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

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

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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

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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.