I’ve recently been reading through the Season 4 Feedback Thread and some of the message history on Discord, and got the impression that many find it difficult to stay up to date when it comes to information about grants.
To improve the user experience for (prospective) grantees and other contributors, I’ve consolidated announcements/changes/deadlines from the various Collective Grants into a single page. I will keep the site updated at least until the end of the year, and of course beyond that date if there is a lot of interest.
Hopefully this will help some of you find relevant details more efficiently:
Which grant programs are open for applications?
What are the deadlines?
What have been the latest changes/updates?
The design and page structure is loosely inspired by status/uptime monitoring pages like status.optimism.io.
Please let me know if you have any feedback, and keep in mind that this is only a first initial version which is far from perfect.
[I’ve decided to post a weekly summary of the information compiled on optimismgrants.io here in this thread. This means that every Friday you can expect a post about upcoming deadlines, as well as the latest updates and changes related to the Collective Grants.]
Aug 25 - Sep 1, 2023:
Aug 25, 2023 → Request for Grant (RFG) 5 is now live!
The Grants Council “believes that Optimism benefits from a strong RPC network. RFG 5 is designed to subsidize RPC node providers who provide services to Optimism grant recipients.” The specifications of RFG 5 are here: https://app.charmverse.io/op-grants/page-9116034554979993
Aug 25, 2023 → Request for Grant (RFG) 6 is now live!
The Grants Council is “looking for Optimistic academics. If you are working on a paper, running a club, or putting together a forum on topics relevant to Optimism, submit a proposal”. Learn more about RFG 6 here: https://app.charmverse.io/op-grants/page-6976336922155557
Aug 29, 2023 → Request for Grant (RFG) 7 is now live!
The Grants Council is “looking for projects that will make token-bound accounts under ERC-6551 easier for builders to experiment with and users to access.” You can find more about the RFG here: https://app.charmverse.io/op-grants/page-19222850954688742
Aug 31, 2023 → Submissions for Cycle 15 are now closed!
The Submission Period for Cycle 15, the last Cycle of Season 4, has come to an end on Aug 31 19:00 GMT. This deadline only applied to Builders and Growth Experiments Grants funded through the Grants Council; applications are still open for RFGs.
[I’ve decided to post a weekly summary of the information compiled on optimismgrants.io here in this thread. This means that every Friday you can expect a post about upcoming deadlines, as well as the latest updates and changes related to the Collective Grants.]
Sep 2 - Sep 8, 2023:
Sep 4, 2023 → Submissions for RFP: RetroPGF List Creation UI are now closed!
Four proposals were submitted for Foundation Mission (RFP): RetroPGF List Creation UI before the deadline of Sep 4. The selection of which proposal is accepted will take place by Sep 11.
Sep 6, 2023 → Request for Grant (RFG) 8 is now live!
The Grants Council is “looking for people who will lead research on cross-chain interoperability and work alongside Optimism in bringing the Superchain to reality.” You can find more about the RFG here: https://app.charmverse.io/op-grants/page-012176298170861077
Sep 8, 2023 → Cycle 15: Grants Preliminary Roundup
The Grants Council has completed its Preliminary Review for Cycle 15. The Council received 104 Experiments and Builders proposals in Cycle 15, out of which 34 advanced to the Final Review. Read the full roundup here: Cycle 15 - Grants Preliminary Roundup
[I’ve decided to post a weekly summary of the information compiled on optimismgrants.io here in this thread. This means that every Friday you can expect a post about upcoming deadlines, as well as the latest updates and changes related to the Collective Grants.]
Sep 9 - Sep 15, 2023:
Sep 14, 2023 → Submissions for RFGs are now closed!
The Grants Council received a total of 72 applications across eight Requests for Grants (RFGs) before the deadline on Sep 14.
Upcoming:
Sep 18, 2023 23:59 GMT → Deadline for applying to RFP: GovNERD(s)
Sep 19, 2023 → Project sign-up for RetroPGF 3 opens
Sep 23, 2023 → Deadline for publication of Cycle 15: Final Grant Decisions Roundup
See below this week’s summary of the information compiled on optimismgrants.io:
Sep 16 - Sep 22, 2023
Sep 18, 2023 → Submissions for RFP: GovNERD(s) are now closed!
Submissions for Foundation Mission Request - GovNERD(s) closed on Sep 18 at 23:59 GMT. The proposals have also already been evaluated, with @Gonna.eth and @brichis being selected as the inaugural GovNERDs.
Sep 19, 2023 → Project sign-up for RetroPGF 3 is now open!
Unlike RetroPGF 2, projects in this round can register directly without having to be nominated first. Registration is open for a total of 35 days before closing on Oct 23.
Upcoming:
Sep 23, 2023 → Deadline for publication of Cycle 15: Final Grant Decisions Roundup
Oct 23, 2023 → Deadline for RetroPGF 3 project sign-up
In other news: I’m happy to announce that the optimismgrants.io website has expanded its scope beyond a changelog with the addition of a grants calendar and FAQ section yesterday. Disclaimer: Both of those features are still very much a work-in-progress.
See below this week’s summary of the information compiled on optimismgrants.io:
Sep 23 - Sep 29, 2023
Sep 23, 2023 → Publication of Cycle 15: Final Grant Decisions Roundup
The Grants Council has fully reviewed Experiments and Builders Grants proposals for Cycle 15. This cycle was the last and at the same time most selective of Season 4. Relative to the initial set of proposals, ~22.1% of projects became finalists. Read the full roundup here: Cycle 15 Final Grants Roundup
Sep 23, 2023 → Publication of Season 4 Grants: RFG Roundup
Across 8 published RFGs, the Council received 72 proposals. Of these projects, a total of 17 became finalists. Read the full roundup here: Season 4 Grants: RFG Roundup
Sep 28, 2023 → Publication of Guide to Season 5
Season 5 will bring significant changes to the governance grants programs. Notably, the Mission grant process has been updated, and the Grants Council will no longer operate its own Request for Grant program. The scope of the Council will also change insofar as it will be responsible for processing Delegate Mission Applications under all Intents. Read the Guide to Season 5 here: Guide to Season 5
Note: Since this RFP was published two weeks ago, there has been only one (semi-finished) application. It’s essential to emphasize the significance of this RFP, particularly in the broader context of RetroPGF and the role that venture investment should play in it one day. Please consider applying if you think it is a good fit for you!
See below this week’s summary of the information compiled on optimismgrants.io:
Sep 30 - Oct 6, 2023
Oct 3, 2023 → Deadline extension for RFP: Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network
The submission deadline for Foundation Mission Request (RFP) – Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network was extended by 17 days to allow for more applicants and interested parties. The new deadline is Oct 20 19:00 GMT.
Below is a summary of recent changes and upcoming deadlines related to the grant programs of the Optimism Collective. For more detailed information, visit optimismgrants.io.
Oct 7 - Oct 13, 2023
Oct 12, 2023 → Grants Council Operating Budget can now be voted on!
A proposal to renew the Council for another season and re-elect Lund Ventures (Dane Lund) as Council Lead can be voted on here until the current Special Voting Cycle ends on Oct 25.
Below is a summary of recent changes and upcoming deadlines related to the grant programs of the Optimism Collective. For more detailed information, visit optimismgrants.io.
Oct 14 - Oct 20, 2023
Oct 20, 2023 → Submissions for RFP: Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network are now closed!
Five proposals were submitted for Foundation Mission Request (RFP) – Optimism Ecosystem Investment Network before the deadline of Oct 20 19:00 GMT. The selection of which proposal is accepted will take place by Nov 10.
Below is a summary of recent changes and upcoming deadlines related to the grant programs of the Optimism Collective. For more detailed information, visit optimismgrants.io.
Oct 21 - Oct 27, 2023
Oct 23, 2023 → Submissions for RetroPGF 3 are now closed!
Applications for RetroPGF closed on Oct 23. A total of 1596 applications were received, which are now being reviewed to determine whether they comply with the application guidelines.
Oct 25, 2023 → Grants Council has been renewed for Season 5!
The Grants Council Operating Budget proposed by Lund Ventures (Dane Lund) was approved by the Token House, which means that the Council is renewed for another season and the author of the proposal is elected as Council Lead.
Below is a summary of recent changes and upcoming deadlines related to the grant programs of the Optimism Collective. For more detailed information, visit optimismgrants.io.
Nov 2, 2023 → Season 5 Intent Budgets can now be voted on!
In Season 4, the Grants Council only processed grants under Intent #2, whereas in Season 5 it will process grants under all Intents. As a result of this change, the Grants Council Lead is now also responsible for proposing budgets for all Intents. See the Season 5 Intent Budgets proposal here.
Nov 3, 2023 → Application Review Appeals Deadline has passed!
RetroPGF 3 applicants who believed their application was wrongfully excluded (see the list here) were able to file an appeal until Nov 3, 2023 20:00 GMT. The appeals are now reviewed by a dedicated group of badgeholders on Nov 4 and Nov 5.
Below is a summary of recent changes and upcoming deadlines related to the grant programs of the Optimism Collective. For more detailed information, visit optimismgrants.io.
Nov 4 - Nov 10, 2023
Nov 6, 2023 → Application Review Appeals have concluded!
A total of 76 appeals were reviewed by badgeholders on Nov 4 and Nov 5. Out of these, 17 appeals were accepted as valid. See the full list of appeals outcomes here.
Nov 6, 2023 → Voting for RetroPGF 3 has started!
As described in RetroPGF 3: Application Review Process Results, there were 1594 applicants for RetroPGF 3. After the review of reported applications, the final number of applicants for this RetroPGF round stands at 643. The 146 badgeholders now have until Dec 7 to cast their votes, with the first two weeks likely to be used primarily for creating Lists.
Below is a summary of recent changes and upcoming deadlines related to the grant programs of the Optimism Collective. For more detailed information, visit optimismgrants.io.
Nov 11 - Nov 17, 2023
Nov 15, 2023 → Grants Council election ended!
Delegates had until Nov 15 to cast their votes in three categories (Builders, Growth Experiments, Milestones and Metrics) to select the most suitable candidates for the Season 5 Grants Council. Notably, all existing members of the previous Grants Council who stood for re-election were confirmed in their roles, suggesting a strong appreciation among delegates for the work of the Grants Council members in Season 4. See below the composition of the sub-committees for the upcoming season:
Growth Experiments sub-committee: @katie, @GFXlabs, @Michael, @MattL, MoneyManDoug (all of them were re-elected)
Milestones and Metrics sub-committee: @v3naru_Curia, Juanbug_PGov, mmurthy (all of them are new to the Grants Council)
Nov 15, 2023 → Voting on Season 5 Intents Budget ended!
The Season 5 Intents Budget was approved by delegates, see the proposal here. As mentioned two weeks ago, the Grants Council will be processing grants under all Intents in Season 5, in contrast to Season 4 when it only processed grants under Intent #2. The total budget across all Intents and the unallocated part is 9M OP, down 1M OP compared to Season 4.
Below is a summary of recent changes and upcoming deadlines related to the grant programs of the Optimism Collective. For more detailed information, visit optimismgrants.io.
Nov 18 - Dec 1, 2023
Nov 24, 2023 → First Mission Request draft was posted in the Forum!
Gonna posted a first Mission Request draft (Real world data storage Mission Request). Other Top 100 Delegates can also create a Delegate Mission Request using this template, drafts should be posted to the Forum with the tag mission-request by January 17th. If you are not a Top 100 Delegate but have an idea for a Mission Request, post it here so that Top 100 Delegates can review it. If you haven’t yet read it, you may also want to look into the Missions v2: Season 5 post to get an overview of the new Missions process.
Below is a summary of recent changes and upcoming deadlines related to the grant programs of the Optimism Collective. For more detailed information, visit optimismgrants.io.
Dec 7, 2023 → RetroPGF 3 voting ended!
The voting period for RetroPGF Round 3 ended on December 7. In total, more than 100 Lists were created during the one-month voting period and 502 projects (out of 643) reached the quorum of 17 votes.
