Tl;dr We’re a research project under Metagov conducting research on the state of web3 grant programs to help inform better decisions for grant program operators and applicants.

Project Overview:

Our research project aims to explore the current state of Web3 grant programs, with particular emphasis on impact measurement. By reviewing these programs and others beyond the Web3 space, we intend to gather insights that could contribute to the growth and maturity of Web3 initiatives.

The core focus of our study includes capturing high-level information, such as the inception, scope, and size of grant programs, along with a detailed investigation into their focal areas, desired impacts, and past and current impact measurement strategies. Our ambition is to create a report offering a comprehensive overview of the state of these programs, and how they're shaping the Web3 ecosystem.

With some initial support from Gitcoin and a private backer, we were able to explore the programs outlined below. We are now seeking additional support to include other programs such as Chainlink, Cosmos, dydx, Tezos, Web3 Foundation, and others. We would also be interested in hearing from the community what other programs they would like to see covered, so please comment below with your thoughts!

Subjects of Analysis:

Our research covers a diverse range of programs, including Gitcoin, Uniswap Foundation, Solana Foundation, Ethereum Foundation, Aave, Algorand Foundation, Polygon, among others yet to be confirmed.

Research Questions:

The research aims to answer several pertinent questions regarding these grant programs: their desired impact, how this impact is measured, the volume of grants (in terms of both quantity and monetary value), team size, the review process, number of reviewers, the post-issuance process, operational structure, and focus of the grants. In understanding these dimensions, we also strive to capture the user journey, from grant application to receipt, to better grasp the grant-seeking experience from the applicant's perspective.

Interview Methodology:

Our research process will involve engaging with the administrators of grant programs and members of review teams.

These interviews, conducted via 30-60-minute video calls with one or both core researchers, will probe into the formation, structure, and management of the grant programs and their associated impacts. They will also highlight the user journey of applying for and receiving grants.

Research Collaboration Partners:

We are privileged to be collaborating with the following partners for the first phase of this research:

• Gitcoin
• Uniswap Foundation
• Ethereum Foundation
• Aave Grants DAO
• Polygon
• Solana Foundation
• Algorand Foundation
• Mantle
• NEAR

Research Team:

Eugene Leventhal Eugene is the Director of Operations and Partnerships at Metagov and the outgoing Executive Director of the Smart Contract Research Forum (SCRF). Prior to joining SCRF, Eugene worked as a Project Manager at Carnegie Mellon University’s CyLab Security and Privacy Institute. He also has seven years of experience working in professional services around the finance industry between New York and Hong Kong. Eugene got into the space working on a DAO project in 2016 focused on exploring the use of DAOs for community crowdfunding for schools and nonprofits. Eugene holds an M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in Finance with a double major in Psychology from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Mashal Waqar Mashal is Head of Partnerships at BanklessDAO. Her recent projects include heading operations at a web3 product studio, researching token models for seed club, doing the UNICEF case study for Gitcoin, and researching protocols for Summer of Protocols (in affiliation with Ethereum Foundation). She previously co-founded a global media company, an accelerator program for early stage female founders, and has co-authored a paper on challenges faced by them. Mashal holds a B.S. in Computing Security with a minor in International Business from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She’s a Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 and a winner of the 19th WIL Economic Forum Young Leader of the Year award.

Roadmap:

Phase I - (already supported)

• Conduct interviews (mid-August)
• Complete analysis (First week of Sept)
• Initial research report (mid-Sept) Phase II - (scope of this application)
• Second round of interviews (3 weeks)
• Transcription and analysis of the interviews (3 weeks)
• Editing and publishing of the final report (by Devconnect) Phase III - ongoing (past grant funding)
• Presentation of best practices for grants programs
• Best practices for grantees on how to prepare for grants programs Potential Future Directions of Research
• Conduct workshops with grant operators to help map and improve on the open challenges in granting
• Conduct workshops with grantees to better understand their pain points and suggest potential improvements
• Commence a report and series of surveys on the user experience of applying to and winning grants
• Perform an in-depth application process review
• Conduct a literature review of web2 / science funding and impact measurement
• Review of the state of tooling and proposed tooling projects / experiments
• Create a grant maturity index