A curated list of nonprofits, foundations, and grant programs in the Bitcoin ecosystem. Maintained by Waterfall Fund.
Organizations that provide grants and funding to Bitcoin developers, researchers, and projects.
| Organization | Website | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Spiral | spiral.xyz | Block's Bitcoin arm funding open-source developers and projects including LDK and BTCPay |
| OpenSats | opensats.org | 501(c)(3) public charity funding open-source Bitcoin and freedom tech contributors |
| Brink | brink.dev | Nonprofit funding and mentoring Bitcoin Core developers through grants and fellowships |
| Human Rights Foundation – Bitcoin Development Fund | hrf.org/devfund | Quarterly BTC grants to projects advancing financial freedom globally |
| Waterfall Fund | waterfallfund.org | Bitcoin-native philanthropic fund making grants to Bitcoin-focused nonprofits |
| Bitcoin Dev Kit (BDK) Foundation | bitcoindevkit.org | Supports development of BDK, a library for building Bitcoin wallets |
| MARA Foundation | foundation.mara.com | MARA Holdings' nonprofit arm funding Bitcoin security, open-source dev, and education (launched 2026) |
| Pineapple Fund | — | Anonymous donor "Pine" who donated ~$55M in BTC to 60+ charities (2017–2018, now concluded) |
Organizations building Bitcoin protocol infrastructure and conducting research.
| Organization | Website | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Chaincode Labs | chaincode.com | NYC-based research lab running residency programs to onboard Bitcoin Core developers |
| MIT Digital Currency Initiative | dci.mit.edu | Academic research lab at MIT focused on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency research |
| BTCPay Server Foundation | foundation.btcpayserver.org | Supports BTCPay Server, the open-source self-hosted Bitcoin payment processor |
| Blockchain Commons | blockchaincommons.com | Nonprofit developing open standards for self-sovereign identity and Bitcoin key security (FROST) |
| University of Wyoming Bitcoin Research Institute | uwyo.edu/philrelig/bitcoin.html | First Bitcoin-only academic institute, focused on interdisciplinary Bitcoin research |
| Bitcoin Design Foundation | bitcoin.design | Supports the open-source Bitcoin Design Community |
| Vinteum | vinteum.org | Nonprofit Bitcoin R&D center training and funding developers in Brazil and Latin America |
| 256 Foundation | 256foundation.org | 501(c)(3) funding open-source Bitcoin mining hardware and software development |
Organizations focused on Bitcoin education, developer training, and community growth.
| Organization | Website | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Summer of Bitcoin | summerofbitcoin.org | Global internship program for university students to contribute to Bitcoin open-source projects |
| My First Bitcoin | myfirstbitcoin.io | Open-source Bitcoin education nonprofit; creator of the Bitcoin Diploma, taught in 30+ countries |
| Bitshala | bitshala.org | Grassroots Bitcoin developer education initiative based in India |
| Satoshi Nakamoto Institute | nakamotoinstitute.org | Preserves and advances knowledge of Bitcoin's history, economics, and technology |
| Librería de Satoshi | libreriadesatoshi.com | Technical Bitcoin education in Spanish for Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Qala / Btrust Builders | btrust.tech | Developer fellowship training African and Indian Bitcoin developers (co-founded by Jack Dorsey & Jay-Z) |
| Africa Bitcoin Institute | africabitcoininstitute.org | Bridges Bitcoin adoption, education, and policy across Africa |
| Africa Free Routing | africafreerouting.com | Lightning developer bootcamps across Ethiopia, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and pan-Africa |
| Building Bridges to Bitcoin | ideasbeyondborders.org | Arabic-language Bitcoin education for the Middle East and North Africa (via Ideas Beyond Borders) |
| Bitcoin for Fairness | bitcoinforfairness.org | Founded by Anita Posch; Bitcoin education for disadvantaged communities and authoritarian states |
| Bitcoin House Malaysia | — | Education hub in Kuala Lumpur for Bitcoin and open-source technologies |
| BOB Space Bangkok | bobspacebkk.com | Bitcoin-only hatchery, incubator, and co-working space in Bangkok |
| Bitcoin Park | bitcoinpark.com | Bitcoin community hub in Nashville, Tennessee |
| SafeNet | — | Community-operated, Bitcoin-powered wireless network for underserved communities |
| Africa Bitcoin Conference | afrikabitcoinconference.org | Largest Bitcoin-focused conference on the African continent |
Organizations working on Bitcoin-friendly policy and regulatory engagement.
| Organization | Website | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin Policy Institute | btcpolicy.org | Nonpartisan think tank advancing Bitcoin research and US digital asset policy |
| Satoshi Action Fund | satoshiaction.io | Advocates for pro-Bitcoin legislation at the US state level |
| Satoshi Action Education | satoshiactioneducation.org | 501(c)(3) educational arm of Satoshi Action Fund |