Grants are best when a project needs meaningful funding for defined maintenance, research, security, or public-interest work. They are often larger than donations, but they are also slower, more selective, and usually tied to a proposal or program criteria.

They are useful for infrastructure, ecosystem health, and work that has public value but is hard to monetize directly. They are less reliable as a sole strategy because application cycles can be competitive and uneven from year to year.

Strong references in this category include NLnet, Core Infrastructure Initiative, Sovereign Tech Fund, and Google Summer of Code. Use grants when the project fits public-interest or infrastructure funding goals; pair them with Donations or broader Funding channels for continuity between grant cycles.