FAQ
Check out the FAQ to answer all your questions! If you can't find your answer, ask it in the #support channel on the SCF Discord, and someone will help you shortly.
General
What’s the difference between Stellar and Soroban?
Stellar: an open-source blockchain network optimized for payments and asset issuance, designed to connect the world’s financial systems, all on a single network.
“Classic Stellar” is your Toyota that you take to and from work every day. It gets good gas mileage, has extremely low maintenance costs, and is just straight-up the most reliable car on the road. It’s not flashy, but it’s safe, dependable, and gets the job done.
Soroban: Stellar’s new smart contracts platform (currently in preview release), written in Rust, and built to work with Stellar.
Soroban, on the other hand, is still a car. But you can get a little crazy with it. A lift kit to get you up that treacherous mountain slope? Sure! A snorkel to forge a canyon river? Go for it. Spinners on your wheels for a little extra pizzazz? Maybe even some hydraulics for some bounce? Yes, and yes! Oh, the places you can go!
What type of projects are eligible for SCF?
For SCF Awards, find information about participant and submission eligibility here. For SCF Startup Camp, find information about participants and criteria for selection here.
Can I apply to the SCF Startup Camp and SCF Awards at the same time?
Yes! The SCF Startup Camp is especially helpful for developer teams and startups who're not yet sure what to build on Stellar and/or Soroban yet, and are encouraged to submit a project for SCF Awards after the bootcamp.
SCF Awards
I’m interested in submitting, but I'm new to Stellar / Soroban. How do I get started?
Need more time to play around with Stellar and Soroban and get inspired?
Launch your blockchain education on Stellar Quest, which will take you through the basic building blocks of Stellar all the way to building smart contracts on Soroban.
Experiment, build, and tinker in Sorobanathon: Equinox and earn XLM for submitting tutorials, code examples, and more based on your experience building with Soroban.
Interested in submitting but not sure exactly how and what to build? SCF Startup Camps are back! Every quarter, SDF and DFS Lab host a five-day bootcamp that connects startups with members from SDF and the ecosystem to accelerate development from idea to viable solution on Soroban and/or Stellar.
To what extent does Stellar and/or Soroban need to be integrated into my project?
To be considered for selection, you must showcase that Stellar and/or Soroban is or will play a core and valuable role in your project. Don't shoehorn Stellar and/or Soroban into your project just to get awards.
The level of development that is already done and what you aim to do sets the project scope, influencing the amount of money you can/should request. Find more information in the budget guidelines.
Can I submit multiple projects?
There are some case-by-case exceptions to this rule, but generally, each submitter can only submit one project at a time. Should you get an award, you’ll need to finish your project deliverables first (or an equivalent amount of work should the deliverables need to be changed for valid reasons) before submitting another project. Learn more in the resubmission guidelines.
Can I submit my project?
Take a look at the resubmission guidelines to find out if your submission is ready to be resubmitted.
What is the maximum budget I can ask for?
The maximum budget submitters can request is $50K worth of XLM* per ~1-2 months project for the initial Activation Award, and $100K worth of XLM* per 2-3 months project for the Community Award, with a yearly award amount not exceeding $600K worth of XLM*. Find more information in the budget guidelines.
My project isn't 100% finished yet. Should I still submit?
Some of you are hesitant to submit your projects to the SCF because they might not be completely built out. Our advice to you is to submit them anyway! Why? The talented people like you behind a project matter the most. Moreover, submitting projects early on opens the door to the Stellar community and ecosystem and gives you something to build off! Read more in this helpful blog post.
I have received or am receiving other SDF grants. Can I still submit my project to the SCF?
Entities in which either the Matching Fund or Enterprise Fund have invested are not eligible to receive an SCF Award.
Recipients of any currently outstanding Research & Development Grant and/or Academic Research Grant are not eligible to receive an SCF Award unless and until such recipient has submitted all required deliverables and fulfilled all obligations under their respective Grant Agreement(s).
Recipients of any currently outstanding Marketing Grant, Currency Support Grant, and Ecosystem Infrastructure Grant, will not be eligible to receive an SCF Award for any project or deliverable that falls within the scope, whether directly or indirectly, of their respective Grant Agreement(s).
Recipients of prior SCF Awards are permitted to resubmit the same or a new Project to a subsequent SCF Round, but they will be required to show that their previously awarded Project has achieved significant progress on the goals set forth in their previous submission (at SDF’s discretion).
Are there any extra requirements for Issuers of Fiat-Backed Tokens?
If your project already issues or plans to issue a stablecoin or digital asset backed by fiat currency as a part of your SCF submission, you will need to complete a Stellar Info File, and as per the requirements in the Stellar documentation, it must include a URL to an attestation or other proof, evidence, or verification of reserves, such as a third-party audit.
How is the SCF Award paid out?
While the requested budget amount of each submission is valued in USD, the actual pay-out currency is XLM, Stellar's native currency*. *To determine the number of XLM equal to the USD value of any Award, the USD valuation of XLM shall be calculated using the CF Stellar Lumens-Dollar Settlement Price as administered, maintained, and reported by the cryptocurrency index provider CF Benchmarks Ltd. (using the ticker “XLMUSD_RR”) (available at https://www.cfbenchmarks.com/indices/XLMUSD_RR), or, if such settlement price is unavailable or reasonably suspected by SDF to be unreliable, the settlement price as reported on a substantially similar and equally reputable cryptocurrency index provider as determined by the SDF in its discretion. The USD valuation of XLM for any particular Award shall be calculated using the CF Stellar Lumens-Dollar Settlement Price (or other agreed upon settlement price) reported on the day such Award is scheduled to be paid. The Participants acknowledge and understand that XLM is a highly risky and volatile asset, and that SDF does not provide any representations, warranties, or guarantees of its value.
SCF Startup Camp
What are the benefits of a design sprint versus an accelerator/incubator?
The Design Sprint is a proven methodology developed by Google Ventures for solving problems through designing, prototyping, and testing ideas with users. Whereas accelerators and incubators offer a range of tools and resources to help teams reach success in several months, design sprints are a more focused exercise that helps teams go from ideas to customer-tested solutions in a matter of days. This lean approach works for teams of all sizes and helps them save time and money, get something into the hands of real users, and make informed decisions quickly.
I don’t have enough people on my project (that can be available) for the bootcamp. Should I still submit?
Based on experience, we found that 4-5 members per team is the sweet spot to make optimal use of the bootcamp activities. While you don’t necessarily need to have a full-fledged company (yet) to participate in SCF Startup Camp, we do require teams to have at least two (2) people actively participating in the SCF Startup Camp week of April 17-21, of which at least one (1) software engineer. If your team/company doesn’t have that, we still welcome you to submit: should you be selected to participate, we’ll try our best to match you with talented members of the Stellar community and ecosystem.
Community Involvement
Who can vote in the Stellar Community Fund?
Only verified members who have the @Voter can vote. This is updated every four weeks, and granted as long as they don’t have their own project out for community vote. Find more information on how to become verified here.
How does Discord work?
Unfamiliar with Discord? No problem, check out this beginner’s guide, and learn how to navigate the SCF Discord here.
Should I invite my own community to the SCF Discord?
While you're more than welcome to invite your community, it doesn't actually benefit you or them unless you have members that have a significant interest in your project and the Stellar ecosystem. At that point, they may be interested in becoming verified members or submitting to the SCF themselves!
Can verified member status be retracted?
Verified status can be retracted if:
You indicate you'd no longer like to be part of the SCF;
You violate the Discord Rules and Guidelines; OR
You haven't voted in three rounds or more without a valid reason.
For more information on how this would work for tiers, click here.
What happens if I don't have the bandwidth to vote?
Verified members are generally required to vote during Community Vote, but if you don't have the bandwidth to vote on a given round, please let us know in advance. If you don't vote for three or more rounds consecutively without a valid reason (and are not otherwise active in the SCF), you risk losing your verified member status.
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