Gitcoin 3.0 Vision / Mission
Gitcoin 3.0 is a Network-First Funding Festival designed to tackle Ethereum’s biggest problems. Backed by a well-funded treasury and years of operational runway, it marks a shift from simply running quadratic funding rounds to deploying a pluralism of capital allocation mechanisms—including QF, Retro Funding, DDA, and more. At its core is the Gitcoin Grants (GG) program, now restructured to empower community sensemaking, domain-specific allocation, and competition among diverse capital allocators. Gitcoin 3.0 invites the Ethereum community to not just fund what matters—but to actively shape what gets built and why.
Vision
A future where Ethereum funds its foundations and future through ecosystem coordination.
Mission
Fund What Matters.
How will Gitcoin 3.0 Measure Its Success
I. Core Objective
To become a pillar in Ethereum’s coordination engine for allocating capital to its most important problems—through pluralistic, data-informed, and community-governed mechanisms.
II. Pillars of Success
1. Capital Efficiency
Is Gitcoin moving meaningful capital to high-leverage opportunities—better, faster, and more accurately than alternatives?
Key Metrics
- Total value routed through Gitcoin programs
- % of matched capital from non-Gitcoin sources (network effects)
Indicators of Success
- Repeat funders across GG rounds
- Co-investment or coordination with values aligned ecosystem players
2. Builder Lifecycle Depth
Does Gitcoin retain and accelerate high-quality builders throughout their lifecycle—from experimentation to impact?
Key Metrics
- Builder retention rate round-over-round (e.g. GG23 → GG24)
- Velocity of builder reinvestment into ecosystem (e.g. mentoring, voting, donating)
Indicators of Success
- Participation in community programs, such as mentorship and onboarding programs
- Repeat participation in multiple mechanisms (e.g. QF → retro)
3. Ecosystem Legitimacy
Is Gitcoin seen as a pillar to fund what matters in Ethereum?
Key Metrics
- Ecosystem sentiment (via community polling, social analysis, forum participation)
- % of domains co-defined or co-managed with other Ethereum entities
Indicators of Success
- “Gitcoin is so back”
- High-profile experts in respective domains actively seek Gitcoin
4. Mechanism Innovation
Is Gitcoin advancing the practice of capital allocation?
Key Metrics
- Success rate of experimental mechanisms based on outcome metrics
- Community-contributed mechanism upgrades
- Uptake of Gitcoin mechanisms by other ecosystems
Indicators of Success
- Gitcoin becomes the testbed for new funding paradigms (e.g. Futarchy, Impact QF)
- Academic citations or case studies of Gitcoin methods
- Cross-chain or cross-org adoption of Gitcoin’s allocation protocols
