The Grant Game: A Scorecard for Evaluating Ecosystem Funding

The Three Months I'll Never Get Back

When we raised for Sparkblox, I spent three months on one grant application. Three months of crafting narratives, designing pitch decks, scheduling calls with committee members. Three months not building product.

We got the grant. And the metrics we promised had almost nothing to do with what made our product successful. We hit every milestone. We missed what mattered.

This post is the framework I wish I'd had before I started. Use it to evaluate grant programs before you invest time, and to avoid programs that will waste it.

The Grant Program Scorecard

Score any grant program on these six dimensions. 1 = worst, 5 = best. Avoid programs scoring below 20 total.

1. Timing of Funding (1-5)

Score	Model	What It Means
1	100% upfront on approval	Rewards proposals, not results
2	50/50 upfront/milestone	Some accountability
3	Staged disbursement	Multiple checkpoints
4	Majority after delivery	Rewards completion
5	Retroactive only	Only rewards proven value (e.g., Optimism RPGF)

2. Milestone Definition (1-5)

Score	Type	Example
1	Vague deliverables	"Launch beta version"
2	Specific deliverables	"Deploy contracts to mainnet"
3	Output metrics	"1,000 users registered"
4	Outcome metrics	"1,000 users retained at 30 days"
5	Value metrics	"$100K in user-generated value"

"Launch beta" can mean anything from a landing page to a functioning product. Value metrics are hard to game.

3. Review Transparency (1-5)

Score	Process	Reality
1	Anonymous committee, no feedback	Total black box
2	Named committee, no feedback	Accountability without learning
3	Named committee with rubric	Criteria visible
4	Public scoring and feedback	Full transparency
5	Community vote with rationale	Distributed judgment

4. Time Horizon (1-5)

Score	Duration	Implication
1	<3 months	Only incentivizes quick wins
2	3-6 months	Short-term focus
3	6-12 months	Medium-term building
4	12-18 months	Enables infrastructure
5	18+ months or rolling	Long-term commitment

5. Network Dependency (1-5)

Score	Access	Result
1	Requires existing relationships	Closed loop favoring insiders
2	Helps to know people	Moderate bias
3	Structured intro process	Reduces but doesn't eliminate bias
4	Blind initial review	Merit-based first pass
5	Fully merit-based, code-speaks	Pure signal

6. Application Cost (1-5)

Score	Time Required	Reality
1	40+ hours	Full-time job, massive opportunity cost
2	20-40 hours	Significant investment
3	10-20 hours	Moderate investment
4	5-10 hours	Reasonable for the funding
5	<5 hours or none (retroactive)	Minimal friction

Example Evaluations

Red Flags That Disqualify Programs

Beyond the scorecard, watch for these instant disqualifiers:

If You Must Apply

Sometimes you need the money and imperfect programs are your only option. Tactics for navigating them:

Minimize Application Time

Set a time budget (e.g., 20 hours). When you hit it, submit what you have. Perfect applications often lose to mediocre ones anyway.

Define Measurable Milestones

Even if the program accepts vague milestones, propose specific ones. "1,000 users with 30-day retention above 20%" is better than "launch and grow user base." This protects you from scope creep.

Build Relationships Outside the Process

If network matters (it usually does), build relationships year-round, not just during application season. Show up at events. Contribute to community discussions. Be visible for the right reasons.

Track Actual Outcomes

Keep records of what you actually built vs. what you proposed. Win or lose, you'll learn whether the process selected for the right things.

What Good Looks Like

The best funding programs share these traits:

• Retroactive or outcome-based: Rewards results, not promises
• Transparent and accountable: Public record of decisions and rationale
• Long time horizons: 12+ months to enable real building
• Low application friction: Focus on work, not paperwork
• Builder-led evaluation: People who ship judging others who ship

If you're running a grants program, this is your checklist. If you're applying to one, this is your filter.