Grant Application Zush. Quiet Money for Zcash, Phase 1

Community Grants
1

Grant proposal at GitHub issue #281.

Zush is one vault, two assets, one flow.

Put ZEC in. Rebalance into shielded dollars when you want. Spend with the card when you
want. No custody handoff, no extra wallet maze.

Cohort 0 waitlist is open at zush.cash.
Inputs, redlines, and objections welcome.

1 Like
Zcash Community Grants Meeting Minutes April 27, 2026
Zcash Community Grants Meeting Minutes 5/11/2026
2
1 Like
4

Updated the grant application to the required template format and tightened the milestone gates.

Grant proposal at GitHub issue #281:

Zush is one vault, two assets, one flow.
Put ZEC in. Rebalance into shielded dollars when you want. Spend with the card when you want.

Cohort 0 waitlist is open at zush.cash.
Inputs, redlines, and objections welcome.

5

Yes. The split is deliberate: aggregates stay public, user details stay with the user, and third-party exposure is only where the rail requires it. We will report the cohort mix after launch.

6

short public-state update for zush cohort 0.

I am leaving the GitHub application stable for now. this is just a forum-side state update so reviewers, builders, and users can see the current public boundary without reading every site page.

since the GitHub application was updated [Grant Application] Zush - shielded ZEC spend path for cohort 0 · Issue #281 · ZcashCommunityGrants/zcashcommunitygrants · GitHub, I tightened the public site so reviewers and users see the same boundaries:

  • https://zush.cash/ is now public-user facing: private money in your pocket, cohort 0 by signal, no public intake form, no email collection.
  • https://zush.cash/intake starts anonymous intake by staging a shielded control handle and address. it does not move funds.
  • https://zush.cash/orchard-zsa/ is now framed as the zcash-native zUSD build track. the internal path is Orchard, ZSA, PCZT signing, and zap1 receipts.
  • https://zush.cash/orchard-zsa/#rails now separates internal zcash-native components from external class-3 exits. CipherPay is listed as the ZEC merchant settlement exit. card, voucher, x402, and fiat redemption remain user-chosen external rails.
  • https://zush.cash/zusd-live/ is now a historical zUSD proof archive. it is not a production zUSD customer balance, not a reserve claim, and not a current spend route.

the signer gate remains the hard boundary. placeholder signing is refused. no funds should move until real PCZT signing and threshold custody pass the gate. the target custody model remains 2-of-3 control, so no single party can move funds alone.

the reusable pieces matter even if the cohort scope changes later:

  • PCZT signer gate.
  • Orchard ZSA zUSD accounting path.
  • zap1 class-2 receipt and aggregate reporting.
  • public proof surfaces that label demo, stub, fixture, and live state separately.

the grant ask is unchanged:

  • $100,000 fiat-equivalent in ZEC.
  • $72,000 maximum pooled cohort onboarding cap.
  • 1,000 verified activations.
  • subsidy released only after activation plus first spend or redemption.
  • customer funds the card, voucher, x402, or merchant spend amount.
  • no customer balance subsidy.
  • no zBTC, zGOLD, zCRUDE, or non-ZEC sleeves.

the point of the cohort is narrow: prove that shielded ZEC can move from private holding to practical spend through user-chosen exits, while the public surface shows aggregate proof only.

feedback I would value before ZCG reviews:

  • is the signer gate framed tightly enough?
  • is the class-2 reporting surface sufficient without exposing customer rows?
  • are the activation and first-spend gates concrete enough to verify without private customer data?
  • should any reusable piece, especially the PCZT signer gate, be split out or documented more explicitly for other Zcash builders?
7

Thanks for keeping Zush open. Two clarifications from the minutes.

First, sustainability: the grant does not subsidize customer balances or create an ongoing card-revenue dependency. The cohort subsidy is gated on verified activation and first spend or redemption. Customers fund their own spend. Public reporting will cover aggregate activation, 30/60/90 retention, spend volume buckets, rail failure rate, support load, and any privacy regressions or compliance incidents.

Second, differentiation: Zush is not trying to be another generic crypto card. The Zcash-native work is ShieldedVault, the PCZT signer gate, aggregate ZAP1 receipts, and shielded ZEC cashback and accounting. Cards, vouchers, x402, and CipherPay are user-chosen exits, not the custody model.

If useful, I can publish the PCZT signer gate and the aggregate reporting surface as standalone public-good deliverables.

8

Thank you for your submission. After consideration from ZCG and sufficient time for the community to provide feedback on the forum, the committee has decided to reject this proposal.

The committee appreciates your grant submission efforts and encourages you to continue as an active member of the Zcash community going forward!