you're unsure which category applies:
Contact the SCF team at communityfund@stellar.org
Include a brief summary of your project and past SCF participation
We’ll help clarify your status and what next steps are available
Disclaimer
*To determine the number of XLM equal to the USD value of any Award, the USD valuation of XLM shall be calculated using the CF Stellar Lumens-Dollar Settlement Price as administered, maintained, and reported by the cryptocurrency index provider CF Benchmarks Ltd. (using the ticker “XLMUSD_RR”) (available at https://www.cfbenchmarks.com/indices/XLMUSD_RR), or, if such settlement price is unavailable or reasonably suspected by SDF to be unreliable, the settlement price as reported on a substantially similar and equally reputable cryptocurrency index provider as determined by the SDF in its discretion. The USD valuation of XLM for any particular Award shall be calculated using the CF Stellar Lumens-Dollar Settlement Price (or other agreed upon settlement price) reported on the day such Award is scheduled to be paid. The Participants acknowledge and understand that XLM is a highly risky and volatile asset, and that SDF does not provide any representations, warranties, or guarantees of its value.
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