# TON Grants: Application Guide
*Based on real data from 403 applications (103 approved, 300 rejected)*
*Source: Questbook platform — "TON Grants" program, March 2026*

## Program Overview

The TON Grants program is one of the largest in Web3 by application volume (~2000+ apps). It funds projects building on The Open Network (TON) blockchain, including DeFi, gaming, infrastructure, wallets, and developer tooling.

## Key Statistics

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Total Applications Analyzed | 403 |
| Approved | 103 |
| Rejected | 300 |
| Approval Rate | 26% |
| Rejection Rate | 74% |

## Budget Ranges (Approved Applications)

- Minimum approved: $1
- Median approved: $3
- Maximum approved: $5K
- Sample size: 9 apps with budget data

## What TON Reviewers Look For

### 1. TON Ecosystem Integration
- **Explicit TON features**: TON Connect, Jettons, NFT standards, TON Storage, TON DNS
- **Telegram Mini Apps**: High priority — apps that run as Telegram bots or mini-apps get preferential consideration
- **User onboarding**: TON's primary advantage is Telegram's 900M user base; show how you tap it

### 2. Technical Specificity
- Smart contract language (FunC or Tact) + why you chose it
- Architecture diagram or description
- Key on-chain interactions described (not just "we will build")
- Testing strategy (testnet deployment plan)

### 3. Milestone Structure
Each milestone should contain:
- Clear deliverable (code, deployed contract, documentation)
- Verifiable completion criteria (can a reviewer check this?)
- Realistic timeline (1–3 months per milestone)
- Associated budget amount

### 4. Team Credentials
- GitHub profile with relevant code
- Telegram / TON community presence
- Previous projects (even personal/hobby projects count)
- For TON specifically: experience with FunC/Tact or Telegram bot development helps enormously

### 5. Community Impact
- How many TON/Telegram users will benefit?
- Does it complement existing TON ecosystem projects?
- Open source? (TON strongly prefers open-source)

## Common Rejection Patterns

- **Team credibility issues**: 31/136 (23%)
- **Sustainability unclear**: 22/136 (16%)
- **Scope too broad**: 19/136 (14%)
- **Out of ecosystem scope**: 13/136 (10%)
- **Weak milestone structure**: 10/136 (7%)

## Approved Proposal Examples

### Example 1: 0

**Description:**
0

---

### Example 2: 0

**Description:**
0

**Milestones:**
There are several large projects, Hamster Combat, Mask Empire and Catizen. Our advantage is balanced mechanics, detailed onboarding and presentation with humor

**Budget:**
We have 700k users right now and 60k DAU

---

### Example 3: 0

**Description:**
0

## Application Checklist

Before submitting to TON Grants:
- [ ] Project directly uses TON blockchain (not just "compatible with")
- [ ] Mention of Telegram integration or Telegram user benefits
- [ ] Smart contract language specified (FunC or Tact)
- [ ] Milestones with deliverables + completion criteria
- [ ] Budget broken down by component
- [ ] Team section with verifiable links (GitHub, Telegram)
- [ ] Open-source license specified (MIT / Apache preferred)
- [ ] Previous work or portfolio linked
- [ ] KPIs defined (user counts, transaction volume, integrations)
- [ ] Post-grant maintenance plan

## TON-Specific Tips

1. **Telegram Mini Apps**: If your project can run inside Telegram, emphasize this — it's a massive distribution advantage
2. **FunC vs Tact**: Tact is newer and higher-level; FunC shows deeper ecosystem knowledge. Both are accepted
3. **TON Connect**: Wallet integration using TON Connect is the standard — mention it
4. **Jettons**: TON's fungible token standard — if your project involves tokens, use Jettons
5. **Ecosystem fit**: TON reviewers care deeply about complementing existing TON projects — do your research on what's already built

## Resources

- TON Developer Docs: https://docs.ton.org
- Questbook TON Grants: https://questbook.app
- TON Connect: https://docs.ton.org/develop/dapps/ton-connect
- TON Community: https://t.me/toncoin

*Data: AgentRel analysis of Questbook GraphQL API. 403 applications analyzed, March 2026.*