Catalyst Pilot 2026
12 teams selected (announced 24 Sep 2026); applications closed.
Dates: Applications opened August 2026 and are closed; selection announced 24 September 2026; teams have up to 3 months to launch on mainnet.
Program detailsProject Catalyst
Fund. Build. Grow. Together.
Proposal Journey
- 1. ApplyTeams submit a product proposal.
- 2. Curation & PanelCurators and a panel review.
- 3. Selection12 teams chosen, Sep 2026.
- 4. BuildUp to 3 months to mainnet.Current stage
- 5. AdoptionPaid for real, lasting usage.
- 1. Proposal submissionTeams wrote and submitted proposals.
- 2. Community reviewCommunity reviewers assessed proposals.
- 3. Votingada holders voted on proposals.
- 4. OnboardingOnboarding before the first payment.
- 1. Proposal submissionTeams wrote and submitted proposals.
- 2. Community reviewCommunity reviewers assessed proposals.
- 3. Votingada holders voted on proposals.
- 4. OnboardingOnboarding before the first payment.
- 5. Milestone deliveryFunded teams are paid per milestone.Current stage
How selection works
The 2026 Pilot did not use public ada-holder voting.
- Community curators helped narrow 117 applications
- 31 proposals reached the decision stage
- 35 panelists scored business (70 points) and technical (30 points) case
- Funding is paid in stages tied to delivery and adoption
How selection works
Fund15 was planned as a traditional community-voted round, but it did not proceed.
- Paused in January 2026
- No voting or funding took place
- Its earmarked ada was returned to the treasury
How selection works
Traditional rounds up to Fund14 used community review and ada-holder voting.
- Proposers submitted ideas in open challenges
- Community reviewers assessed each proposal
- ada holders voted with their ada
- Funded projects are paid against milestones
Example Proposals
View all4 of the 12 teams selected for the Catalyst Pilot 2026 (official announcement, 24 Sep 2026).
anyqrSyncAIPaymentsPay at local QR codes with USDCx from a Cardano wallet; shops receive local currency.
Selected · Pilot 2026CIP-0170 Identity Rails for Global Medical TravelAline HealthHealthcare · IdentityVerifiable credentials for medical travel, without putting patient records on-chain.
Selected · Pilot 2026nuhuman: Robot DIDs on a Shrimp Export LineNucastSupply chainVerifiable identities for robots and shrimp batches, for export traceability.
Selected · Pilot 2026Regulated BRL Settlement on CardanoPagFinancePayments · BrazilConversion between ada or USDCx and Brazilian reais over the PIX network.
Selected · Pilot 2026
Voters & reviewers
The 2026 Pilot did not use public ada-holder voting. Community members took part as curators and decision panelists (52 active curators; 35 active panelists, 28 from the community). The Catalyst team says the role of public voting in future rounds is an open question.
Traditional rounds up to Fund14 used community review and ada-holder voting.
Read about the decision panelIs Catalyst open for applications now?
No programme is confirmed as open right now. Next programme: Not yet confirmed. Follow official Catalyst announcements.
What happened to Fund15 and Fund16?
In 2026 the Cardano Foundation took over stewardship of Project Catalyst. Fund15 did not proceed and Fund16 did not run; their earmarked ada was returned to the Cardano treasury. Projects funded up to Fund14 continue to be paid by milestone.
Did the 2026 Pilot have public voting?
No. Community members took part as curators (52 active) and decision panelists (35 active, 28 from the community). The Catalyst team says the role of public voting in future rounds is an open question.
How is Pilot 2026 funding paid?
40% at grant start after onboarding, up to 40% for adoption against the declared target, a final 20% for sustained activity, and a bonus of up to 50% for the three best-performing projects (per the results announcement).
Are there other ways to get funding on Cardano?
Treasury withdrawals via on-chain governance; Cardano Foundation.
Current opportunities
No currently confirmed open applications. Explore previous programs or follow official Catalyst announcements. projectcatalyst.io
Fund15
Did not proceed: paused in January 2026; IOG and the Cardano Foundation agreed it was not feasible in its proposed form, and its earmarked ada was returned to the treasury.
Dates: Paused January 2026. Fund15 ada (19,498,234 ada) returned to the treasury, except 501,766 ada kept to compensate Fund15 reviewers and moderators (Cardano Foundation July 2026 update).
Program detailsFund16
Did not run. The Intersect-administered contract for Fund16 and retroactive public goods funding was cancelled, returning 21,000,000 ada to the treasury.
Dates: Cancelled 2026
Program detailsArchive
Catalyst Pilot 2026Selection CompleteFund15ClosedFund16ClosedFund14 and earlier (Fund1–Fund14)Archived
Other Cardano funding (not run by Catalyst)
- Treasury withdrawals via on-chain governance: Since the Plomin hard fork, Cardano treasury funds are released only through Treasury Withdrawal governance actions approved by DReps and the Constitutional Committee. Intersect facilitates an annual budget process.
- Cardano Foundation: Programmes and announcements from the Cardano Foundation.
Sources
- Catalyst Pilot (apply page)
- Meet the 12 teams selected for the Catalyst Pilot 2026
- Catalyst docs: Decision
- Catalyst docs: Open Funding
- Fund15 page (archived text)
- Update from the Catalyst Team
- Cardano Foundation: working with IOG towards stewardship of Catalyst
- Cardano Foundation Monthly Update: July 2026
- Project Catalyst funds overview
Last reviewed: 2026-11-05