[NEW] Introducing Cartesi Grants Council and Procedures.
Cartesi Grants Program (CGP) launched on 22nd, December 2022 with the mission of growing a thriving community of contributors through funding ecosystem projects and public goods.
To address challenges faced by proposers in the current process, a Grants Council of four members has been established. Their role is to enhance the efficiency and consistency of the application process for proposers.
Grants Council structure
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Hellenstans.eth | Grants Lead |
| Pedro Argento | Technical reviewer - Cartesi Contributor |
| Jathin Jagannath | Technical reviewer - Left March 5th, 2024 - Cartesi Contributor |
| Gabriel Barros | Technical reviewer - Left August 31st, 2024 - Cartesi Contributor |
| João Garcia | Technical reviewer - Joined March 5th, 2024 - Cartesi Contributor |
In the upcoming iterations, the plan is that community members will be empowered to apply and join as a reviewer in the Grants Council if selected by the community through a snapshot vote.
Grants council responsibilities:
The Grants Council has several key responsibilities:
- Develop a more streamlined and consistent process, with structure and standard operating procedure for revewing grants, and perform interviews, where appropriate, with grant applicants.
- Streamline the process and manage payments for approved proposals.
- Collaborate with proposers to ensure that proposed project milestones are clearly defined, measurable, and achievable within the specified timeframe.
- Provide post-grant support to project teams by facilitating connections with core contributors to offer right support and marketing efforts.
The Grants Council has also established a set of procedures designed to provide clarity to proposers and the community regarding how grant applications will be processed and how decision-making on proposals will be handled. Proposers can submit their applications by creating a new topic on the governance forum using the template provided.
Approval Process
Once the proposer has submitted their application, the Grants Council will follow these key stages to review application:
- Screening: Applications posted on the Cartesi Forum will be reviewed and discussed by Grants Council and community. Proposers are advised to reach out to the Grants Council for pre-proposal feedback.
- Applicant Follow-Up: Within seven days of receiving the application, the Grants Council will provide feedback and follow-up with questions and/or request to schedule a call.
- Refinement: Applicants have the oppportunity to incorporate feedback from the Grants Council to refine the grant further. Discussions will focus on final deliverables, milestones, impact of the project, and explore funding costs and negotiate if needed.
- Final Approval: Approvals include the Grants Council setting up a vote on snapshot to get the general consensus from the community. Once the vote passes, the grantee can now get to work on their project!
Grantee Milestones and Guidelines
- Initial grant proposals should prioritize milestones achievable within a 2-3 month timeframe.
- Each grant proposer is expected to assess how their project’s roadmap aligns with and enhances the Cartesi ecosystem as part of their application.
- Grant applicants are required to outline a set of milestones by which the Cartesi Community and the Grants Council can judge the progress of the proposer’s project.
- The grant proposer is expected to describe the expected timeline for the overall grant completion.
- Milestone payments will be disbursed upon the successful completion of each milestone.
- Milestones play a critical role in establishing consensus between the grant proposer and the Grants Council and community. They serve as specific benchmarks that showcase genuine commitment to achieving the proposed project objectives.
- Overall, the CGP’s mission is to increase the adoption of long-term contributors and developers building novel applications on Cartesi, attracting new and active users, and foster ecosystem growth. The Grants Council will collaborate directly with successful grant proposers to define milestones that will determine the overall success of each project.
Grants Council review criteria and consensus
The Grants Council will use the Rubric below to grade proposals based on specific criteria.
The Rubric is only used as means of indicating which grants should be funded.
Consensus on what is funded will still require community vote. The Rubric can be viewed here.
