Arc Microgrants 2026: Built with Arc Studio round
Arc pays eight builders $500 USDC each for apps built in Arc Studio that move real USDC on Arc mainnet. Submissions close November 1, 2026.
Arc Microgrants: Built with Arc Studio is the second round of small grants from Arc. It backs experiments made with Arc Studio, the onchain coding agent for Arc. You describe the app, and Arc Studio writes and tests the smart contracts and builds the app around them.
There are eight microgrants of $500 USDC each, from a pool of $4,000 USDC. The money is non dilutive, with no equity, no IP assignment and no exclusivity. Selected builders also get office hours with the Arc team and a route into the Circle Grant Program.
The round is open to individuals and teams worldwide. Your project must be built in Arc Studio, deployed to Arc mainnet and have moved real USDC through your contract and app. One submission per project is allowed, but a team can send more than one distinct project.
A submission needs the Arc Studio project URL, a link to the live app, the contract addresses with one example transaction hash, a public repository, a video walkthrough, a short description and a public builder profile on GitHub, X or Farcaster. Arc suggests escrow and scheduled payouts, payment splitting and shared treasuries, or apps where one service or AI agent pays another.
Submissions close on November 1, 2026 and are reviewed as they come in, so earlier entries get earlier answers. Arc scores real USDC moving on mainnet (30%), use of Arc Studio across the build (25%), a working product (25%) and potential to go further (20%).
Quick answers
Do I need to write Solidity?
No. Arc Studio writes and tests the contracts from your description.
Can a project from the first Arc Microgrants round enter?
Yes, if it was built in Arc Studio and meets the rules. Each project can receive only one microgrant.
Can I submit under a pseudonym?
Yes. Verification is private and happens only for the person who receives the payout.