Universities and higher education institutions are invited to submit Letters of Intent for projects preparing students to shape the future of open, inclusive digital finance.
The 2026 Call for Letters of Intent for the Interledger–NextGen Higher Education Grant is now open! This grant supports universities and higher education institutions that want to create meaningful learning and hands-on experiences around Open Payments, interoperability, digital financial inclusion, and emerging financial technologies.
Through NextGen, institutions can receive up to USD $50,000 for projects of up to 12 months that give students opportunities to learn, research, experiment, build, and engage with the ideas and technologies shaping the future of digital financial systems.
For the Interledger Foundation, education is an important part of building a more open and interoperable financial ecosystem. Creating the infrastructure for a different kind of financial future also means ensuring the next generation of developers, entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, and financial leaders has the knowledge and opportunity to help build it.
NextGen is about investing in people as much as it is about technology. If we want a future where financial systems are more open, interoperable, and inclusive, we have to give students the opportunity to understand these systems, question them, and imagine what comes next. Education is an important part of Interledger’s strategy because the students learning and experimenting today will be among the people designing, implementing, and advocating for the financial infrastructure of tomorrow.
— Chris Lawrence, Chief Program Officer, Interledger Foundation
Over the past several years, the Interledger Foundation has worked with higher education institutions across different regions to explore what this kind of learning can look like in practice. Our NextGen education community has included institutions such as the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Bowie State University, Benedict College, and Alabama A&M University in the United States, The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, United States International University-Africa in Kenya, Covenant University in Nigeria, and Western Sydney University in Australia.
Across these institutions, students and faculty have explored Open Payments through workshops, curriculum development, research, hackathons, technical experimentation, entrepreneurship programs, and other campus-based activities. Each institution has approached the work differently, reflecting an important part of the NextGen vision: building local capacity while connecting students to a broader global conversation about the future of financial systems.
What We’re Looking For in 2026
We are interested in partnering with institutions that can create faculty-led, student-centered initiatives that move beyond awareness and give students meaningful opportunities to engage with open payments and digital financial inclusion.
Projects may include curriculum development, student labs, research, hackathons, technical exploration, prototype development, interdisciplinary learning, and other approaches that connect academic learning with real-world challenges.
Institutions interested in participating are invited to submit a two-page Letter of Intent on their university’s official letterhead, introducing their institution, proposed project, intended students and participants, key activities, anticipated outcomes, and connection to Open Payments and interoperability.
Shortlisted institutions will subsequently be invited to develop and submit a full proposal.
Learn more about the Interledger–NextGen Higher Education Grant, review the 2026 Program Resource Kit to access the application guidelines, and submit your Letter of Intent through the Interledger Foundation’s application portal. Applications for Phase 1 are reviewed on an ongoing basis, and applications close on Monday, December 14, 2026.
We’re looking forward to meeting the next group of institutions and students, helping to imagine what an open and inclusive financial future can become.
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