Is this actionable now?

rolling. MLH continuously accepts Hack Day and Member Event organizer applications; these are event-support and reimbursement routes, not unrestricted community grants.

Hack Day organizers apply, secure a venue, use OrganizerHQ and incur eligible event expenses. The $1,000 emergency route is only for Member Events that overbook up to 200%, exhaust their emergency budget on event day and meet the membership guidelines.

What burden and restrictions apply?

Support is reimbursement or event-resource based. Organizers use MLH registration and event processes and must substantiate eligible expenses. Hack Day reimbursement is limited to actual eligible spending and varies outside the US. The $1,000 Member Event amount is emergency coverage, not a standard grant or guaranteed award.

Major League Hacking (MLH) Community & Micro-Grants

Current event support: Hack Days reimburse up to $350 for eligible food and event expenses; Member Events can receive up to $1,000 emergency food/event cost coverage after qualifying overbooking and budget exhaustion · Major League Hacking (with partners GitHub Education, Solana Foundation) · rolling applications

MLH runs several non-dilutive grant streams for student builders and hackathon communities, including the GitHub Education Hackathon Grant Fund (up to $1,000 to official MLH Member Event hackathons, aimed at underrepresented hacker communities) and an MLH x Solana developer micro-grant program (up to 75 micro-grants running through December 2026). MLH also runs the (stipended, not grant) MLH Fellowship. Current lifecycle: rolling. Real economics: Current event support: Hack Days reimburse up to $350 for eligible food and event expenses; Member Events can receive up to $1,000 emergency food/event cost coverage after qualifying overbooking and budget exhaustion.

Tier 3studentshackathonsopen-sourcemicro-grants

Apply Official site Open in the live directory

Key facts

Funder	Major League Hacking (with partners GitHub Education, Solana Foundation)
Amount	Current event support: Hack Days reimburse up to $350 for eligible food and event expenses; Member Events can receive up to $1,000 emergency food/event cost coverage after qualifying overbooking and budget exhaustion
Deadline	Rolling — apply anytime
Decision time	MLH reviews organizer applications but publishes no universal approval time; Member Event applicants should apply three to four months before the event.
Eligibility	Hack Day organizers apply, secure a venue, use OrganizerHQ and incur eligible event expenses. The $1,000 emergency route is only for Member Events that overbook up to 200%, exhaust their emergency budget on event day and meet the membership guidelines.
Restrictions	Support is reimbursement or event-resource based. Organizers use MLH registration and event processes and must substantiate eligible expenses. Hack Day reimbursement is limited to actual eligible spending and varies outside the US. The $1,000 Member Event amount is emergency coverage, not a standard grant or guaranteed award.
Status	unknown

Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.

Application process

Choose Hack Day or Member Event support
Read the current guide or membership guidelines
Submit the organizer application
For Member Events, interview with MLH
Run the approved event and retain eligible expense evidence
Request reimbursement or emergency coverage under the applicable rules

Background

Major League Hacking (with partners GitHub Education, Solana Foundation) operates Major League Hacking (MLH) Community & Micro-Grants. This pass separates direct cash, repayable finance, credits, incentives and umbrella programs so later ranking does not compare unlike instruments. MLH reports supporting more than 300 weekend competitions and over 65,000 students annually MLH's current main site reports five million developers, over 1,000 annual events and 100 countries

How the application really works

Choose Hack Day or Member Event support → Read the current guide or membership guidelines → Submit the organizer application → For Member Events, interview with MLH → Run the approved event and retain eligible expense evidence → Request reimbursement or emergency coverage under the applicable rules

Tips

Show direct fit with hackathons.
Show direct fit with student developer communities.
Show direct fit with software engineering education.
Show direct fit with AI prototyping events.

Watch out for

Current lifecycle is rolling.
Support is reimbursement or event-resource based. Organizers use MLH registration and event processes and must substantiate eligible expenses.
Hack Day reimbursement is limited to actual eligible spending and varies outside the US. The $1,000 Member Event amount is emergency coverage, not a standard grant or guaranteed award.

Track record

MLH reports supporting more than 300 weekend competitions and over 65,000 students annually
MLH's current main site reports five million developers, over 1,000 annual events and 100 countries

MLH applies quality standards but publishes no organizer applicant denominator or acceptance rate.

Frequently asked questions

Is this actionable now?: rolling. MLH continuously accepts Hack Day and Member Event organizer applications; these are event-support and reimbursement routes, not unrestricted community grants.
What is the real economic value?: Current event support: Hack Days reimburse up to $350 for eligible food and event expenses; Member Events can receive up to $1,000 emergency food/event cost coverage after qualifying overbooking and budget exhaustion
Who is eligible?: Hack Day organizers apply, secure a venue, use OrganizerHQ and incur eligible event expenses. The $1,000 emergency route is only for Member Events that overbook up to 200%, exhaust their emergency budget on event day and meet the membership guidelines.
How does selection work?: Choose Hack Day or Member Event support; Read the current guide or membership guidelines; Submit the organizer application; For Member Events, interview with MLH; Run the approved event and retain eligible expense evidence; Request reimbursement or emergency coverage under the applicable rules. MLH reviews organizer applications but publishes no universal approval time; Member Event applicants should apply three to four months before the event.
What burden and restrictions apply?: Support is reimbursement or event-resource based. Organizers use MLH registration and event processes and must substantiate eligible expenses. Hack Day reimbursement is limited to actual eligible spending and varies outside the US. The $1,000 Member Event amount is emergency coverage, not a standard grant or guaranteed award.
What evidence exists?: MLH reports supporting more than 300 weekend competitions and over 65,000 students annually MLH's current main site reports five million developers, over 1,000 annual events and 100 countries MLH applies quality standards but publishes no organizer applicant denominator or acceptance rate.

Sources

www.mlh.com/hack-days — Official live $350 reimbursement, per-attendee formula, application and support (checked 2026-08-10)
www.mlh.com/event-membership — Official conditional Member Event emergency cost coverage and event-support benefits (checked 2026-08-10)
www.mlh.com — Official current global program scale (checked 2026-08-10)