Proof of Useful Work Blueprint Grant
Funder
Aleo · Proof of Useful Work Blueprint Grant
Type / status
other · open
Amount
—
Deadline
unknown
Ecosystems
aleo
Categories
zkresearchdev tooling
Tech stack
leo
Apply
Source
Fit
68% · possible fit · The Venture23 Aleo team has deep expertise in zk, Rust, and Leo, making them credible applicants for building Leo programs and dev tooling around Proof of Useful Work, though their primary focus on cross-chain infrastructure and solvers makes this a slightly adjacent but highly relevant topic.
Trust
76% · model self-report 80% · first seen 2026-09-11 · v2
Verified
2026-09-15 · page still up, no closing language
Aleo is offering grants to developers who submit approved Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to build Leo programs that encode computational problems and reward solvers with bounties for correct solutions. The grant supports creating programs that incentivize solving meaningful real-world problems such as climate modeling, deep learning, or prime number discovery using zero-knowledge proofs for instant verification. Applicants must propose a Leo program where users can add Aleo credits as a bounty, and payouts occur only when a specific computational problem is solved. To apply, submit an RFP via the provided Notion link.
Eligibility: Developers and researchers interested in building Leo programs for verifiable useful work using zero-knowledge proofs.
Pipeline
Trust breakdown (2/2 checkable facts verified)
| Signal | Weight | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| apply link | 0.075 | 100% | link in source |
| funder | 0.075 | 100% | named in source |
| source quality | 0.15 | 50% | social or search hit |
| model confidence | 0.1 | 80% | model self-report |
Fit breakdown (against the ORG_* profile)
| Signal | Weight | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| model fit | 0.5 | 70% | model rated 70% |
| ecosystem overlap | 0.25 | 100% | aleo vs aleo |
| category overlap | 0.15 | 33% | zk, research, dev_tooling vs zk, privacy, infra, dev_tooling, security, interoperability |
| tech overlap | 0.1 | 33% | leo vs rust, leo, zk |
Sources (1)
| Role | Document | From | Fetched |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary | What is Aleo? | Telegram: on-demand searches | 2026-09-11 |
History (2)
| v | Changed | Fields |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2026-09-11 | summary, status |
| 1 | 2026-09-11 | created |
Extracted text
Back # Aleo Grants: Solve meaningful world problems with zero-knowledge News November 03, 2023 | 4 min read   share Traditional blockchains reward developers for small computations, like making the right DeFi trade or signing up for an airdrop. But what if you could get rewarded for large computations that make a meaningful impact? From climate modeling to deep learning, your Proofs of Useful Work (making proofs of large computations) could contribute to real-world change. If helping people solve big, verifiable math problems or physics simulations using [zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs)](https://aleo.org/post/what-is-a-zero-knowledge-proof/) — and getting instantly rewarded for it — sounds interesting, we encourage you to apply for a [**Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Proof of Useful Work Blueprint Grant**](https://www.notion.so/Bounties-for-Proofs-of-Useful-Work-0c0169cb4ec843f1820496519a1df07e). ## Problems you can help solve with ZKPs Computer scientists typically categorize problems based on their [theoretical complexity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NP_\(complexity\)); for example, simple problems, like [sorting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorting_algorithm) through a supermarket aisle to spot the cheapest bread, and complex problems, like [finding the shortest route through a list of cities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem). Many institutions and organizations are already working hard to find solutions to complex problems. The University of California at Berkeley’s [BOINC](https://boinc.berkeley.edu/) science projects use collaborative computing to study and investigate diseases, climate change, and pulsars, and conduct many other types of scientific research. Another initiative is [folding@home](https://foldingathome.org/), where developers can contribute their computing capabilities to help combat global health threats like COVID-19, Alzheimer’s Disease, and cancer. There are even more issues awaiting computational solutions: * [Improving our understanding of stellar objects](https://asteroidsathome.net/boinc/) and [physics](http://www.cosmologyathome.org/) * [Deep learning](https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/1059) * [Climate modeling](https://www.climateprediction.net/) * [Medicine and biology modeling](https://denis.usj.es/denisathome/), for example, [protein folding](https://foldingathome.org/) * Even [SAT competitions](http://www.satcompetition.org/) full of computational problems The bigger the challenge, the more computation it takes to solve it. You can verify large — _very large_ — computations within [Leo](https://leo-lang.org/), Aleo’s programming language, and by leveraging ZKPs. The amount of computing power that some problems require is unbounded, so it’s more advantageous to outsource them to trusted and untrusted parties (ZKPs let you quickly and securely verify the latter). While driving important work, systems like BOINC and folding@home don’t financially reward workers for their solutions. Additionally, many previous attempts to reward Proofs of Useful Work focused on niche problems (see [Primecoin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primecoin)). Aleo’s [**Proof of Useful Work Blueprint Grant**](https://www.notion.so/Bounties-for-Proofs-of-Useful-Work-0c0169cb4ec843f1820496519a1df07e) offers another approach. The Aleo Network already rewards developers for creating ZKPs. Now you can let others offer rewards for solving computational problems that make a difference. ## Bounties for Useful Work If your [RFP](https://www.notion.so/Bounties-for-Proofs-of-Useful-Work-0c0169cb4ec843f1820496519a1df07e) is approved, you will be eligible for a grant to build Leo programs that have encoded problems. These programs instantly reward bounties to people who submit correct solutions to the encoded problems. With a distributed ledger like Aleo, anyone can create bounties for computational problems without trusting a mediator. Bounties can incentivize developers to tackle challenging issues. For example, you can create a Leo program to reward finding new, large [Mersenne Primes](https://www.mersenne.org/), improved solutions to the [traveling salesperson problem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem), or various other [stochastic local search problems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_search_\(optimization\)). ZKPs are critical to Proofs of Useful Work. If a solution to a complicated problem takes a long time to verify, it’s expensive to post decentralized bounties on a distributed ledger. ZKPs allow for instant verification of a single or entire batch of solutions. Moreover, they can ensure that users only get paid if the solution is revealed to the proper parties. Some readers might recall that Primecoin also uses Proofs of Useful Work as [an integral part of their consensus algorithm](https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.03865). To be clear, the bounties we propose do not contribute to consensus and are only intended to reward solvers. Unfortunately, there are no sound theoretical foundations attesting to the stability of using Proofs of Useful Work for consensus. ## Want to take on big problems? Apply for an RFP. Now that you know the problems you can solve, you can think about how to tackle them. There are many ways you can help make Proofs of Useful Work a reality, from technical challenges around special-purpose encryption to building a website where people can submit issues and solutions. For this [RFP](https://www.notion.so/Bounties-for-Proofs-of-Useful-Work-0c0169cb4ec843f1820496519a1df07e), we want a [Leo program](https://play.leo-lang.org/) that allows users to add Aleo credits as a bounty, where each deployed program rewards solutions to one specific problem. The bounty is only paid out if a particular computational problem is solved. (Note that different computational problems will need different Leo programs.) Making the right DeFi trades can impact you, but solving real, challenging problems can affect people and the planet. We hope you **[apply for this unique Aleo grant](https://www.notion.so/Bounties-for-Proofs-of-Useful-Work-0c0169cb4ec843f1820496519a1df07e)** — and we can’t wait to see your proposals for Useful Work. Blog ## Related Articles  News October 31, 2023|6 min read ##### Testnet 3 Phase III Deploy Incentives Retrospective [Read more](/post/testnet-3-phase-3-deploy-incentives-retrospective/)  Product Updates October 23, 2023|3 min read ##### Introducing zPass: Aleo's pioneering step toward privacy-preserving digital identity [Read more](/post/introducing-zpass-aleos-pioneering-step-toward-privacy-preserving-digital/)  Intro to Aleo October 05, 2023|9 min read ##### What is a zero-knowledge proof? 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