# Grant Application - ZECsy Community Building: 12 Months of Zcash on the Ground **URL:** \ **Category:** Community Grants\ **Created:** [August 3, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/grant-application-zecsy-community-building-12-months-of-zcash-on-the-ground/56890 "2026-08-03T16:00:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 22
**Author:** ![readymouse](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/readymouse/32/39041_2.png) [@readymouse](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/readymouse)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/grant-application-zecsy-community-building-12-months-of-zcash-on-the-ground/56890/22 "2026-09-30T15:12:51Z")
# **ZECsy Monthly Report: September 2026** **Reporting period:** Sep 1 to Sep 30, 2026 **Milestone:** Milestone 1 of 9 **Grant:** ZECsy Annual IRL Program, approved through nine-month milestones ![Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 10.50.03](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/a/c/aca0d7e7006244327b000ee9517ca72a1f29eeec.jpeg) ## **1. Summary** Zcash use among sex workers and small businesses is growing on its own. We are tracking twenty providers now publicly list ZEC as a way to pay them, and two small businesses, graphic artist Angelica and Working Girls Press, began accepting ZEC; Working Girls Press ran live sales through CipherPay at our Amsterdam booth. Requests for workshops are now coming to us unprompted. A Chicago organizer who found Violet’s guides is recruiting students and a venue for an October 14 workshop, a Boston collective is offering its vetted mailing list for a November session, and workers in Ottawa have asked about workshops in their city. Our separately funded Cypherpunk Week trip to Amsterdam drew about 200 check-ins, trained apprentice Molly Simmons, and brought in the Prostitution Information Center and CryptoCanal as partners for a planned February 2027 workshop. We completed Milestone 1 and spent $30,883 of the $45,833 startup payment on team compensation and advance bookings for Exxxotica NJ, Devcon8 Mumbai, and Exxxotica Miami, and every annual deliverable is on pace. ## **2. Milestone status** ![Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 10.49.37](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/d/3/d356853302ddd7dcd84d047706818e6193d8cbe6.jpeg) **Milestone declaration:** This document serves as the report for completion of Milestone 1. ## **3. Deliverables tracker** ![Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 10.51.19](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/f/5/f5f436df7ff91bea4f73df5b65d11e0653b57b5c.jpeg) **Pace note:** Startup funding used to plan for October and future events. Everything is on pace for completion. ## **4. Cumulative evidence of Zcash use** ### **4.1 Zcash in the wild** - Violet @fabacab maintains a list of sex workers who now publicly list that they accept ZEC (or other cryptocurrencies via Swaps in ZODL). This shows the real impact of the workshops, outreach and people using ZEC in the wild. Note: We only include workers who publicly report accepting ZEC, to respect people’s privacy and disclosure decisions. Currently 20 providers are listed. - Violet also maintains a BlueSky Starterpack for Zcash related accounts, who want to follow the currency. This is recommended to workers who are now interested in zcash, and want to follow updates on social media. - Mylo hired Angelica ([@bugknife.bsky.social on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/bugknife.bsky.social)) who now accepted Zcash for graphic art and design contracts. She designed the poster for Amsterdam as well as the program insert for Exxxotica NJ. - - We are working with Justine, owner of Apex Latex ([https://www.apexlatex.com](https://www.apexlatex.com/)), who will be vending at the zcash booth at Exxxotica NJ as a demonstration of CipherPay’s point of sales system. We plan to work in the next month to try and integrate CipherPay directly into the site. Justine joined us in Berlin Blockchain week and is returning as a veteran for Exxxotica NJ. ### **4.2 Second-generation onboarding** For each workshop, we establish a Signal chat for that cohort. We intend to send out polls to the Signal chats 1-month after the workshop to ask about how many others they have onboarded as well as number of transactions they have completed to gauge ongoing usage. We will report results as we have them. ### **4.3 Community signals** - Violet was invited by E.M. to give a workshop in Chicago. See Section 5.2 for discussions on the event. E.M. personally reached out to Violet after reading her guides, and has done most of the legwork to find a venue and recruit interested students. - A worker in Ottawa, CN saw the post about the Chicago workshop and reached out to see how a workshop could be set up or brought to Canada to support workers in her area. ### **4.4 In their own words** - Commendation for Violet’s resources and guides on Bluesky. [@zahrakamasi.bsky.social on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/zahrakamasi.bsky.social/post/3muzwkqixqc2c) ![Screenshot 2026-09-23 at 11.03.54](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/5/e/5e413141ec14051b7ac28fd8916a50cf03afab67.png) - An appreciative text message that Violet received when learning we were returning to Exxxotica NJ, after Exxxotica Chicago that we staffed a zcash booth for in April 2026. We gave out clear plastic kits with various hygiene and harm reduction supplies. ![signal-2026-09-28-21-36-12-917](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/c/3/c37d5a67ca6bebe9ee8148a95a3c0f3597399181.jpeg) - Highlights from Molly’s experience being an apprentice with us during Common S3nse in Amsterdam. See her full comments in our post-trip report for the event, and excerpt here: ## **5. Activations and workshops** ### **5.1 Completed Events** ### **Cypherpunk Week in Amsterdam, September 2 -4** **Type:** Side event + Booth **Crew:** Violet Parr, Mylo Bennett, Kate Stapleton, Molly Simmons **Apprentice trained:** Molly Simmons **Format:** Common S3nse conference plus 2 walking tour side events, and post-tour drinks **What happened:** This is not apart of this grant, as it was approved on the side but during the month of September we staffed a booth at Common S3nse and hosted side events. **Outcomes:** - ZECsy’s Amsterdam trip (Cypherpunk Week, Sept 1–5) delivered strong on-the-ground results: the team hosted a booth plus four side events (two walking tours and two afterparties) alongside Common S3nse and DashCon, reaching roughly 200 Luma checkins, 90% booth foot traffic, and 33 new contacts. - Concrete onboarding wins included a tour guide, six tour attendees, a hackathon builder who shipped a Zcash-based poker app, and a graphic artist and small business (Working Girls Press) both adopting @Kenbak’s CipherPay for payments. - Beyond onboarding, the trip built real relationship capital: new ties with Dash, Zano, Web3Privacy Now, OtterSec, and, notably, the Prostitution Information Center and CryptoCanal founder Eleonore, both eager to host a future sex-worker-focused privacy workshop, which the team flagged as needing a “scouting trip first, workshop second” model going forward. - The event closed essentially on budget (about $800 over a $30k budget) and surfaced clear next steps: revise info cards since Payy Network is shutting down, source SWAG locally to avoid shipping delays, and build a one-page Zcash fact sheet and an apprentice onboarding guide for future trips. **Documentation:** The full post-trip report can be found at: - [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c1BJadg48qq-mobYyTUR7TVkQLfJhkmO/view?usp=drive\_link](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c1BJadg48qq-mobYyTUR7TVkQLfJhkmO/view?usp=drive_link) - [Grant Application - ZECsy Team Marketing at Cypherpunk Week in Amsterdam](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/grant-application-zecsy-team-marketing-at-cypherpunk-week-in-amsterdam/56509) - Cool recap video: [Kate S on X: "Amsterdam vlog is live 🇳🇱 Recapping the recent Cypherpunk Week with the ZECsy team which included: 🌷 @CryptoCanal Common S3nse Conference & Hackathon 🔷 @Dashpay DashCon 💫 @Zcash Walking Tours of the city And more! Thanks to everyone who came through- see you in India for @EFD… / X](https://x.com/kate_stapes/status/2099817906687148150?s=20) ### **5.2 Updates to In-Progress Events** ### **Boston Workshop, date TBD** **Type:** Workshop **Crew:** Violet (instructor) **Apprentice trained:** TBD **Format:** Private workshop for vetted students **What happened:** Violet and I met with C. from Boston Sex Worker’s and Allies Collective ([https://bswac.org/](https://bswac.org/)). C is very interested in partnering with us to host a workshop in the Boston area. BSWAC already has a mailing list of vetted workers in the area, that they will leverage to help us fill the room. They also have connections to safe venues. **Outcomes:** We are targeting a mid-November event, and will update as we know more. **Documentation:** TBD -- ### **Chicago Workshop, October 14, 2026** **Type:** Workshop **Crew:** Violet (instructor) **Apprentice trained:** NA **Format:** Private workshop for vetted students **What happened:** Violet received an inquiry via her website after a sex worker E. M. read her resources guides on her personal website. E. M. is associated with a group in Chicago, and asked Violet if she was willing to run a workshop. E.M. already is willing and able to find students and a venue. _This is exciting because they reached out to Violet directly, demonstrating real signal that these workshops are desired._ **Outcomes:** Event planed for October 14, 2026. **Documentation:** - Luma link: [Chicagoland ZECsy Workshop: Cryptocurrency for Providers · Luma](https://luma.com/oz8qb4n8) -- ### **Exxxotica Edison NJ, Oct 22-25** **Type:** Conference Booth **Crew:** Mylo Bennett, Violet Parr, Kate Stapleton, and Justine (from Berlin Blockchain Week) **Apprentices:** Eve, Avery **Format:** Staffed booth at the main event **What happened:** The ZECsy team is preparing for the event. - Paid for a premium booth which includes ad placement o n the website, and an insert into the program. ($2,900) [Zcash at EXXXOTICA](https://www.exxxoticaexpo.com/exhibitors/zcash/) - The program insert was designed by Angelica, a ZEC-accepting graphic artist. See the two women in the kitchen. ![Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 10.53.56](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/1/2/1279fa8eb3d0a9795840a3030b9d66a40e95ec11.jpeg) - We booked ground transportation, and hotels logistics for all 6 team members. - Justine, who worked with us for Berlin Blockchain Week, will be joining as a vendor-in-residence at our booth. Justine will get set up with CipherPay.app, accepting ZEC for her items at our booth. During Cypherpunk Week in Amsterdam, we hosted Working Girl’s Press, and found that having a ZEC-accepting vendor at our booth was a great demonstration of the technology. People need to see what’s possible, and this is a great example of a Point of Sales system. - Kate Stapleton @kate.stapes is a veteran zcash advocate from Cypherpunk Week in Amsterdam, and will support Exxxotica with her expertise in business development and onboarding everyday users. - Mylo is working on SWAG giveaways. For Chicago we gave away 600 pouches that contained an info card about zcash, some condoms, wet wipes, and other emergency helpful supplies. We received great feedback on the kits, that they were valuable and also memorable. We are planning on 1000 kits, as we expect a larger crowd. - We will try to host a sex worker focused workshop alongside the main event, but will not count this towards the weekend workshops funded separately by ZCG. This will be a bonus workshop. This workshop will be an experience if we get high attendance because the conference draws a crowd, or we get low attendance if the conference distracts people who would otherwise attend. **Outcomes:** TBD **Documentation:** - Luma event: [ZECsy at Exxxotica Edison, NJ · Luma](https://luma.com/9chbt6uz) - [Zcash at EXXXOTICA](https://www.exxxoticaexpo.com/exhibitors/zcash/) -- ### **Mumbai Devcon8, Nov 2- 6** **Type:** Conference Attendance + Side Event **Crew:** Mylo Bennett, Violet Parr, Kate Stapleton **Apprentices:** Evi Nova - Mylo and Violet first met Evi during Buenos Aires devconnect, then saw her again at Berlin Blockchain Week. Mylo invited her to India because her technical background in smart contract development. **Format:** Networking at main event, and university-focused side event **What happened:** The ZECsy team is preparing for the event. - Mylo finalized the team capable of traveling. Arranged hotel and flights, plus have applied for travel VISAs to India. - Side Event: - Our goal for attending is to build relationships with other privacy-focused projects and organizations in the space. These connections will aide in getting us speaking slots at future conferences, collaborations for events, as well as our awareness of tools in the space. **Outcomes:** TBD **Documentation:** - Luma Links for attending main events: [ZECsy at ETH Cypherpunk Congress #3 · Luma](https://luma.com/ze1j2zv0), [ZECsy at Devcon 8 · Luma](https://luma.com/iaoyiiv7) - Our luma links for university side event: TBD ### **–** ### **Exxxotica Miami FL, Dec 4 -6** **Type:** Conference Booth **Crew:** Mylo Bennett, Violet Parr, Kate Stapleton **Apprentices:** A. O., TBD #1 and TBD #2 **Format:** Staffed booth at the main event **What happened:** The ZECsy team is preparing for the event. - Paid for a premium booth which includes ad placement on the website, and an insert into the program. ($2,900) [Zcash at EXXXOTICA](https://www.exxxoticaexpo.com/exhibitors/zcash/) - We booked hotel to ensure we had space in the host hotel, as they book early. - A. O. was selected as both an adult industry professional but with experience in cybersecurity. We believe his combination of technical expertise and industry knowledge expertise will enhance the experience of those visiting our booth. **Outcomes:** TBD **Documentation:** - Luma event: [ZECsy at Exxxotica Miami · Luma](https://luma.com/gwzor0y9) -- ### **5.3 Other In-Progress Event Planning** - Montreal Workshop: We got interest in collaborating with local workers, and will pursue a phone call to organize timing, venue, etc. - Amsterdam Workshop: We are looking at returning to Amsterdam around late February 2027 to align with other sex worker gathering happening at that time. - New Orleans Workshop: We are looking at collaborating with Working Girl’s Press who plans to attend a poetry and small-business printing press gathering in mid-April 2027. This would be an opportunity to interact with small businesses, as well as workers in the area. Working Girl’s Press accepted ZEC during Amsterdam’s Common S3nse conference at our booth as a CipherPay Point of Sales demonstration. - ETHDenver Feb 2027: Mylo and Kate are brainstorming ideas for a larger conference or activation in Denver. They will be networking during Devcon in India for connections and partners who will make a larger event successful. They will work on a specific plan in October, to have concrete asks ahead of Zcon7 in Cancun and Devcon8 in Mumbai. - Kate Stapleton @kate.stapes plans to attend DC Privacy Summit in DC including PGPZ’s Cypherpunk Dinner. She is not using ZECsy grant funds for this trip in mid-October. ## **6. Work outside events and workshops** Zcash Marketing Station: I set up a Zcash marketing section of my basement, as I source materials in bulk. Rather than buying 200-300 condoms every event, I ordered 2k yellow condoms to save money and serve us for at least the next 2-3 events. This will serve as a staging area, as well as inventory tracking for what I have set aside for each event. Currently I am preparing for Exxxotica NJ, Zcon7, and Devcon8 in India. I have the SWAG packs for the booth in NJ, plus leftover yellow/black aprons from Chicago. I will also store durable items such as the yellow kitchen backdrop, sign standers, and business card holders. ![basement_zcash_prep](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/9/4/940c21bd86e1f55de630116b34f17c03fff9f8c9.jpeg) ### **6.1 Field reports routed to the teams who own them** ![Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 10.55.13](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/2/e/2e18790e4f18ae3ff2db3b31356781b31ea2fc7c.jpeg) ### **6.2 Collaboration with other grantees and ecosystem projects** - Mylo joined Elzz @elzz-ux in her Proof of Privacy initiative. On September 2nd Mylo and Elzz hosted an X space to talk about zkSNARKs and other privacy-preserving aspects of Zcash. We had 390 participants on the call which gener ated quite a bit of Twitter buzz. ![Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 01.41.21](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/a/f/afb60d3a139947506bad1d425acc4d79b1d196ca.jpeg) - Mylo and Kate met with Divij Pandya @divijpandya of PGPZ to talk about collaborations between our grant work. ### **6.3 Partnerships, introductions, and connections made** - Mylo and Violet talked with Natalia James of the United Auto Workers union about the need for financial resiliency in at-risk communities. No tangible takeaway at this time, but an interesting connection. - Mylo connected with L. H. working at harm reduction efforts in NYC. She will be a valuable resource for providing harm reduction supplies for Exxxotica booths. We found harm reduction supplies were popular during Chicago, and we aim to provide more of these items as value SWAG attracts people to our booth for conversations. It also also such fun quips as “At zcash, we aim to protect your privacy and your physical layer.” The condoms are for “shielding your liquid transcations”. ### **6.4 Community and governance participation** - Mylo and Violet are planning to attend Zcon7 as invited speakers. - Mylo voted in the ZCAP poll. ### **6.5 Tools, documents, and materials produced** - During Amsterdam Cypherpunk week it was clear that we needed a 1 page summary flier for zcash. In preparation for Exxxotica in Edison, NJ I began the process of creating a 1-page summary for users and a second page for businesses. ### **6.6 Program development** - Now, attending sex worker meetups and support groups is a recruiting apprentices activity, which the team will continue to participate in. ## **7. Budget and spend** **Startup payment:** $45,833 **Spent this month:** $30,883 ![Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 10.56.33](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/original/3X/5/9/59c4bde2d55924445901dc3eac11866aa3ba942f.jpeg) **Variance and savings:** On budget, aside from major change outlined in section 9. ## **8. Learnings and changes** - **What worked:** The ability to plan months in advance allowed us to make cost savings by buying in bulk and also align with other organizations better. - **What did not:** Molly S. highlighted the need for better materials for apprentices coming to the booth. She was comfortable with the zcash-related technical onboarding, but wanted clearer instructions on how to handle various questions from attendees. - **Change we are making next month:** We have an onboarding document for new apprentices to read before attending a booth about common questions we get and how to respond. ## **9. Major Changes** For Exxxotica Miami, I planned for the Seminar Tier Sponsorship at ~$18k, but unfortunately this option was sold out. My intentions are to use these funds to return to Amsterdam for a follow-up workshop. We made connections with the Prostitution Information Center and CryptoCanal who both pledged their support and excitement for a ZECsy workshop. We are targeting a February return trip. We will keep the committee posted about appropriate allocation of these funds. ## **10. Risks, blockers, and asks** - **Risks:** - **Asks of ZCG or the ecosystem:** ### **Note: All monthly report and post-trip reports can be found at** [ZECsy\_Team\_Reports - Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/188HE73mhQvLuIKn8Xs3Jye1-JnqXsJCZ?usp=sharing) ### --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/grant-application-zecsy-community-building-12-months-of-zcash-on-the-ground/56890)._