Intersect Don Open Application for Cardano Maintainers and Developer Tools

Intersect don open application for community projects, experienced contributors and open source tooling teams. Maintainer Retainer documentation wey dem update on September 15 confirm say application dey open for projects and Community Maintainers, while Tooling Sustainability intake go still dey available throughout the current funding cycle.

The programs dey separate recurring repository maintenance from defined sustainability work for tools wey Cardano developers and infrastructure operators dey use.

Maintainer Retainer Dey Add Capacity to Cardano Repositories

The Maintainer Retainer Program dey provide recurring funding to experienced contributors wey dey maintain critical Cardano repositories. Intersect dey run the program with the Open Source Committee and Technical Steering Committee.

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

Anybody wey wan apply for Community Maintainer position must don reach at least the Trusted Committer level under Intersect’s Contribution Ladder. Dem must also complete initial 30 day evaluation before dem go qualify for ongoing funding. Contributions fit include code, documentation, repository governance, community support and ecosystem advocacy.

The current program list cover 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.

Some repositories still get one or two open Community Maintainer positions. Continued funding go depend on quarterly reviews of contributions, security practices, documentation and community engagement, followed by broader annual assessment.

Tooling Sustainability Dey Fund Projects up to 50,000 USD

The Tooling Sustainability Program dey support open source tools and libraries wey people dey use across Cardano development and infrastructure. Applications dey accepted throughout the funding cycle and dem go group am 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 show clear ecosystem need and provide evidence of adoption or demand.

The program dey use five indicative funding bands wey range from 500 USD for experimental tools to 50,000 USD for infrastructure wey get ecosystem wide importance. High impact developer tools fit qualify for between 5,000 and 15,000 USD, while critical infrastructure fit receive between 15,000 and 35,000 USD.

The Open Source Committee dey determine final amounts according to technical readiness, ecosystem impact and the delivery plan wey dem submit. Payments dey made in ADA at value wey correspond to the approved USD funding level.

Funding fit cover maintenance, security remediation, operational infrastructure, documentation and project handover. New commercial features, unrelated research and projects wey dey use incompatible proprietary licensing no dey inside the program scope.

Funding Go Depend on Repository Evidence and Delivery

Tooling applicants go start with repository self assessment wey cover licensing, documentation, governance, testing, dependency management and security practices.

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

Projects wey pass the initial assessment go proceed to short demonstration and structured review by the Open Source Committee. Reviewers go examine technical readiness, current use, roadmap quality and the team 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 go depend on successful delivery and verification of the corresponding milestone. Final approval require Open Source Committee vote, procurement review and formal onboarding through Intersect.

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