GG24 Targeted Development and Adoption Domain Proposal

🌱 Gitcoin Grants
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The Targeted Development & Adoption GG24 Domain funds programs and initiatives that have clear potential to produce tangible, real-world impact, and onboards a large number of relevant users to Ethereum.

Domains are the vehicles through which trusted and experienced stewards manage capital within clearly defined areas to solve Ethereum’s Biggest problems per Gitcoin 3’s.* vision. GG24 is the first Gitcoin Grant round to utilize Dedicated Domains as allocation managers and will take place in October 2025.

Targeted Development & Adoption

Targeted Development & Adoption (TDA) leverages expertise from leading development organizations, years of Impact-Web3 experience, and existing high-momentum initiatives to operate curated programs that support the most promising development and adoption projects.

Program Description Lead Operator(s) Target Budget
A. Solution Development Grants Allocating development and expansion grants to proven, onchain, open-source solutions to develop new SDG-aligned features or expand into new markets. Using a combination of direct grants via Conviction Voting (75%) and Retro review over 4 months (25%). Builds on the previous Real World Builders program. Luuk Weber, Erik Binde $200,000
B. Local Funding Supporting the most promising Web3 hubs by funding a selection of locally led development and onboarding programs alongside regional co-funders. Builds on the previous Regen Coordination and Open Civics programs. Monty Merlin, Benjamin Life, Patricia Parkinson $150,000
C. Bioregional Reforestation This campaign delivers blockchain-native, outcome-based funding for community-led reforestation, turning bioregions into “containers’ for SDG-aligned bounties. Builds on the previous BioFi Pathfinders round and 3+ years of Silvi R&D. Djimo Serodio, Jon Ruth $95,000
TOTAL $445,000
Anticipated Fees in USD (percentage of total) $45.000 (10.1%)
Current Funds Raised: CeloPG, BioFi, CCN (Momus Collective), Ma Earth $160,000
Requested Gitcoin Match $260,000
Fund to be Raised $25,000

Program Operations and Domain Governance
The TDA Domain is stewarded by Ethereum For The World, a builder movement dedicated to positioning Ethereum as THE platform for SDG solutions. The current ETH FTW team consists of Luuk Weber, Monty Merlin, and Erik Brinde. In the future, we aim to expand stewardship with relevant stakeholders and contributors.

Each of the programs included in the Targeted Development & Adoption Domain GG24 has access to the resources and network of Ethereum For The World and Celo Public Goods.

Value back to Gitcoin

  • The Gitcoin Brand will be visibly shown in the most relevant Round communication pieces.
  • The Ethereum For The World and CeloPG Team will purchase a total of $5,000 in GTC to participate in future Gitcoin governance and have more skin in the game.
  • All co-funding relationships for GG24 will be re-engaged for future Gitcoin Grants programs with support from the Domain operations team.

Domain Fees
In line with the emerging Fair Fees discourse, approximately 10.1% of the Domain budget will be used to cover operations, communications, fundraising, software, and admin costs.

Below are detailed plans from the GG24 rounds in the Targeted Development and Adoption Domain

A. Solution Development Grants

The Solution Development Grants Program allocates targeted development and expansion funding to 6–10 proven, onchain, open-source solutions. The goal is to accelerate the development of new SDG-aligned features or enable expansion into new development markets, maximizing Ethereum’s impact on global sustainable development.

Matching Pool Aim: ~$200K pre fees

Round Mechanism:
Funding will be allocated using a hybrid approach:

  • Conviction Voting (75%): Community-driven allocation to ensure solutions with strong grassroots support are prioritized. Leveraging Gardens for voting and payouts, and Karma for registration and reporting.

  • Impact Retro (25%): Distributed based on verifiable impact at the 2-month and 4-month marks, leveraging Karma to reward measurable, high-leverage outcomes.

This structure ensures a community-powered kickstart, while reserving additional flows for solutions demonstrating tangible impact.

Round Operators: LuukDAO (CeloPG) with support from Erik Brinde (Avantguarde Finance)
Sensemaking Report: Ethereum For The World - Sensemaking Report

Core Criteria

Projects considered for the Solution Development Grants Program will be evaluated based on the following core criteria, designed to optimize for real-world impact, scalability, and ecosystem legitimacy:

  • SDG Alignment:

    • Projects must directly contribute to one or more Sustainable Development Goals.
    • Features should have clear, measurable pathways to social or environmental impact.

  • Scalability:

    • Solutions should demonstrate potential to expand into new geographies, demographics, or sectors.
    • Emphasis on enabling widespread adoption and replicability.

  • Innovation & Feature Expansion:

    • Development of new functionality or integrations that meaningfully enhance the solution’s contribution to SDGs.

    • Leveraging Ethereum’s infrastructure to unlock previously unattainable efficiencies or transparency.

  • Sustainability & Adoption Pathways:

    • Clear strategies for long-term maintenance, growth, and adoption, including community engagement, funding sustainability, and open-source contributions.
    • Preference for solutions with proven traction or pilot success.

  • Open-Source, Onchain Orientation:

    • Projects must be open-source and leverage onchain infrastructure, ensuring transparency, auditability, and accessibility.

By applying these criteria, the program aims to scale Ethereum’s real-world impact, strengthen the ecosystem, and validate blockchain as essential infrastructure for sustainable development.

B. Local Funding

The Local Funding program will support a small cohort of local hubs in designing and operating their own funding rounds or programs. Local rounds can have diverse scopes — from supporting local regenerative initiatives and NGOs to civic pilots, hackathons, learning hubs, cultural projects, or Web3-aligned builders — but all with the shared outcome of growing meaningful adoption and utilization of Ethereum in real communities.

Matching Pool Aim: ~$150K pre fees

Lead Operators: Monty Merlin (Regen Coordination) and Benjamin Life & Patricia Parkinson (OpenCivics)

Sensemaking Reports:

  1. Ethereum Localism x Regen Coordination
  2. Open Civic Innovation

Key Criteria:

The following criteria will guide Local Funding Program round eligibility and selection:

  • Program Scope

    • Clear articulation of what and who the local hub aims to fund, why this matters, and how it connects to broader intended outcomes.
    • The scope should be right-sized: available resources (co-funding + GG24 match) must meaningfully support the targeted number of projects.
    • Programs should be ready to start by late 2025 (or Jan 2026 latest).

  • Local Fundraising

    • Demonstrated ability to secure local co-funding from municipalities, NGOs, sponsors, or ecosystem partners.
    • Minimum requirement: $5k raised/committed from outside sources to apply.
    • More local funds = stronger proposal and higher potential GG24 match (up to 2Ă— match, max $20k per local round/program).
    • Applicants may also include Fair Fees in their program budgets to cover operational costs.

  • Impact Measurement & Onchain Activity

    • A clear pathway to capture and report both real-world outcomes (ecological, social, civic, educational, or cultural) and onchain activity.
    • Commitment to credible impact reporting (qualitative + quantitative), with openness and ability to implement Web3-aligned approaches (e.g. Karma GAP, Hypercerts v2).

  • Team Experience & Capability

    • Demonstrated ability to deliver and operate a funding program (governance, partnerships, outreach, treasury, reporting).
    • Ideally anchored in an existing hub, chapter, or coalition with trusted community relationships.

GG24 Round Mechanism

The GG24 Local Funding Program’s round will pilot a multi-stage governance flow that balances rigor, accessibility, and experimentation.

  • Register Interest Form (link) will provide the initial entry point for applicants and serve as the first step in validation and support.
  • Karma will be used for formal application intake and structured expert review.
  • Trust Graph will be piloted as a governance primitive, using peer-to-peer attestations to validate both the expert group guiding the round and the communities applying. This “web-of-trust” aims to ensure only credible, well-referenced applicants move forward while also testing a reusable, reputation-aware governance layer.
  • Conviction Voting may be used for final allocation, allowing expert and community signals to build over time before funds are released.

The exact configuration will be confirmed as Trust Graph development and testing continues, but GG24 will serve as an MVP pilot. The outcome will not only fund local programs but also generate learnings and blueprints for future rounds.

:point_right: For a more detailed exploration of the planned mechanism and process, see the draft doc: Local Funding Programs GG24 — Governance Processes & Trust Graph Pilot Plan

C. Bioregional Reforestation

Overview

Silvi’s Campaigns deliver blockchain-native, outcome-based funding for community-led reforestation, aligning with SDGs 13 (Climate Action) and 15 (Life on Land). By leveraging smart contracts on Celo/Allo for milestone-based payouts, AI-driven Treekipedia for species selection, and MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) via EAS attestations, the initiative funds bioregions as “containers” for bounties. fostering reciprocity: donors seed pools, stewards verify via Silvi app, boosting TVF and Web3 adoption. Integration with KarmaGAP ensures transparent reporting, while Prosperity Pass offers donor rewards. This replicable model can scale to agriculture, biodiversity, and other regenerative initiatives.

Matching Pool Aim

~95K pre fees

Round Operators

Round Mechanism

Multi-mechanism funding allocation:

Bioregional Level Allocation (During GG24)

  • Funds from matching will be allocated to the bioregions using a QF-style round (exact solution to be selected ahead of the start of the round) running during the GG24 Core Weeks in mid-October to determine the percentage of funding distributed to each bioregion. This will enable us to crowdfund additional funding for the initiative while also utilizing the community’s feedback to distribute funds to the bioregions.

Project Level Allocation (After GG24)

  • Bounties for reforestation are established in each bioregion.
  • Outcome-based funding via Silvi’s stack: smart contracts on Celo/Allo for milestone payouts (65% planting, 35% survival).
  • EAS attestations serve as decentralized MRV for proof of planting and survival.
  • Treekipedia AI ensures species selection matches local soil, climate, and biodiversity data.

Core Criteria

  • Scope: 9 vetted bioregions + 1 global pool for bounties outside these regions.
  • Vetting Criteria:
    • At least one active reforestation group with a proven track record.
    • Preference for graduates of the BioFi Cultivator Program.
    • Treekipedia-led due diligence for impact categories (e.g., Red Spruce in Appalachia, Polylepis Australis in Dry Chaco Andean Mountains).

Measurement & Accountability

  • KarmaGAP Metrics:
    • Trees planted
    • Trees survived
    • $ Flowed
    • Stewards onboarded

Infrastructure

  • Silvi: MRV and project management
  • Treekipedia: AI for ecological intelligence
  • AlloKit: Funding pools and allocation strategies
  • EAS: Auditable attestations
  • IPFS: Decentralized storage
  • Celo: Smart contracts and payment rails
  • KarmaGAP: Automated impact reporting
  • Hypercerts: Fractional impact containers
  • Prosperity Pass: Donor rewards

Why This Matters

Silvi, largely funded by Gitcoin, now aims to allocate capital to reforestation—a critical climate and nature theme—while showcasing Gitcoin 3.0’s domain-led, multi-mechanism approach. By embedding Ethereum infrastructure into bioregional economies, this initiative drives transparent, impact-driven funding and fosters Web3 adoption among stewards, setting a precedent for scalable, regenerative financing models.

Sensemaking Report: Bioregional Reforestation Sensemaking Report

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