Research report · Updated 2026-09-10
One individual grant is finally on the board. The Start-tier amount is too.
Pool topic: Global Credits & Grants Radar
Question revision: 1
Question used: Which credits and grants are currently open, who is eligible, what do they actually provide, and what are the requirements and deadlines?
Today’s check closes two gaps from the first catalogue. One is an actual individual project-grant route; the other is the value and validity of Google’s pre-funded Start tier.
Individual applicants: a constrained but real grant
NLnet says individuals can apply in principle and lists first grants of EUR 5,000–50,000. Its next deadline is 3 November 2026 at 12:00 CET. This is not general personal funding: the project must fit an active fund, focus primarily on technical development, and release software, hardware, or content under an open licence. Restack gives priority to EU and Horizon Europe-associated applicants; an applicant outside those areas needs exceptional project quality, unique technical expertise, and a clear European dimension.
The form asks for the project, requested amount and budget, technical challenges, comparable work, ecosystem, applicant background, other funding, country, and AI-use disclosure. That turns “I need a grant” into a testable next action: decide whether you have a defined open-technology project and can meet those conditions before writing an application.
Pre-funded startups: Google Start is USD 2,000, not the programme ceiling
Google’s pre-funded page now states USD 2,000 in Cloud credits, valid for 12 months. It specifies a digital-native technology startup with a working MVP, clear business model, plans to seek venture funding, a founding date within 24 months, and no Google Cloud credits beyond the free trial. The application also needs an 18-character billing account ID and a business email that matches the public website domain. Acceptance remains discretionary; third-party models are billed directly.
This removes the old “unknown” field. It also makes the decision sharper: a company with no MVP, no public-domain email, an older founding date, or prior programme credits should not read USD 2,000 as its route.
Cloudflare: more explicit wording, still no safe conclusion
Cloudflare presents Tier 3 as USD 10,000 for a bootstrapped or self-funded startup under USD 1 million raised, and says there is no minimum funding required. Its page then says every qualifying startup must have been funded within the last 12 months. Those statements may have an issuer-specific reconciliation, but the page does not provide it. A fully self-funded founder should ask Cloudflare directly before treating the tier as available.
What remains unresolved
NLnet is one open-technology grant route, not worldwide individual-grant coverage. We still need named grants outside this technical/open-licence context, country conditions for provider programmes, and a direct Cloudflare explanation of the Tier 3 recent-funding line.