AI ImpactQF + Regen Coordination Global GG23 Retrospective

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Thanks for sharing the retrospective and for all the effort in the round @MontyMerlin! It’s been a pleasure to have been part of it :dizzy:

Here’s a retrospective on the parallel localized ReFi Mediterranean GG23 round, supported by Regen Coordination:

Overview

The ReFi Mediterranean GG23 Round was the first bioregional‑scale Quadratic Funding round supporting regenerative projects across the Mediterranean. A matching pool of $10,000 was distributed using an ImpactQF approach that combined impact evaluation with traditional Quadratic Funding.

The round successfully engaged a diverse mix of Mediterranean initiatives — including local nodes, land‑based projects, and community hubs — many of which were new to Gitcoin and Web3.

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Key Results

  • 12 projects participating
  • 71 unique contributors
  • 206 donations made
  • $1,064 donated to the projects
  • $10,000 matching funds distributed

AI ImpactQF Implementation

Building on the Regen Coordination Global Round, the ReFi Mediterranean Round became the first localized, bioregional round to implement AI‑driven ImpactQF, embedding impact measurement (alongside the standard COCM QF) into fund allocation.

Implementation steps:

  1. Project reporting on Karma Gap
    Projects documented their activities, deliverables, and metrics using the Common Approach to Impact Measurement.
  2. AI-Augmented Evaluation
    AI evaluation reports + Round Operators evaluation
  3. ImpactQF matching
    Impact and COCM scores were combined in the matching formula.

To ensure feasibility within tight timelines, we adopted key elements from the Regen Coordination Global Round:

Evaluations & Results

Key Trends & Observations

Compared with the Regen Coordination Global Round:

  • Activity & output reporting

    • Lower quality of reporting.
    • Greater need for onboarding support for groups new to Gitcoin and Web3.

  • Evaluation methodology:

    • Projects scored lower on criteria 1 and 2 (Web3/Ethereum alignment), so activity in these areas had a stronger effect on final scores.
    • A specific rubric for ReFi Mediterranean is needed to emphasize social and ecological impact over pure Web3 alignment.

  • Same trends as in the Regen Coordination Global Round:

    • Impact-first approach: Projects with high QF support but low impact scores received reduced allocations, demonstrating the hybrid model’s
    • Funding is more evenly spread across the ecosystem — rewarding a wide diversity of approaches, regions, and organizational maturity levels.
    • Healthy middle: Most received between $500–$1,500.
    • No extreme outliers: The lower end of the distribution still received meaningful relative allocations, showing the model’s ability to lift smaller or emerging initiatives.

Moving Forward

  1. Develop Mediterranean-specific evaluation criteria that better reflect the region’s unique needs - prioritizing ecological and social impact while appropriately weighting Web3 adoption criteria.

  2. Establish a Mediterranean impact measurement framework that captures region-specific regenerative indicators relevant to Mediterranean ecosystems and communities.

  3. Enhance project onboarding and reporting support with dedicated workshops, templates, and one-on-one assistance to improve both participation and impact documentation quality for new projects.

  4. Expand local engagement by leveraging the successful projects from this round as ambassadors to bring more regional initiatives into the Web3 regenerative ecosystem.

  5. Consider adjusting the impact/COCM weighting based on round learnings - potentially increasing the impact evaluation component for more established projects.

Thanks for all the sponsors (@owocki, Celo Public Goods, Ma Earth & ReFi Mediterranean), round operators (myself and Antonio @regenavocado, with good support from @MontyMerlin) and all the projects participating for making it happen! :dizzy:

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