> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.livepeer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Grants & Programmes

> Funded pathways for Livepeer builders: microgrants, the AI Video Startup accelerator, ComfyUI hacker cohorts, bootcamps, hackathons, and active SPE-funded developer programmes.

export const BorderedBox = ({children, variant = "default", padding = "var(--lp-spacing-4)", borderRadius = "var(--lp-spacing-px-8)", margin = "", accentBar = "", style = {}, className = "", ...rest}) => {
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      backgroundColor: "var(--lp-color-bg-card)"
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      backgroundColor: "var(--lp-color-bg-card)"
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      backgroundColor: "transparent"
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    positive: "var(--green-9)"
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    ...style
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      {children}
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};

export const DisplayCard = ({icon, title, style, background = 'var(--lp-color-bg-card)', children, className = "", ...rest}) => {
  if (!title) {
    console.warn("[DisplayCard] Missing required prop: title");
    return null;
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    display: 'flex',
    flexDirection: 'column',
    height: 'calc(100% - 1rem)',
    border: '1px solid var(--lp-color-accent)',
    borderRadius: '8px',
    padding: "var(--lp-spacing-4)",
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      <div style={titleStyle}>
        <Icon icon={icon} size={20} color="var(--lp-color-accent)" />
        {title}
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      <div style={bodyStyle}>{children}</div>
    </div>;
};

export const CustomDivider = ({color = "var(--lp-color-border-default)", middleText = "", spacing = "default", style = {}, className = "", ...rest}) => {
  const spacingPresets = {
    default: {
      margin: "24px 0"
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    overlap: {
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    tight: {
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    section: {
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    sectionOverlap: {
      margin: "-1rem 0 -2rem 0"
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    deepOverlap: {
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  const spacingStyle = spacingPresets[spacing] || spacingPresets.default;
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    ...spacingStyle,
    fontSize: style?.fontSize || "16px",
    height: "fit-content",
    ...style
  }} {...rest}>
      <span style={{
    marginRight: "var(--lp-spacing-px-8)",
    opacity: 0.2
  }}>
        <Icon icon="/snippets/assets/logos/Livepeer-Logo-Symbol-Theme.svg" />
      </span>
      <div style={{
    flex: 1,
    height: "1px",
    background: "var(--lp-color-border-default)",
    opacity: 0.4
  }}></div>
      {middleText && <>
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          <span style={{
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  }}>
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          <Icon icon="circle" size={2} />
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      <div style={{
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      <span style={{
    marginLeft: "var(--lp-spacing-px-8)",
    opacity: 0.2
  }}>
        <span style={{
    display: "inline-block",
    transform: "scaleX(-1)"
  }}>
          <Icon icon="/snippets/assets/logos/Livepeer-Logo-Symbol-Theme.svg" />
        </span>
      </span>
    </div>;
};

<CustomDivider />

Multiple funded pathways exist for builders across the Livepeer ecosystem. Grants, accelerator programmes, hackathons, and hacker cohorts are run through Livepeer Foundation initiatives, treasury-funded Special Purpose Entities (SPEs), and community partnerships with organisations like Encode Club.

All grant programme applications are managed through [livepeer.org/dev-hub](https://www.livepeer.org/dev-hub), the primary application entry point.

<Note>
  Grant programmes open and close on a rolling basis. The [Livepeer Dev Hub](https://www.livepeer.org/dev-hub) always shows currently open calls. If a specific programme is not listed, it may be between cohorts.
</Note>

<br />

<CustomDivider />

## Active Developer SPEs

Special Purpose Entities (SPEs) are treasury-funded bodies approved by LPT governance to build specific infrastructure or developer tooling on the Livepeer Network. Three SPEs are currently active and directly relevant to developers building AI applications.

**What is an SPE?** An SPE receives a fixed LPT allocation from the Livepeer treasury, operates with a defined mandate, and reports progress publicly. SPE work is open-source and directly extends the developer surface of the network.

<Columns cols={3}>
  <DisplayCard icon="robot" title="Agent SPE">
    **Mandate:** AI VTuber infrastructure and Livepeer inference integration into the ai16z Eliza agent framework.

    **What it built:** Real-time agent avatar generation pipeline using ComfyStream; the Livepeer model provider plugin for Eliza, enabling any Eliza agent to route LLM inference through the Livepeer Network.

    **Allocation:** 30,000 LPT (approved April 2025).

    **Status:** Active (Messari-tracked).

    **Key output:** [Build an AI Agent on Livepeer](/v2/developers/build/tutorials/ai-agent-on-Livepeer) tutorial.
  </DisplayCard>

  <DisplayCard icon="microchip" title="LLM SPE">
    **Mandate:** High-performance LLM pipeline with OpenAI-compatible API on the Livepeer Network.

    **What it built:** The `/llm` inference pipeline, an Ollama-based runner exposing an OpenAI-compatible `/v1/chat/completions` endpoint. Any Ollama-compatible model -- Llama, Mistral, Gemma, Qwen -- runs on decentralised GPU Orchestrators via a standard API.

    **Status:** Active. Pipeline live in production.

    **Key output:** LLM pipeline available at `POST /llm` via the AI Gateway API. See [AI on Livepeer](/v2/developers/learn/ai-and-agents) for usage.
  </DisplayCard>

  <DisplayCard icon="cloud" title="Cloud SPE">
    **Mandate:** Decentralised LLM inference via the Livepeer AI Gateway.

    **What it built:** Managed Gateway infrastructure for LLM inference, making the Livepeer LLM pipeline accessible to application developers without operating their own Gateway node.

    **Status:** Active (Messari-tracked).

    **Key output:** LLM inference is accessible via the community Gateway at `dream-gateway.livepeer.cloud/llm` or through a managed Gateway provider. No infrastructure setup required.
  </DisplayCard>
</Columns>

<br />

<Tip>
  If you are building an AI agent, a VTuber product, or any application requiring decentralised LLM inference, the Agent SPE, LLM SPE, and Cloud SPE outputs are production-ready today. Start at the [AI Quickstart](/v2/developers/build/ai-and-agents/ai-jobs-direct-quickstart) to make your first inference call.
</Tip>

<br />

<CustomDivider />

## Grant Types

<Columns cols={2}>
  <DisplayCard icon="flask" title="Research & Video Innovation Grants">
    For teams conducting cutting-edge video research or building novel applications on Livepeer's decentralised video compute network.

    **Who it's for:** Researchers, independent developers, and creative technologists.
  </DisplayCard>

  <DisplayCard icon="server" title="Supply Side / Network Health Grants">
    For teams building tools and applications that support supply-side node operations, delegation, and overall network health.

    Past examples include governance bots, educational content for new Orchestrators and Delegators, and tooling to parse and debug node logs.

    **Who it's for:** Orchestrators, node operators, Delegators, and tooling developers.
  </DisplayCard>

  <DisplayCard icon="bolt" title="Quick Start / Microgrants">
    Tightly scoped projects with clear deliverables completable in one month or less. Covers integrating Livepeer into a product or feature, or creating educational guides, tutorials, and video walkthroughs.

    **Who it's for:** Independent developers, content creators, integration engineers.
  </DisplayCard>

  <DisplayCard icon="robot" title="AI Workflow Grants (ComfyUI Hacker Programme)">
    Grants for developers who build and open-source real-time AI video workflows using ComfyUI and ComfyStream with the Livepeer Network. Additional incentives are available for extended contributions.

    **Who it's for:** ComfyUI workflow creators, AI video developers, creative coders.
  </DisplayCard>
</Columns>

<br />

<CustomDivider />

## AI Video Startup Programme

<BorderedBox variant="accent" padding="16px 20px">
  The AI Video Startup Programme is a three-month accelerator for startups building decentralised AI video applications on Livepeer.
</BorderedBox>

<br />

Selected teams receive:

* Grant funding of up to \$20,000
* Infrastructure credits for AI inference and transcoding
* Technical mentorship from the Livepeer engineering team
* Early access to new AI video infrastructure and pipelines
* Co-marketing and partnership activation opportunities
* Investor networking and showcase opportunities

The first cohort (August to October 2024) included eight startups: Flipguard, Katana, Newcoin, Operator, Origin Stories, Refraction, Supermodel, and StreamEth. Teams incorporated generative AI features -- text-to-image, image-to-image, image-to-video, upscaling, and speech-to-text -- using existing Livepeer pipelines or building their own.

A parallel programme run in partnership with Encode Club offers an eight-week accelerator for past Encode programme participants, with weekly workshops, one-on-one sessions, and support for technical development, design, and fundraising.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Apply via Dev Hub" icon="rocket" href="https://www.livepeer.org/dev-hub" arrow>
    The AI Video Startup Programme is listed on the Dev Hub when applications are open.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Encode Club Partnership" icon="graduation-cap" href="https://www.encode.club/ai-video-startup-program" arrow>
    The Encode Club variant of the accelerator for programme alumni and the wider community.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<br />

<CustomDivider />

## ComfyUI Live Video Hacker Programme

The ComfyUI Live Video Hacker Programme brings together developers, creators, and AI engineers to build real-time AI video workflows using ComfyUI and ComfyStream on the Livepeer Network.

Participants join a cohort to create and publish innovative live video AI pipelines. Grants go to contributors who open-source their workflow and publish a write-up. Additional incentives exist for more extensive contributions.

**What participants use:**

* [ComfyStream](https://github.com/livepeer/comfystream) -- an open-source ComfyUI custom node for running real-time media workflows
* [ComfyStream Docs](https://docs.comfystream.org) -- setup, deployment, and model guides
* Livepeer Network for GPU-backed real-time AI inference

The first cohort ran in January 2025 with a demo day on 31 January 2025. A second cohort opened shortly after.

<Card title="Apply via Dev Hub" icon="wave-pulse" href="https://www.livepeer.org/dev-hub" arrow>
  Hacker Programme cohort applications are listed on the Dev Hub when open.
</Card>

<br />

<CustomDivider />

## Real-Time Video AI Bootcamp

Launched in February 2025 in partnership with Encode Club, the Real-Time Video AI Bootcamp is a developer-focused educational programme combining technical workshops, hands-on project development, and incentivised challenges to accelerate adoption of real-time AI video processing.

Participants explore workflow orchestration using Livepeer's Pipelines product, gain experience with GPU-backed inference, and build interactive applications on the network's decentralised infrastructure.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Encode Club" icon="link" href="https://www.encode.club" arrow>
    Encode Club partners with Livepeer on developer bootcamp and accelerator programmes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dev Hub" icon="rocket" href="https://www.livepeer.org/dev-hub" arrow>
    Watch for future bootcamp cohort announcements on the Dev Hub.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<br />

<CustomDivider />

## Hackathons

Livepeer hosts and co-sponsors hackathons to generate new ideas, attract builders, and seed projects that may continue as grant recipients or SPE proposals.

### Livepeer Summit Hackathon

The Livepeer Summit brings together core contributors, builders, and ecosystem stakeholders for two days of strategy and hacking. Participants work on governance, growth, network design, Daydream, Gateway infrastructure, or any new direction for the ecosystem.

Outputs range from quick experiments and prototypes to governance proposals. Past Summit participants have included protocol engineers, workflow owners, Orchestrators, and community builders.

[Learn more about the Livepeer Summit](https://summit2025.livepeer.org/)

### Encode Club Hackathons

Encode Club runs AI video-focused hackathons where participants build on Livepeer's infrastructure. Winners are often invited into the accelerator programme for continued development.

[Encode Club Programmes](https://www.encode.club)

<br />

<CustomDivider />

## Application process

All grant and programme applications go through the Livepeer Dev Hub. Currently open calls are listed there, with application forms and programme details linked from each listing.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Visit the Dev Hub">
    Go to [livepeer.org/dev-hub](https://www.livepeer.org/dev-hub) and review open calls.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the right programme">
    Match your project type to the grant or programme that fits. The [grant types overview](#grant-types) above maps use cases to funding types.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Prepare your application">
    Most applications ask for a project description, team background, planned use of Livepeer, and expected deliverables.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit and engage">
    Submit via the Dev Hub form. The [Livepeer Discord](https://discord.gg/livepeer) `#builders` channel is the place to connect with the team and other applicants.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<br />

<CustomDivider />

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="RFPs & Treasury Proposals" icon="file-contract" href="/v2/developers/resources/grants-and-programmes" arrow>
    Apply for Foundation-issued RFPs or propose a funded SPE via the Livepeer onchain treasury.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Open Source Contributions" icon="code-branch" href="/v2/developers/resources/contributing" arrow>
    Contribute code, documentation, or tooling to Livepeer's open source repositories.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bug Bounties" icon="bug-slash" href="https://immunefi.com/bug-bounty/livepeer/information/" arrow>
    Report smart contract vulnerabilities and earn USDC rewards via Immunefi.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Community Hub" icon="globe" href="https://www.livepeer.org/community-hub" arrow>
    Bounties, governance proposals, ecosystem tools, and more on livepeer.org.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>