Grant Types
Templates for different payout structures
Templates: The "Make It Obvious" Layer
Most grantors don't have time to engineer perfect rules. They want: pick a payout structure, set a budget, ship. zkGrants templates turn fuzzy intent into crisp outcomes.
Fast
Choose a template, fill in parameters
Clear
"If X happens, payout Y happens"
Fair
Standardized edge cases and tie-breaks
Payout Structures
Winner Takes All
A single winner receives the entire award. Best for competitive challenges where you want the best solution.
First-to-Pass
First PR that passes the required workflow wins. Great for speed-focused challenges.
First-to-Merge
First merged PR that meets requirements wins. Combines speed with maintainer approval.
Best-by-Deadline
Submissions accepted until a date; maintainer selects the winner. Best for quality-focused challenges.
Split Across Top N
Award split across multiple qualifying solutions. Encourages participation and rewards multiple good approaches.
Top 3 / Top 5 Split
Award split across the best qualifying solutions by ranking, scoring, or maintainer selection.
All-Pass-by-Deadline Split
Everyone who qualifies by the deadline shares the pool under a predefined split rule.
Time Policies
Time-Limited
Must complete and claim before a deadline. Creates urgency and clear expectations.
- Qualification deadline
- Claim deadline (may differ)
- Refunds available after deadline
Open-Ended
No deadline — stays available until claimed. Good for ongoing needs or when timing is flexible.
- No time pressure
- Available until claimed
- Explicit refund rules required
Template Guardrails
Templates can bundle common guardrails so outcomes stay unambiguous:
Quality Bar
Tests/benchmarks must pass, with optional performance thresholds.
Tie-Breaks
Deterministic ordering (earliest pass, earliest merge, etc.) when multiple qualify.
Submission Rules
Required checks, labels, branches, or PR format requirements.
Review Requirements
For merge-based, can require specific reviewers or approval counts.
Choosing the Right Type
| Use Case | Recommended Template | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bug fix needed ASAP | First-to-Pass | Rewards speed |
| Feature with quality bar | First-to-Merge | Maintainer controls quality |
| Complex design challenge | Best-by-Deadline | Time to evaluate options |
| Encourage many solutions | Top N Split | Multiple winners |
| Standing bounty | Open-ended + First-to-Pass | Available whenever needed |
Learn More
Understand how completion is determined and what happens if a grant isn't claimed.