Resource allocation is crucial for the development of innovative projects in science and technology. In response to the urgent COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we implemented an agile “community review” system with JOGL to quickly allocate micro-grants for the prototyping of innovative solutions. In this paper published in f1000Research we analyzed the results of 7 review cycles. Implemented across 147 projects, this process is characterized by its speed (median duration of 10 days), scalability (4 reviewers per project regardless of the total number of projects), and robustness, measured by the preservation of the projects’ ranking order after the random removal of reviewers. Including applicants in the review process does not introduce significant bias, showing a correlation of r=0.28 between evaluations, similar to that observed for non-applicants and within traditional funding methods. This system allows for agile improvement of proposals, promoting the implementation of successful early prototypes and the constructive revision of initially rejected projects. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of a frugal community review for agile resource allocation in open innovation contexts.