Name (or Topic/Theme) of Proposed Round
ReFi Local Nodes @ReFiDAOist
How many times has this round been run during a Gitcoin Grants round?
Beginning in April 2023 with the Local Node Beta Round, we initiated a $25k match funding pool to support the establishment of an initial cohort of nodes, primarily in the Global South. This effort led to the creation of 14 new nodes, all of which became part of an 8-week Alpha Cohort incubation program. Following this, the ReFi Local Node Beta Cohort kicked off in Gitcoin Grants 18 (GG18) Round in August 2023 with an additional $30k in match funding, courtesy of the Celo Foundation and affiliates. This round saw the emergence of 18 new Local Nodes around the globe and collected over 1550 contributions totalling over $6700.
You can read more about the results and impact of these two rounds in our article âReFi Local Nodes 2023 - Round Results & Whatâs Coming Next?â
As a result of these funding rounds, alongside the alpha Incubator program, 2023 saw the emergence of over 30 local nodes across the globe. You can read more about their porgress and impact in 2023 here: Regenerative Journeys: ReFi Local Nodes 2023 Roundup
How big is your team that will run this round? Who is your team?
Key ReFi DAO contributors supporting this round includes:
Monty (Merlin) Bryant (Monty Merlin Bryant đ§đŒââïžâš | Twitter | Linktree) - Founder at ReFi DAO, board member at Trusted Seed, steward at Celo Public Goods.
Anna KaiÄ (Twitter, LinkedIn) - Anna is ReFi DAOsâ marketing manager, currently leading the Local Node Beta Cohort & Incubator Program. She has been in the blockchain-for-good space since 2021, working on marketing and communications for projects like Proof of Humanity, the Crypto Commons Association, MetaGame and UrbĂĄnika. She is currently a scholar of SheFi Season 10.
Tereza BĂzkovĂĄ (Twitter, LinkedIn) - Building narratives around blockchain for impact 
| Tech content & comms specialist. Co-founder @ReFiMedellin.
How does this round align with Gitcoinâs mission and essential intents ?
Empowering Community-Led Positive Change
ReFi Local Nodes are at the forefront of inspiring and actualising community-led positive change, directly echoing Gitcoinâs vision of a world shaped by such initiatives. By establishing a network of nodes focused on building regenerative societies, this approach not only embodies Gitcoinâs mission to create technologies and opportunities for community building but also leverages Gitcoinâs technologies to fund and support projects that matter, both to local and global communities alike.
Maximizing Network Effects
The expansion of ReFi Local Nodes introduces a powerful opportunity to enhance the network effects within the Gitcoin ecosystem. Every local node and community onboarded to Gitcoin during our rounds are likely to be part of Gitcoin for many years to come, with several local nodes even leveraging Gitcoinâs tools to run their own local rounds (as evidenced by ReFi Phangan). This synergy amplifies the reach and impact of both Gitcoin and ReFi initiatives, fostering a vibrant community of projects and participants, and creating a self-reinforcing cycle of adoption and engagement that benefits the broader ecosystem.
Building and Funding Shared Needs
ReFi Local Nodes serve as incubators for regenerative projects, providing the necessary tools and resources for communities to initiate and sustain projects that align with their values and needs. We aim to demonstrate the direct impact of community funding, thereby showcasing the practical application of Gitcoinâs funding mechanisms in the regenerative economy space.
What do you anticipate the size of the matching pool will be?
We have $15k of initial matching funding sponsorship, generously committed by ReFi Medellin and EcoSynthesisX, alongside Celo Regional DAOs including Celo Europe. We hope that the Gitcoin Grants Council will consider matching this commitment to make a $30k round.
Please describe the eligibility criteria you envision for this proposed round.
To be eligible for this grant round, the project must be a ReFi Local Node that has actively participated in the ReFi DAO network as part of the Alpha or Beta cohort and incubator programs, or be an approved core circle at ReFi DAO Global.
Local Nodes must meet the following criteria:
- Verified Twitter and active social accounts
- Update on what work has been accomplished since previous grant rounds (if applicable).
How large is your community approximately?
- 30+ Local Nodes worldwide (see ReFi Local Nodes 2023 - Round Results & What's Coming Next?)
- 2,500+ members across Discord + Telegram
- 12,000+ followers across social media - Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, ReFi Podcast
Approximately how many grantees do you believe will be eligible to apply to this round?
Between 20-40 Local Nodes
Impact Assessment: If and how do you intend to assess grantee impact over successive rounds? This could include, but is not limited to Hypercerts, GAP, Deresy, etc.
For GG20 we would like to leverage the default hypercert minter tool but narrow in on a specific impact vertical - Events. We will produce detailed documentation to support hypercert creation and standardised formatting, as well as provide hands on onboarding and support. This will also include an educational workshop on hypercerts as part of the Local Node Beta Incubator program. Following GG20, we will collect learnings and expand the use of hypercerts into tracking other impact verticals across ReFi Local Nodes (e.g. Ecological impacts).
Our longer-term vision is for all ReFi Local Nodes to mint hypercerts for all the impactful actions they have done since funds were raised. Funding sponsors will also receive a share of the hypercerts and thus have an on-chain record of the impact they have helped to support. Furthermore, in consultation with Celo Public Goods, GreenPill Network, Spark Eco/Deresy and others, we would like to build a custom hypercert minter tool to improve UX and make the process seamless for all nodes.
Funding Addresses
- refidao.eth - 0x7340F1a1e4e38F43d2FCC85cdb2b764de36B40c0
- Celo Safe - 0x68060388C7D97B4bF779a2Ead46c86e5588F073f
- Optimism Safe - 0x9C1e3Db2E7537e9D0ab760286aB919fE5A0eA22C
Thank you to all partners, sponsors and everyone helping to push this space forward, excited for whatâs coming next 
Fashogityogleskidigittyski 
