Skip to content
Unclaimed
Discovery tool, not advice. Every figure is the published rule, not a decision on your case.
Grants

Epic MegaGrants

Status

Usually opens in January and June

Projected from the months this call usually opens — not a date the funder has confirmed.

Closed

Projected from the pattern of past calls — confirm on the funder's page before planning around it.

Amount
Not published

No-strings-attached grants for projects using Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite. Applicants state how much funding they need; amounts vary widely by project. Over 2,000 grants awarded to date.

Funder

Epic Games, Inc.

private · supranational

Deadline: Fixed cut-off dates — 2026 submission cycles: Cycle 1 open 12 January to 20 March 2026; Cycle 2 open 29 June to 4 September 2026.

Your odds
Not published

This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.

Effort
quick

Quick — mostly identity and bank details.

Who can apply

Eligible categories include indie games in Unreal Engine, UEFN Fortnite Creative experiences, projects transitioning to Unreal Engine from another engine, and open source tools enhancing Unreal Engine capabilities. Epic takes no equity and no IP.

How to apply

  1. Prepare a project description and state how much funding you are requesting
  2. Submit the online MegaGrants application during an open cycle
  3. Applications are evaluated during the review period; grant notifications follow shortly after

Related reading: How grant deadlines actually work

Apply on the funder's site

Source. https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/megagrants

"Cycle 1: Submissions open January 12 - March 20, 2026. Cycle 2: Submissions open June 29 - September 4, 2026."

Verified on 25 September 2026

Source: www.unrealengine.com

Similar programmes

Frontier Advance Market Commitment

Open continuously

Frontier (Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, McKinsey and others)

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation

Open continuously

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation

Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme

Open continuously

Tony Elumelu Foundation

AI Safety Fund (Frontier Model Forum)

Open continuously

AI Safety Fund, administered by Meridian Prime with the Frontier Model Forum

Ashoka Fellowship

Open continuously

Ashoka

Gates Foundation Grand Challenges

Open continuously

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Paid, separate from Unclaimed

Want a human to review your application?

Involve Consulting can help — a paid expert-review service run by the same person behind Unclaimed, entirely separate from this free check. A flat fee, agreed up front; never a cut of what you receive.

Talk to Involve Consulting