Authors: @MrJaf, @SixtyKeys
Reviewers: @Kene_StableLab, Raphael (StableLab)
TL;DR:
- 3-month Grant program (One Push DAO Season)
- Owned and run by a community-elected Grants Council
- Focused on Micro and Rapid grants only: ranging from $500 to $2,000 (in $PUSH)
- Proposed budget for Push Grants Program v3: $63,000 (in $PUSH)
Abstract
The objective of this proposal is to initiate a Grants Program managed by the Push community, and not the core team, furthering the progressive decentralization roadmap of the DAO.
The proposal seeks to establish a Grants SubDAO, run by a Grants Council comprising two seats for community-elected representatives and one seat for a Push team member. The overarching aim of this program is to support the development and progression of projects exclusively utilizing the Push Protocol for their communication requirements. Emphasis is placed on long-term benefits for the DAO, acquiring new users of Push Protocol and concurrently, the proposal seeks to establish a Grants SubDAO with the capability to operate autonomously following this initial iteration.
Motivation
Implementing this proposal by Push DAO would represent a crucial advancement in transferring protocol ownership to the community. This move is poised to enhance the DAO’s legitimacy and provide greater visibility and transparency across processes, resource allocation, and overall DAO activity. Additionally, it serves as an added layer of protection for the community.
Handing over the responsibility of coordinating the Push Grants program to the community, is a big step towards decentralization, and we hope to inspire more community members to take ownership of various operational aspects of the DAO, as well as spin up several different SubDAOs that further the growth of the Push DAO and Push ecosystem.
Rationale
The Push Grants Program has operated privately through an internal Grants Review Committee in the previous two iterations. While this approach facilitates swift decision-making and analysis, it lacks transparency and community involvement.
Push has been developing infrastructure to enhance project visibility for applicants within our community and promote greater community engagement. You can read more about it here.
The objective of this proposal is to transition full control of the Grants Program to a community-elected Grants Council after the initial iteration is complete (One Push DAO Season). This shift is crucial for the success of the DAO for the following reasons:
- During the initial iteration, Push’s involvement will primarily focus on incorporating lessons learned from the preceding two iterations to establish PGPv3. However, this role will be more of an observational nature. Starting from the second iteration, this seat from Push will be occupied by a community-elected member.
- Promote increased community participation and auditing in the allocation of resources and decision-making processes to foster the growth of the Push Ecosystem. This is crucial for success because when community members actively engage, they bring diverse perspectives, skills, and knowledge, enhancing the DAO’s resilience, creativity, and legitimacy. Moreover, active participation helps in achieving consensus, ensuring transparency, and ultimately driving the success and sustainability of the DAO’s operations and governance.
Specification
Grants Council Structure
- In the initial iteration, this committee will comprise three individuals, with one seat occupied by a Push team member in an observer role. This team member will contribute comments and share insights, but the primary decision-making responsibility will rest with the other two members. Although Push will have a voting presence, its voice will not be commanding.
- One position will be designated as the Push Grants Lead Role responsible for coordination, while the two other council members will assume the Evaluator Role, overseeing the grant application evaluation process and ceremonies.
- The Grants Council is scheduled to operate for one season, tentatively planned for Q1 2024 (subject to the program’s ability to commence in Q1 2024). One month before the season concludes, the Grants Lead must submit a renewal request to the DAO, detailing the grant budget needed for the upcoming season along with the corresponding operational budget. The renewal request must be accompanied by data supporting the continued operation of the Council, or proposing any necessary adjustments to ensure optimal performance and resource allocation. This information will aid the DAO in making informed decisions regarding the Council’s ongoing effectiveness.
Grants Council Authorities & Responsibilities
- Design a grants process that is frictionless, and operationally efficient to ensure that grantees have a world-class experience in terms of application process, speed, responsiveness, and communication. The grant process should be adaptable, easy to use, and able to facilitate data migration for efficient project management. This process will be transparently shared on the Push Forum.
- Conduct open ceremonies on existing Push channels where the entire community is welcome to participate and contribute insights on projects and applications.
- Generate marketing content to communicate updates and opportunities to builders. Attracting more builders to utilize the Push Protocol is a key responsibility of the council.
- Encourage and require participation in discussions on the Push Forum as an essential step in the grants process. Document the analysis and discussions related to grant applications using the chosen collaboration tool.
- Establish a transparent mechanism within the Push Forum for raising claims and lodging appeals against council decisions.
- Each member of the Grants Council should transparently share Conflict of Interest disclosure with the community on the Push Governance forum.
Grants Council Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
The Grants Council will use and report on the following KPIs that align with the Push Grants program goals and desired outcomes, focusing on the success and impact of the projects funded by the PGPv3 in the Push ecosystem.
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of applications received | Total number of grant applications received. This should include both accepted and rejected applications, along with a brief note explaining the decision. |
| Grant Distribution Timeline | Measure the time taken to review, approve, and distribute grants, ensuring a timely turnaround time of no longer than 10 days from application to resolution. |
| Grant Amount Disbursed | Monitor the total value of grants distributed to successful applicants including distribution across projects, and budget utilization rate. |
| Project Progress Updates / Milestone Completion Rate | Each team should have a clear set of milestones and deliverables that they need to achieve. The program manager will track grant recipients’ project milestones and share the status of milestone completion for each project as they achieve them. |
| User Metrics | Measure the increase in the number of users or active participants in the protocol as a result of funded projects. |
| Feedback from Grant Recipients | Gather feedback from grant recipients on the effectiveness of the grant program and their satisfaction levels. |
Grants council election process
The Grants Council election will use an open nomination system (nomination criteria will be shared in a future post) combined with a governance vote on the Push Snapshot space. Open nominations (done on a dedicated nomination thread) on the Push Forum will occur for a week, followed by a formal voting period.
The voting system being used in the governance vote is weighted choice voting, as in our experience this enables voters to have more optionality as it relates to candidates, when it comes to selecting candidates it is best to ensure that voters can express their choices without being confined to a single absolute choice, weighted choice voting allows voters to express their choices in varying degrees. An example can be viewed here.
The candidate with the highest number of votes will assume the Grants Lead role, while the second-place candidate will take on the Evaluator role. If any of the elected members choose not to continue, the runner-ups will be offered the opportunity to step in.
Election Timeline
| Activity | Platform | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Council Nominations | PUSH Governance Forum | 1 Week |
| Council Election | Push Snapshot Space | 4 Days |
Budget
The table below proposes a budget for the inaugural season/implementation of the Push Grants Program v3. The season will run for approximately 3 months, and any remaining funds will be carried forward to the upcoming season.
- The Budget will be denominated in USD, and the council will receive $PUSH tokens equivalent to the USD amount once the proposal is passed.
- A SAFE will be established for managing fund allocation, primarily overseen by the Grants Council with a 3/5 signers configuration. Over time, control will gradually transition to the grants subDAO. The configuration of the SAFE is likely to evolve after the first iteration, with the possibility of adding signers from other SubDAOs.
- Delay mechanisms will be incorporated into the SAFE to allow sufficient time for response in case of issues. During the initial iteration, PUSH will act as the emergency switch.
- The first iteration of the community-run grants program will only disburse micro and rapid grants ($500 - $2000), this will allow the grants council to hone in on operational efficiency before they can distribute larger grant requests.
| A | Cost (USD) | Monthly (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Program Budget | $50,000 | $16,666 |
| Grants Lead Stipend | $7,500 | $2,500 |
| Grants Evaluator Stipend | $4,500 | $1,500 |
| Grants program tooling | $1,000 | $333 |
| Total | $63,000 | $63,000 |
Program Logistics / Timelines
- The tentative dates of the program are ~ January 2024 - March 2024.
- If the proposal passes, Push will create a SAFE and allocate the proposed budget before the start of the Program.
- The Push Team, in collaboration with the elected Grants Council, will delineate and organize all essential channels on the Governance Forum, Discord, and/or Telegram, as needed.
