scf-interest-form-drafter

SCF Interest Form Drafter

Overview

Helps teams write a strong Interest Form for the Stellar Community Fund. The Interest Form is the first filter — it determines whether a team gets invited to submit a full Build Award application. A weak Interest Form means the team never gets to apply, regardless of how good their project is.

When to Use

• A team is preparing to submit an SCF Interest Form
• A team's Interest Form was previously not selected and they want to improve it
• A team wants to understand what the Interest Form evaluates before writing one

What the Interest Form Is

The Interest Form is a short-form submission at communityfund.stellar.org that provides a snapshot of:

• What the team is building
• Why it matters for the Stellar ecosystem
• Whether the team is credible and committed
• The project's current stage

Interest Forms are evaluated in batches. Strong submissions get invited to apply for a Build Award. The rest do not advance. There is no detailed rejection feedback at this stage.

Important: The Interest Form must be submitted before a referrer can fill out the referral form. The referral form asks referrers to select a project by name from the list of submitted Interest Forms.

Process

Step 1: Understand the Fields

The Interest Form is deliberately short. Each field matters. Help the team fill in:

Project Name

• Clear, descriptive, memorable
• Should immediately suggest what the project does
• Avoid generic names like "Stellar DeFi Platform" or "Blockchain Solution"

One-Line Description

This is the most important field. It must answer three questions in one sentence:

1. What are you building?
2. Who is it for?
3. Why does it need Stellar?

Good examples:

• "A Soroban-based lending protocol that lets Stellar asset holders earn yield without leaving the network"
• "Cross-border payroll tool using Stellar anchors to deliver USD-to-local-currency payments for remote workers in Latin America"
• "Open-source SDK for integrating Stellar wallet functionality into existing fintech apps with three lines of code"

Bad examples:

• "Revolutionary blockchain platform for the future of finance" — vague, no Stellar specificity
• "DeFi protocol" — tells the reviewer nothing
• "Building on Stellar" — not a description

Project Description

Expand on the one-liner. In 2–3 short paragraphs:

1. The problem — What specific pain point does this solve? For whom? Be concrete.
2. The solution — What are you building and how does it work? Name specific Stellar capabilities you use.
3. Why now — What makes this timely? New Stellar capability, market gap, ecosystem need?

Keep it tight. The Interest Form is not the full application. The goal is to demonstrate enough clarity and relevance that reviewers want to learn more.

Stellar Integration

Explain specifically how your project uses Stellar. Name the components:

• Soroban smart contracts (what they do)
• SEP implementations (which ones, why)
• Stellar asset issuance
• Anchor integrations
• Network features (finality, fees, throughput)

The test: could a reviewer read this section and understand exactly which parts of the Stellar stack you depend on?

Team

List key team members with:

• Name and role
• Relevant experience (1 sentence each)
• Link to profile (GitHub, LinkedIn, portfolio)

If the team has prior Stellar or Soroban experience, lead with that. If the team has delivered a prior SCF award, mention it prominently.

Current Stage

Be honest about where the project is:

• Idea stage — Weakest position. Describe what research or validation you've done.
• Prototype/testnet — Much stronger. Link to the deployment or demo.
• Live/mainnet — Strongest. Provide metrics and links.

Don't misrepresent your stage. If reviewers discover the project is earlier than claimed, it damages credibility for the full application.

Requested Budget Range

Provide a rough range, not an exact number. The Interest Form typically asks for a range:

• $25K–$50K
• $50K–$100K
• $100K–$150K

Choose the range that matches your scope. Remember: rejected submissions average higher budgets than funded ones. Don't inflate the range to "leave room" — right-size it.

Step 2: Review and Sharpen

After drafting, check against these criteria:

• One-line description passes the clarity test (outsider can understand it)
• Stellar's role is specific and essential, not interchangeable
• Problem is concrete and audience is defined
• Team members are named with relevant experience
• Current stage is honest and supported by evidence
• Budget range matches scope complexity
• No jargon, buzzwords, or marketing language
• Every claim is accurate (don't overstate traction or team credentials)
• If applicable: Interest Form is submitted before asking a referrer to fill out the referral form

Step 3: Optimize for Referral

If the team plans to get a referral:

• Submit the Interest Form first — referrers need to select the project by name from the system
• Make sure the project name and description are clear enough for the referrer to identify it
• Share the Interest Form content with the referrer so they have context when filling out their referral form

Output Format

Produce a complete Interest Form draft with all fields filled in:

## Interest Form Draft: [Project Name]

**One-Line Description:** [Single sentence]

**Project Description:**
[2-3 paragraphs]

**Stellar Integration:**
[Specific Stellar capabilities used]

**Team:**
- [Name] — [Role] — [Experience] — [Link]
- [Name] — [Role] — [Experience] — [Link]

**Current Stage:** [Idea / Prototype / Testnet / Live]
[Supporting evidence]

**Requested Budget Range:** [$XK–$YK]

---

### Draft Notes
- [Any areas that need more detail or team input]
- [Suggestions for strengthening specific sections]

What Not to Do

• Don't write a whitepaper. The Interest Form is a snapshot, not a full proposal. Be concise.
• Don't be vague about Stellar. "We'll use blockchain technology" is a fail. Name the specific Stellar features.
• Don't oversell. Reviewers are experienced. Claims without evidence hurt more than they help.
• Don't skip the team section. Anonymous or unnamed teams rarely advance past the Interest Form.
• Don't submit without checking links. If you include any URLs, test them.

Reference Guides

• Interest Form Tips — Detailed Interest Form guidance
• Getting a Referral — How Interest Forms connect to the referral process
• Tips for Applying — What reviewers look for at every stage
• SCF 7.0 Guide — Track definitions and program overview

Reference Links

• SCF Interest Form
• SCF Handbook
• FAQ