All,
Please see below for the September update. This update compares against Milestone 1 in the above application.
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PGPZ leadership and governance. We’ve held our organizational Board meeting and formally seated our Board of Directors. Our Board has been helpful in providing comments on written pieces, access to events, and helping with the upcoming Cypherpunk Policy Dinner on October 14.
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Legal, tax, insurance, and compliance work.
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We’ve filed our federal lobbying registration;
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Our IRS tax-exempt status filing is in progress (with counsel); and
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We’re coordinating with counsel on legal and compliance reviews as needed, including review of D&O insurance terms as we work to finalize coverage.
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Accounting and operations with FPF. We’re grateful to be working with FPF to get accounting and operational processes up and running. FPF has also reached out to an accounting firm to support our work. FPF’s been doing the yeoman’s work on operations.
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Policy agenda and advocacy strategy. We’ve prepared an initial draft policy and advocacy plan focused on promoting financial privacy, privacy-preserving technologies, and developer protections. The next step is for the Board to review it for any blindspots and provide feedback.
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Moving substantive policy work forward. Our September work has included analyzing how the CLARITY Act impacts the ecosystem, particularly with respect to developer protections (Pretty Good Policy for Zcash on X: "Congress has a narrowing window to establish clear rules for digital assets while protecting the people who build and use decentralized technology. https://t.co/qZ7Rygxge4" / X; Pretty Good Policy for Zcash on X: "https://t.co/GNvIYpO3D9" / X); preparing for engagement on the SEC’s Regulation Crypto Assets notice of proposed rulemaking (outline will be posted here this week for review and feedback), and distinguishing flexible proof-of-work mining from other large electricity users with respect to Texas’s energy policy (Pretty Good Policy for Zcash on X: "Across the United States, policymakers are reconsidering how large data centers should interact with the electric grid. Recent policy developments in Texas exemplify that broader trend. But not all large loads operate the same way. A one-size-fits-all approach t… / X).
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Continuing weekly public policy updates. We’ve continued publishing updates on a weekly basis. They’re available in this thread: Pretty Good Policy for Zcash on X: "Across the United States, policymakers are reconsidering how large data centers should interact with the electric grid. Recent policy developments in Texas exemplify that broader trend. But not all large loads operate the same way. A one-size-fits-all approach t… / X. Please reach out directly if you have any questions about policy developments in the meantime or post here: PGPZ Public Policy and Regulatory Developments (Q&A Thread).
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Ecosystem input process. We’ve drafted a proposed policy-position development process that begins with PGPZ preparing an initial position, followed by ecosystem feedback and direct engagement with affected stakeholders. We’re also working to establish a reliable channel for submitting policy concerns and technical input. We’re also trying to reach out to folks individually if something seems relevant.
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Creating foundational educational materials. We’ve prepared an initial draft of a Zcash 101 resource for congressional staff and regulators, explaining Zcash, our policy priorities, and the importance of financial privacy.
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Educational briefing. We’ve drafted a proposal and agenda for a Zcash briefing or webinar covering the ecosystem, use cases, and key policy issues. Hosting the briefing remains an upcoming milestone.
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Building relationships and preparing outreach. We’re developing our stakeholder and policymaker-engagement database and preparing outreach toward our initial goal of at least 15 introductory meetings. We’re hosting a fly-in on October 14 (for those who may be unfamiliar, a fly-in is when constituents or industry representatives attend meetings with Congress (and sometimes regulators) to discuss how current policies impact them and educate about their companies are focused on doing).
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Organizing October events. Planning is underway for our October 14 Washington fly-in and the inaugural Cypherpunk Policy Dinner, creating opportunities to introduce PGPZ and engage policymakers and their staff.
Events attended:
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Solana Policy Institute (Washington, DC)
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Cahill Confluence (New York, NY)
Tried to keep it brief; happy to elaborate.
Best,
Div