# About the Direct Grants category **URL:** \ **Category:** Direct Grants\ **Created:** [June 3, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://forum.livepeer.org/t/about-the-direct-grants-category/3261 "2026-06-03T13:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 2
**Author:** ![Mehrdad](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.livepeer.org/mehrdad/32/1800_2.png) [@Mehrdad](https://forum.livepeer.org/u/Mehrdad)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://forum.livepeer.org/t/about-the-direct-grants-category/3261/2 "2026-06-03T13:26:57Z")
# Direct Grants — Network Engineering SPE A third funding lane alongside RFPs and Retroactive Grants. Direct Grants fund work where the **scope is clear** and the **right builder is obvious.** ## Who it’s for All three must hold. The **scope is clear** , meaning deliverables, acceptance criteria, and timeline fit on one page and have reached lite community consensus. There is a defensible reason **you’re the right builder** , such as prior work being extended, domain context, unique expertise, or time-criticality. And the work is **bounded** : total award ≤ $20,000, with anything above the cap routing to an RFP. ## Who it’s NOT for This isn’t the right lane when multiple credible builders could do the work, which should run as an **RFP**. It also isn’t right when scope is exploratory or impact is uncertain, which suits a **Retroactive Grant** , or when the amount exceeds the $20k cap, which routes to an **RFP**. ## Areas we fund Direct Grants fund work in the Network Engineering priority areas: the **Developer Dashboard** , the **Explorer** , and **Orchestrator Tooling**. Anything outside these is out of scope, so route it to an RFP or Retroactive Grant. ## Funding & payment Payouts are **milestone-based** : you come in with the milestones defined, and each tranche unlocks on verified deliverables, the same shape as an RFP. The total award is capped at **$20,000** , and **10%** is reserved for the **retroactive post and community engagement** , the same requirement as the RFP process, covering documentation, the retro write-up, and engaging the community on the outcome. Grants are paid in **LPT** , converted from the USD-equivalent amount using a **7-day rolling average**. ## Ongoing requirements (all grants) Every Direct Grant must post a **monthly progress update** to the forum, maintain a **public GitHub milestone page** that surfaces the work in progress, and publish a **retroactive post** on completion documenting what was delivered and its impact. ## Process 1. **Step 1: Apply.** Submit your application to this forum under [direct grants category](https://forum.livepeer.org/c/direct-grants/23) with full details (scope, deliverables, milestones, pricing). **The GitHub milestone page must already be set up and linked in the application.** Examples: [Explorer](https://github.com/livepeer/explorer/milestones), [Cloud](https://github.com/Cloud-SPE/livepeer-treasury-proposals/milestones). 2. **Step 2: Ecosystem support.** At least one other known ecosystem contributor publicly supports the application on this thread (same as the Retroactive Grant requirement). 3. **Step 3: AI review.** The application is first screened by AI against the [rubric](https://www.notion.so/Retro-Grants-Funding-Process-Network-Engineering-SPE-47586628153e43f99cf411935c9ab010?pvs=21) and eligibility criteria. 4. **Step 4: Human review.** If it passes, it goes to the **Technical Director + 1 Reviewer**. 5. **Step 5: Approved → move forward.** Once approved, the builder starts work and begins posting updates against the milestones. 6. **Step 6: Deliver and report.** Maintain a **public GitHub milestone page** for tracking progress to the forum, and publish a **retroactive post** on completion about the impact and community’s engagement with the output, which is worth **10% of the total** award. ## Apply using the template > **Fill this in to apply:** [Direct Grant Application Template](https://www.notion.so/Direct-Grant-Application-Template-dcf197b34d65427dbaf087da1a85d96e?source=copy_link). Duplicate it, complete every section, and reply to this forum post with your link. ## Application must include Your application should fit on one page: a clear scope (deliverables, acceptance criteria, and timeline), a milestone breakdown mapped to payment tranches, and pricing in USD-equivalent within the $20k cap with 10% allocated to retro and community engagement. Include a **link to the GitHub milestone page** (already created before applying) and a short justification of why you’re the right builder. > **Questions?** Reach out to me, @Mehrdad Sadeghi. --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.livepeer.org/t/about-the-direct-grants-category/3261)._