Highlights
The Grants Council closed Season 9 submissions on May 20th.
Submission flow increased significantly in the final two cycles, bringing the Season 9 total to 38 applications.
Across the season, GrantNerds reviewed 29 applications, passing 10 to the Grants Council, with 4 ultimately receiving grants. The AI filter continued to reduce reviewer load by filtering applications that were clearly outside the mission scope, while GrantNerds provided the human judgment needed to catch edge cases, clarify weak applications, and ensure that promising proposals were not lost due to automated screening.
The Grants Council reviewed 19 applications directly and passed 8.
Cycle 52/53 represented the final review period of Season 9 and closed with 5 applications approved and 12 declined.
Key Outcomes: Cycle 52/53
Applications Approved: 5
Applications Declined: 12
| Growth Applications | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nr | Title | OP requested | Result |
| 1 | Gauntlet | 800,000 | Passed |
| 2 | Re7 | 1,000,000 | Passed |
| 3 | Alchemix | 500,000 | Passed |
| 4 | Centrifuge | 400,000 | Passed |
| 5 | OPLYN — OP Liquidity Safety Net | 150,000 | Passed |
| 6 | Beefy | 300,000 | Declined by GC |
| 7 | Steer Protocol | 750,000 | Declined by GC |
| 8 | SecuriLayer — Anti-Drainer Security Layer for Superchain DeFi | 250,000 | Declined by GC |
| 9 | ExergyNet | 50,000 | Declined by GC |
| 10 | LiquidityPilot — PriorityPair Pilot | 240,000 | Declined by GC |
| 11 | PredictAsiaX | 125,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
| 12 | GBLIN (Global Balanced Liquidity Index) | 15,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
| 13 | SuperPair.markets | 500,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
| 14 | Miras | 50,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
| 15 | Quantir Priority-Pair Liquidity Incentive Monitor | 75,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
| 16 | superchain-guard — The Security Frontier for Interoperable Intents | 32,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
| 17 | Fastnode. io | 75,000 | Declined by AI (confirmed by GovNerds) |
Funding Overview
Total OP Requested from Growth Applications this Cycle: 5,312,000 OP
Total OP Granted, Conditionally Approved: 2,850,000 OP
Season 9 Grants Council Budget: 3,690,000 OP
Season 9 Budget Returned: 90,000 OP
Season 9 Overview
Season 9 was conducted under difficult market conditions, but the commitment across the full review pipeline remained exceptionally strong.
From GrantNerds to Final Reviewers, Milestones and Metrics reviewers, and Grants Council members, participation remained reliable throughout the season. Regardless of market volatility, workload, or uncertainty around the future of the Grants Council, contributors showed up and delivered. Season 9 reinforced that this group can be trusted to execute.
Final Reviewer and Council Commitment
I want to thank every Grants Council member, Final Reviewer, Milestones and Metrics participant, and GrantNerd who contributed to Season 9.
Special thanks to a few not in GC group this season.
- @jackanorak, now “Chris”, although I am never calling you that.
- @GFXlabs, Papper, who calls me out on the spot whenever I am off course.
- @katie, always joyful no matter the weather.
- @MoneyManDoug, who somehow always knows projects inside out.
- @danelund.eth, without you, this would have never been possible.
- @lavande, for always taking the governance side in every fight, whether with the Foundation, Labs, or us. Never change
The commitment from this group was unbreakable. That reliability should not be taken for granted.
The Council has often been judged by its outputs as it should, but its strongest contribution may be operational trust: applicants know they will be reviewed, milestones will be checked, and decisions will be made through a consistent process. And that’s how @Bunnic and @brichis picked up a scammer faking a grant by using a bug on karma to self-approve himself, not on our watch.
Personal Note
This will be my final season as Grants Council Lead, regardless of whether the Foundation proposes dissolving the Grants Council in a future season.
Serving under this role has been the most meaningful responsibility I have had in the Optimism Collective. I’m still a delegate (the first one that submitted the commitment back in 2023) and a citizen. I am grateful to everyone who helped build, improve, challenge, and operate this process over the past seasons.
The Grants Council has never been perfect, but it has been real governance work: public, accountable, iterative, and carried forward by contributors who consistently showed up.
Thank you to everyone who made Season 9 possible.
