Note: This is a late submission for inclusion in the GG24 Domain and Gitcoin match. While initial traction was slow, momentum picked up quickly after the Snapshot vote, and we have now secured over $40K in firm commitments, along with additional interest from key stakeholders. We kindly request that Gitcoin review and include this Domain in GG24.
The Privacy Domain funds solutions that directly improve privacy infrastructure and privacy-preserving identity solutions on Ethereum, aiming to make private, secure, and user-controlled identity a default feature of onchain life.
Domains are the vehicles through which trusted and experienced stewards manage capital within clearly defined areas to solve Ethereum’s Biggest problems per Gitcoin’s 3.* vision. GG24 is the first Gitcoin Grant round to utilize Dedicated Domains as allocation managers and will take place in October 2025.
Privacy
This domain leverages the expertise of the MACI, Web3Privacy Now, and Privote teams — all deeply familiar with privacy-preserving voting and Ethereum public goods funding — to curate and operate a focused Retro rewards round that accelerates the development and adoption of privacy infrastructure in onchain solutions.
| Programs | Description | Lead(s) | Target Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Privacy Builder Retro | The Privacy Builder Retro will allocate retroactive grants to initiatives that have proven to meaningfully contribute to the development and adoption of Privacy solutions on Ethereum, with a specific focus on applications built using Noir or leveraging ZK privacy solutions. | John Guilding, Sov | $150,000 |
| TOTAL | $150,000 | ||
| Current Funds Raised: PSE, CeloPG | $40,000 | ||
| Anticipated Gitcoin Match | $100,000 | ||
| Fund to be Raised | $10,000 |
Program Operations and Domain Governance: The Privacy Domain is stewarded by John Guilding (MACI) with close input from leading Ethereum privacy stakeholders, including the Privacy Stewards of Ethereum, a research and development lab that delivers privacy to the Ethereum ecosystem. Web3Privacy Now, a grassroots privacy advocacy group with strong domain knowledge of the privacy ecosystem, will help with campaigning for the round.
In line with the emerging Fair Fees discourse, approximately 10% of the Domain budget will be used to cover operations, communications, fundraising, software, and admin costs.
A. Privacy Builder Retro
The Privacy Builder Retro will allocate retroactive grants to initiatives that have proven to meaningfully contribute to the development and adoption of Privacy solutions on Ethereum, with a specific focus on applications built using Noir or leveraging ZK privacy solutions.
Matching Pool Aim: ~$125K post fees
Round Operators: John Guilding (MACI), Sov (Gitcoin)
Potential Council: A representative council of Privacy experts consisting of 8-12 individuals
Key Criteria:
To be eligible to join the Privacy Builder round, an application has to fit in one of the following two categories:
- Privacy R&D
- A clear description and proof of previous contributions to Privacy solutions on Ethereum.
- Applications can only be made on a project/team level.
- Privacy dApps
- Showcase onchain and GitHub proof of privacy-preserving elements in the application.
- Clearly describe the usage and growth of privacy elements/
- Articulate the future development and expansion plans.
GG24 Round Mechanism
The Privacy Builder Retro round will leverage the following tools to review and allocate rewards in a privacy-preserving and efficient manner:
- Privacy Preserving Retro Voting via Privote (link) will provide the initial entry point for applicants and serve as the first step in validation and support.
- Quadratic retro voting is used to count for votes. Each voter has the same amount of voting power; however, allocated points are counted quadratically