Radix Ecosystem Fund

Overview

The Radix Ecosystem Fund was a 250 million XRD grant program (approximately $10M USD at the time of announcement) created by the Radix Foundation to accelerate development on the Radix network. It funded developer tools, dApps, community projects, and ecosystem infrastructure through several grant tracks.

The fund operated from 2023 through 2024 before being significantly restructured in November 2024. By January 2026, the Foundation's 2026 Strategy replaced the traditional grant model entirely with community-driven Requests for Proposals (RFPs) under the new governance framework.

Original Grant Tracks

At launch, the Ecosystem Fund offered five grant tracks:

1. MVP Booster — small grants for minimum viable products and prototypes
2. Refine Booster — funding to polish and improve existing projects
3. Milestone Rewards — payments tied to specific development milestones
4. Launch Booster — up to $15,000 for projects preparing for mainnet launch
5. Ecosystem Booster — up to $150,000 for mature, high-impact projects

A separate Foundry Program offered equity-style investments of approximately $250,000, awarded roughly once per quarter to the most promising projects.

November 2024 Restructuring

On November 19, 2024, the Foundation announced major changes to the fund, citing "advancements in the ecosystem and lessons learned over the year." Three of the five grant tracks were discontinued:

• MVP Booster — discontinued
• Refine Booster — discontinued
• Milestone Rewards — discontinued as a standalone track (folded into Ecosystem Booster criteria)

Only Launch Booster, Ecosystem Booster, and the Foundry Program remained active. The Foundation stated the changes were intended to "reduce administrative costs and ensure judicious use of funds" while shifting focus toward supporting mature, revenue-generating projects rather than early-stage MVPs.

By this point, only approximately 20 million XRD of the 250 million allocation had been distributed across 67 grants during 2024, with an average grant size of roughly $12,000.

Replacement by Community RFPs (2026)

The Foundation's 2026 Strategy, published January 9, 2026, made no mention of the Ecosystem Fund. Instead, the Foundation announced a transition to a public Request for Proposal (RFP) model with community voting, overseen by the newly elected Radix Accountability Council.

Under the new model, funding decisions are made by the community rather than the Foundation, as part of a broader shift toward decentralized governance. The Foundation stated it was "responsibly phasing out" functions that the community does not prioritize.

The 2026 Strategy FAQ provides additional context on the transition.

External Links

• Original Announcement: 250M XRD Ecosystem Fund
• Ecosystem Fund Update: New Directions (Nov 2024)
• 2026 Strategy: The Next Chapter of Radix
• 2026 Strategy FAQ
• Radix Grants Program Page (legacy)