Title: Funding Request: CeloPG H2 2024 Budget [DRAFT]
Authors: Luuk Weber & Monty Bryant
Summary
To be added after the Draft Phase.
Motivation
Building on the successes and positive impact demonstrated in the CeloPG H1 Progress Report, we aim to leverage the knowledge, network, and tools established to further accelerate Celo Public Goods development and streamline the effectiveness of the Celo Community Treasury spending.
In the coming six-month period, we aim to focus on the following points:
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Leveraging opportunities within Optimism and the broader superchain to enhance the reach and impact of the CeloPG programs.
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Focusing on builders, particularly related to the OP Celo testnet and mainnet launch.
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Further Improving on-chain coordination, reporting, and collaboration within the wider Celo ecosystem.
Specification
CeloPG H2 Intents and Budgets
Following the CeloPG H1 Report and Reflections, weāve identified the following strategies (referred to as Intents from this point onwards to match the Optimism terminology) as most effective at supporting the regeneration of the Celo ecosystem.
Below is a short rationale for including each intent, followed by an overview of the program budget of 850,000 cUSD + 400,000 CELO.
Regional DAOs: The regional DAOs have become more transparent and have integrated further into the Celo ecosystem. With increased oversight and collaboration, we believe there is merit in extending this initiative for another six months; however, given the overbudgeting that happened in H1, we propose reducing the size of this intent budget to $200,000 (down from $500,000).
Celo Project Incubation: In H1, one group was funded through this intent (Celo Camp), with two other groups receiving funding directly through Celo Governance (Outlier Ventures and Red Beard Ventures). With multiple programs still operating, we believe analyzing the results and insights of the overall intent and each program before allocating additional capital is the right path forward, and a refined program election process should be established to increase effectiveness and fit.
Celo Builder Grants: Given the number of builders who asked and benefited from this in H1, we believe itās essential to have Grant programs that allocate one-off grants to specific proposals. In the Prezenti H1 Report, they showcased capacity and interest in running another round of Celo Builder Grants. We believe the most efficient way forward is to top up Prezentiās budget with 225,000 cUSD to have them run their program until the end of the year.
QF and RPGF Programs: The H1 program delivered a high ROI, both in terms of capital multiplying (e.g. GG20 distributing 3.74x of the Celo funds committed to projects) and ecosystem development, with many builders joining or remaining in the ecosystem as a result. We believe that continuing to enhance these programs, as well as their supporting tools and mechanisms is key to running efficient on-chain grant programs at scale. This will also serve to further strengthen Celoās alignment and positioning within the Optimism ecosystem. Therefore, we have allocated 200,000 cUSD and 250,000 CELO to run another CeloRPGF round, this time focused on āCelo Citizensā, and for multiple programs around GG21 (August) and GG22 (October) on the newly deployed Gitcoin Grant Stack on Celo.
Digital Infrastructure (NEW): In H1, we managed to get multiple teams to deploy their infrastructure on Celo for free to support program operations, including Coinshift, EAS, EasyRPGF, and Karma. We issued some small grants from the Steward program ops budget to provide some support; however, this was far under the teamās costs. With essential ecosystem infrastructure such as Celo Station ready to be launched, we believe itās valuable for CeloPG to manage some of the Digital Infrastructure agreements and support. A budget of 50,000 cUSD and 50,000 CELO has been assigned for this initiative.
Operations: After operating the CeloPG Programs, providing accounting and communication for the wider Celo ecosystem, and creating a reward structure for Celo Guardians in H1, we want to continue streamlining the overall Celo ecosystem operations under CeloPG. We propose extending the Operations with Community Moderation in alignment with the draft by 0xGoldo in addition to the existing Steward and Guardian tasks. The operations budget remains the same at 175,000 cUSD + 100,000 CELO.
Budget Overview
Below is a table describing each intent and its associated budget. The CeloPG H2 Budget (DRAFT) sheet provides a detailed budget overview of CeloPG H2 budget and operations.
| Intent | Budget | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Regional DAOs | 200,000 cUSD | Budget for operating the Celo Regional DAOs that support growth and development in key geographic regions. |
| Celo Builder Grants | 225,000 cUSD | Budget for running Celo-native grants and identifying and funding requests for proposals. 25K for Program Support Costs. |
| QF and RPGF Programs | 200,000 cUSD + 250,000 CELO | Budget for running Citizen RPGF(250K CELO), Two Celo rounds in GG21 ($75K), one Celo round in GG22 ($50K), $50k for program matching, and $25k cUSD for Program Support Costs. |
| Digital Infrastructure | 50,000 cUSD + 50,000 CELO | Budget for maintaining and supporting key digital infrastructure, including Celo Station. |
| Operations | 175,000 cUSD + 100,000 CELO | Budget for Celo Public Goods Ops, including Stewards, Guardians, Moderation, legal, and accounting. |
| TOTAL w/o OP x CELO | 850,000 cUSD + 400,000 CELO | The total CeloPG budget without any potential OP x CELO programs. |
OP x Celo Programs
In addition to the core CeloPG programs, there is a significant opportunity to apply for the Optimism Season 6 Intent Budget to run large-scale co-funded programs. Optimism Collective has set aside 12M OP for chain-specific grant programs supporting the Superchain through intent 3B.
Based on the progress made in H1, we believe CeloPG is uniquely positioned to apply for these funds. As such, we aim to write two grant applications for up to a total of 1,250,000 OP. The following proposed programs are:
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Optimism x Celo Real World Builder Program | 250Kā1M OP / CELO: This program focuses on projects that ship open-source software and have a positive impact on physical communities and environments.
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Optimism x Celo Climate Tech Program | ~250,000 OP / CELO: This program targets projects that develop open-source software to advance Climate Action.
The application window opens on July 18th, and we propose that the Celo Community Treasury match any OP allocated by the Optimism Collective to a joint Grants Program. This match would be a maximum of 1.25M CELO, and the program costs up to 100,000 cUSD. We believe this commitment from Celo would further increase our chances of securing OP funding and provide a compelling ROI for our community and ecosystem.
If secured, we plan to collaborate with existing and new tech/program partners, such as EasyRPGF, Gitcoin, Karma, Talent, Superfluid, Climate Collective, and Climate Coordination Network, to maximize these programsā impact, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Below is an overview of the maximum CeloPG H2 costs, including potential OP x CELO programs.
| Intent | Budget | Description |
|---|---|---|
| OP x CELO Programs | 100,000 cUSD + 1,250,000 CELO | The budget will be offered to match the OP Grant requests of Real World Builders and/or Climate Tech programs. If an OP Grant is received, every OP will be matched with up to 1 CELO. |
| TOTAL incl OP x CELO | 950,000 cUSD + 1,650,000 CELO | The maximum CeloPG budget if 1,25M OP is approved for co-funded programs. |
Governance
In H1, the decision-making power for proposal approvals rested with Celo Governance voters, not the Stewards. Stewards attempted to streamline this process by creating a CeloPG Snapshot space but faced limitations due to the integration of Locked Celo as a voting token. This necessitated a return to regular Celo Governance, resulting in additional workload and dependency.
In addition, because CeloPG Stewards did not have significant influence in approving proposals, they could not fully ensure the alignment of approved projects with ecosystem goals. As such, key stakeholders have expressed a desire for CeloPG to take on a more managerial role, ensuring the quality of proposals and programs, rather than just an administrative and facilitating role.
To address these issues and further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of CeloPG, we propose the following governance structure:
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Governance of Budget Approval: The seven CeloPG Stewards (with potential future expansion to include Delegates) will oversee the approval of the CeloPG H2 budget for the Regional DAO and Digital Infrastructure intents through the Public Snapshot space. As in H1, Stewards are not allowed to vote on proposals that they are directly connected to.
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Celo Builder Grants Allocation: The Celo Builder Grants budget for H2 will be allocated to Prezenti to extend their current initiative to up to 225,000 cUSD, which aligns with their H1 reflection.
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QF and RPGF Programs: We will continue to explore and enhance these innovative mechanisms for greater community involvement in resource allocation. For example, there is potential to increase the number and diversity of Celo ābadge holdersā for RPGF or increase the weight that reputable Celo community members have in Celo-based QF rounds.
By implementing this structure, with a reduced scope for Celo PG H2 (reduced budget and fewer intents), we can sharpen our focus and increase commitment to the remaining intents. We believe this approach aligns with stakeholder desires and effectively streamlines the allocation of Celo Community Treasury resources without overburdening Celo Governance.
Payment Logistics
CeloPGās programs will operate its resources comparable to H1, creating two multi-sigs (4 out of 7): one for the overall CeloPG H2 budget and one for Steward operations. The existing CeloPG H1 Budget and Stewards Multisigs will continue to be operated and accounted for until July 31st when any remaining funds will be returned to the Celo Community Treasury.
The OP x CELO program budget will be separated into a third multi-sigs (4 out of 7), which will only be activated when Optimism Collective approves at least 1 CeloPG Grant application.
Legal Representation
The Celo Public Goods Steward operations will again be coordinated by the Regenerative Finance Foundation, a non-profit foundation mandated to support the experimentation and growth of Regenerative Finance at large and function as the counterparty for specific CeloPG programs. To increase representation and alignment, we propose replacing one of the current board members with Monty Bryant.
Steward Overview
In H1, the structure consisted of one lead, four active stewards (25 hours a month), and four advisory stewards (10 hours a month). Our experience showed that smaller groups of two to three people could more effectively coordinate most CeloPG tasks. Larger meetings with nine participants often hindered efficient input and participation. We believe a refined steward structure would be more effective and efficient based on these insights.
For H2, we propose the following changes to the CeloPG Stewards to enhance the quality of deliverables:
- 1 Lead: Luuk will continue as the lead, maintaining a commitment of 100 hours per month.
- 1 Co-Lead: Monty will increase his commitment from 25 to 60 hours monthly.
- 5 Stewards: Five additional stewards will oversee operations and wallets, provide feedback and support, and vote on relevant programs. Each will commit 15 hours per month.
This revised structure reduces the number of stewards from nine to seven. The remaining five stewards will be selected in the coming weeks. Luuk and Monty will consult with current stewards to determine who wishes to remain active. They will also consider adding one to two new stewards to bring fresh perspectives and enhance group operations.
Celo and Optimism need more Builders, this is the way!
. I believe my experience in Grants, RetroPGF, Impact Evaluation, knowledge about the Web3 Ecosystem and insights from H1 can continue to add value as we strive to meet celo ambitious goals.