Intersect Accepts Applications for Cardano Maintainers and Developer Tools

Intersect is accepting applications from community projects, experienced contributors and open source tooling teams. Maintainer Retainer documentation updated on September 15 confirms open applications for projects and Community Maintainers, while the Tooling Sustainability intake remains available throughout the current funding cycle.

The programs separate recurring repository maintenance from defined sustainability work on tools used by Cardano developers and infrastructure operators.

Maintainer Retainer Adds Capacity to Cardano Repositories

The Maintainer Retainer Program provides recurring funding to experienced contributors maintaining critical Cardano repositories. Intersect operates the program with the Open Source Committee and Technical Steering Committee.

Core Maintainers retain final authority over repository architecture, releases, governance and security sensitive decisions. Community Maintainers support daily operations through issue triage, code reviews, testing, documentation, contributor support and user feedback.

Applicants for Community Maintainer positions must have reached at least the Trusted Committer level under Intersect’s Contribution Ladder. They must also complete an initial 30 day evaluation before becoming eligible for ongoing funding. Contributions can include code, documentation, repository governance, community support and ecosystem advocacy.

The current program list covers Cardano Node, Ouroboros Network, Cardano Ledger, Cardano DB Sync, Cardano API and CLI, Plutus and LSM Tree. Community repositories include Hydra, Mesh, Oura, Cardano Wallet, Plutarch, Andamio and Dandelion Lite.

Several repositories still list one or two open Community Maintainer positions. Continued funding depends on quarterly reviews of contributions, security practices, documentation and community engagement, followed by a broader annual assessment.

Tooling Sustainability Funds Projects up to 50,000 USD

The Tooling Sustainability Program supports open source tools and libraries used across Cardano development and infrastructure. Applications are accepted throughout the funding cycle and grouped into review batches.

Eligible projects include decentralized application frameworks, software development kits, testing suites, smart contract languages, wallets, indexers, explorers, monitoring systems and command line tools. Applicants must demonstrate a defined ecosystem need and provide evidence of adoption or demand.

The program uses five indicative funding bands ranging from 500 USD for experimental tools to 50,000 USD for infrastructure with ecosystem wide importance. High impact developer tools can qualify for between 5,000 and 15,000 USD, while critical infrastructure can receive between 15,000 and 35,000 USD.

The Open Source Committee determines final amounts according to technical readiness, ecosystem impact and the submitted delivery plan. Payments are made in ADA at a value corresponding to the approved USD funding level.

Funding can cover maintenance, security remediation, operational infrastructure, documentation and project handover. New commercial features, unrelated research and projects using incompatible proprietary licensing fall outside the program’s scope.

Funding Depends on Repository Evidence and Delivery

Tooling applicants begin with a repository self assessment covering licensing, documentation, governance, testing, dependency management and security practices.

Required evidence includes README, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING, SECURITY and MAINTAINERS documentation, together with information about continuous integration, test coverage and procedures for reporting vulnerabilities.

Projects that pass the initial assessment proceed to a short demonstration and structured review by the Open Source Committee. Reviewers examine technical readiness, current use, roadmap quality and the team’s ability to complete measurable work.

Approved applicants must divide their proposed work into two to four milestones with acceptance criteria, deadlines and reporting requirements. Each ADA payment depends on successful delivery and verification of the corresponding milestone. Final approval requires an Open Source Committee vote, procurement review and formal onboarding through Intersect.

The two programs create distinct funding routes. Contributors can apply for recurring roles inside eligible Cardano repositories, while project teams can seek milestone based support for maintaining shared developer infrastructure. The current MRP list identifies open maintainer positions across core and community repositories, and the tooling program continues accepting applications in structured review batches.