[GG21 Retrospective] Web3 Grants Advancement

Cartographer Syndicate’s Web3 Grants Ecosystem Advancement Round

GG21 Retro

The Cartographer Syndicate’s GG21 Web3 Grants Ecosystem Advancement Round has wrapped up. This round wasn’t just about distributing funds but also about taking a step toward realizing our vision of charting all grants and incentives.

Round Stats:

  • 57 projects funded
  • 125,000 ARB matching pool
  • 22,016 ARB crowdfunded
  • 543 unique donors
  • 1,715 total donations

User Experience

As someone who has run multiple Gitcoin QF Rounds, I am no stranger to Grants Stack. This season, some key enhancements made it easier for round operators, including:

  • Umar and Joel developed an excellent QF calculator. It streamlines comparing COCM and traditional QF results, allowing for easy download, review, and granular customization of round results.
  • The add members functionality is available for both programs and rounds. This allows admins to add team members easily at the program and round levels. I hopped in for another community round and assisted with payouts, and this functionality made it reasonably easy to get in and help that round operator.
  • More networks! We added Celo and had a few rounds running for GG21. IMO, the checkout experience was reasonably smooth, and it seems we’re getting better each time we abstract away the complexity of crosschain checkout.

Key Wins:

1. Allo Focus:

We funded projects both building on top of Allo (Grant Ships, Gardens, Karma, Endaoment, ggframe, Funding the Commons), experienced Allo Builder Teams (RaidGuild, viaprize, Scaffold), and analytics and impact measurement tools that tap into Allo’s registry (OpenSourceObserver, Gitcoin Grants Data Portal, GrantsScope). We will continue to focus here for these reasons:

  • It strengthens infrastructure that the entire grants ecosystem relies on
  • It encourages innovation in capital allocation mechanisms
  • It aligns with the objectives of Gitcoin

By supporting Allo-based projects, we’re not just funding individual initiatives; we’re helping to build the foundation and expand the design space for capital allocation mechanisms.

2. Grants Infrastructure:

Our round supported several infrastructure projects that are advancing our vision to map all grants and incentives across Web3:

  • On-chain grant registry: We’ve continued to develop and expand the first on-chain grant registry on Arbitrum using Allo Protocol. This registry is a foundation for increasing grant discoverability and transparency across the ecosystem.
  • Trustful: We have partnered with Blockful to develop a grants reputation system that will help build accountability in the grants ecosystem. This system aligns with our mission to explore and chart grants by providing context and credibility metrics for grant programs (a space we believe is lacking in systems today).
  • Ecosystem.Vision & WelcomeOnchain: Showcasing how third-party tools can leverage our open registry. These platforms offer views into the Web3 ecosystem. They can now provide their user base current with grant program data without the overhead of curation.
  • x23: We’ve supported the creation of a grants news aggregator to keep the community informed and engaged. This tool builds upon Crypto Grant Wire by offering enhanced features and functionality, including automated program updates and the ability for other community members to contribute to the feed.

These projects aren’t just isolated tools but interconnected components of a broader infrastructure, making the entire grants and incentives ecosystem more transparent and accessible.

3. Quality Applicants:

Many well-known projects and communities have contributed over time to the Web3 Grants space, including Giveth, Metrics Garden Labs, Public Nouns, Hypercerts, DAO Drops, and many others that are proven builders and thought leaders in the space. Their participation brings credibility to our round and demonstrates the high caliber of projects we’re attracting.

  • It validates our approach and selection process
  • It attracts more high-quality projects and teams to the Cartographers
  • It increases the likelihood of funded projects delivering real value to the ecosystem

4. Community Growth:

In less than 60 days, we have grown from a Telegram Group with five members to almost 100 individuals with various backgrounds, all sharing a common thread: high context and commitment to advancing Web3 Grants. This growth is about more than just numbers:

  • It brings diverse perspectives and expertise to our community
  • It increases our capacity as a collective
  • It expands our network, allowing us to reach and influence

This growing community is the engine that drives our mission, helping us explore and chart the grants landscape more effectively. We are actively taking steps to improve our education and communication efforts, recognizing the importance of well-informed participants in the success of our rounds.

Challenges & Learnings:

1. Community Engagement and Education:

We recognized the need for better education and communication about our round and the broader Gitcoin ecosystem. To address this, we plan on:

  • Collaborating with other round operators to share best practices and learnings
  • Providing resources from our community to other ecosystems and teams that could benefit from our specific expertise

2. Focus Refinement:

While we’re proud of supporting past work in Web3 grants, we’ve learned that a more targeted approach could increase our impact. Future rounds may lean more heavily into projects building on Allo and our registry, directly supporting our mission of improving grant and incentive discoverability. This shift will:

  • Create more immediate and tangible value for the Gitcoin ecosystem
  • Accelerate the development of crucial infrastructure

What’s Next:

1. Double down on Allo:

Future rounds will prioritize builders working directly with Allo Protocol. This focus will:

  • Accelerate the development of crucial infrastructure
  • Create more synergies between funded projects
  • Strengthen our alignment with Gitcoin’s mission

2. Enhance Community Engagement:

We’ll develop strategies to better engage our Syndicate members and the broader Gitcoin community. This includes:

  • Creating a Stronger Social Media Strategy
  • Leveraging our members’ networks more effectively
  • Developing content that showcases funded projects
  • Improving cross-promotion efforts with other rounds

3. Refine Our Processes:

We’re committed to continuous improvement of our round operations. This includes:

  • Implementing learnings from experienced round operators
  • Exploring other funding mechanisms to maximize impact

4. Expand Our Toolkit:

We’ll continue developing tools like our on-chain registry, reputation system, and news aggregator. These tools are essential for our mission in they provide the following:

  • Transparency of the grants ecosystem
  • Empowerment of grantors and grantees to make more informed decisions
  • Facilitate and strengthen connections between different parts of the ecosystem

Conclusion

We appreciate the opportunity in GG21 and will continue to do our part in enhancing discovery and accountability across Web3 grants and incentives.