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CoW Grants Program Overview

The CoW Grants Program (CGP) funds initiatives that support the growth of the CoW Protocol ecosystem, aligned with the CoW DAO mission statement.

Current Mandate​

The Grants Program operates under CIP-82 (forum), approved in January 2026, which provides:

  • A total budget of 500,000 xDAI and approximately 6,550,314 COW
  • A continued reservation of 4,990,000 COW for volume incentives
  • A transition to quarterly fund releases to improve capital efficiency
  • Migration of the Grants Treasury Safe to Ethereum mainnet
  • Operating authority through January 31, 2027

Strategic Focus Areas​

The CoW Grants Program focuses on these key areas:

  • Developer Onboarding and Enablement: Creating pathways for developers to understand and build on CoW through improved documentation, SDKs, and direct support.
  • Strategic Ecosystem Alignment: Partnering with external protocols where CoW provides distinct advantages around MEV protection and batch auctions.
  • Novel Applications on CoW: Supporting programmatic orders, CoW AMM implementations, and cross-chain solutions beyond basic swaps.
  • Volume Incentive Program: Maintaining a reserved allocation of COW for deployment when partner activity demonstrates clear value multiplication.

Committee Structure​

CIP-82 established a five-member committee (three community, two core team) with a 3/5 signing threshold to prevent core team veto. Following the departure of one core team member in March 2026, the committee currently operates with four members and a 3/4 threshold. The committee combines technical, operational, and strategic expertise to evaluate proposals and oversee the grant lifecycle.

The program emphasizes outcome-based evaluation, tracking success through metrics such as volume growth, developer adoption, and infrastructure improvements.