Opening Applications for the Second Round of ZF Minor Grants

[Dodger]

Back in February, we tried out something new: a Minor Grants program for smaller grants, selected by ZCAP. The response and feedback was overwhelmingly positive, so we’re doing it again!

As before, the maximum grant size is $25,000, and the total budget is $75,000. Applications are now open at the Zcash Grants Hub so if you, or someone you know, (or even someone you don’t know!) have an idea for how to make Zcash - or the general cause of financial privacy - better, tell them to apply.

The deadline for applications is 20:00 UTC on Monday 18th September.

The goal of Minor Grants is to lower the barrier to entry to participation in the Zcash ecosystem by funding smaller and/or riskier projects (or work by individuals as opposed to teams) that are unsuitable for the ZCG Major Grants program. Ideally, it will attract new talent and potentially act as an “on-ramp” for teams - or for individuals to join or form teams - to demonstrate what they can do before applying for a Major Grant.

We’ve made the application process as simple as possible. The most significant change we’ve made is that we’re explicitly encouraging non-English speakers to submit an application in their native language, and we’ll take care of (Google) translating it to English!

For full details, please read the blog post:

Opening Applications for the Second Round of Zcash Minor Grants - Zcash...

If you have any questions, post them here!

[aarnott]

Do you know the expected frequency of open application periods? It would help to scope a particular grant proposal if I knew how many months’ worth of work would fit into this grant period before the next period.

While I believe a grant proposal could describe work that extends beyond a single grant period, I can reduce risk for the ZCG grant review board by proposing smaller units of work with smaller payouts, giving them a renewed opportunity at each grant period to commit additional funds if they are pleased with the work thus far.
Contrast this to pay-per-milestone, which while the payouts are broken up, the total amount is still committed at the beginning, making it unavailable for other proposals.

[Dodger]

@aarnott

Do you know the expected frequency of open application periods?

Hopefully, we’ll do another round early next year but it’s entirely dependent on our financial situation.

@aarnott

…reduce risk for the ZCG grant review board…

FYI, Minor Grants are entirely separate from ZCG.

The Zcash Community Grants committee (commonly known as ZCG) is responsible for reviewing grant applications under the Major Grants program, as specified in ZIP 1014. These grants are funded from the Major Grants slice of the Dev Fund.

Minor Grants is an entirely separate program, funded from the Zcash Foundation’s slice of the Dev Fund. The ZCG committee has no role in approving Minor Grants. Instead, grant applications are reviewed for suitability by the Zcash Foundation, and suitable applications are then submitted to a poll of ZCAP to determine which should be funded.

[james_katz]

This round of ZF Minor Grants Program is .

Here is a brief summary of the entries for the second round of ZF minor grants.
Excerpts are quoted from the original forum posts, please read the full application for proper context.

Zcash Mempool Visualizer (Proposal for Minor Grants)

@james_katz

I want to present here my proposal for the second round of Minor Grants Program.

Everyone knows about TxStreet a mempool visualizer for various coins like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Monero, etc… But they don’t support Zcash.

So, I want to create our own mempool visualizer!

Asking for: $18,400 USD

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Proposal: Brazilian Privacy Alliance

@pio

Our proposal aims to establish a privacy alliance in Brazil, training leaders and empowering future generations through educational materials and outreach to strengthen privacy awareness and practices throughout the country.

Asking for: $24,600 USD

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Proposal: Creation of “Radio Z” an online Zcash radio station

@robmarn

The proposal aims to create an online radio whose main programming is the dissemination and information of the constant events of everything that happens in the Zcash ecosystem through entertainment, information, educational material and dissemination activities to strengthen awareness and practices. of privacy throughout the country.

Asking for: $6,200

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Proposal: New stage of Zcast, the Spanish Zcash podcast

@gordonesTV

It has been more than demonstrated that the Spanish-speaking community is eager for information in Spanish about Zcash, that is why, unlike our proposal for the previous Minor Grants, we have decided to up the ante. The strategy in this New Stage of Zcast will be the following:

• Increase the frequency of the podcast to 1 weekly episode (In the 1st season, which is about to end, the established frequency was biweekly).
• Decrease the length of each episode. We have determined through polling of subscribers and community members that they prefer shorter content (episodes of no more than 30 minutes).
• Bring more guests to the podcast (Subscribers and community members have asked us for more podcast guests to be interviewed).
• Doing outdoor episodes. (We have also been asked to visit local businesses, venues or stores, and talk to people on the street to get their opinions in general about privacy, Blockchain technology and Zcash).

Asking for: $24,000

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Proposal: In-person classes for entrepreneurs on Zcash as a payment method

@Tecnopapapi

The main goal of these in-person workshops is to promote the adoption of Zcash as a payment method in businesses in San Juan de los Morros, Guárico state, Venezuela, and surrounding cities.

To do this, we will be targeting merchants directly, as they are the key players in the adoption process. In this way, we hope to raise awareness about the benefits of Zcash, such as its privacy and security, and help merchants overcome any barriers they may have to adopting it.

Asking for: $7,550 USD

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Proposal: Extend ZecHub Bounty program into 2024

@squirrel

Supplementing the Bounty Program will allow ZecHub to continue operations into mid 2024, allowing for planning and preparation of larger projects in advance.
Improving the quality of content released is a growing necessity if we are to find a larger audience, seeking longer duration tasks and quality contributions will be less challenging if our Treasury is able to accommodate for it.

Asking for: $7,000 USD

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Proposal: Zcash Africa

@lisa001

This grant seeks to continue educational activities centered around Zcash in Africa particularly in Nigeria and Ghana . We believe that promoting knowledge and understanding of privacy-preserving technologies, such as Zcash, is crucial for empowering individuals and communities in today’s digital age. Our previous efforts have yielded positive results, and we are eager to expand and build upon our successes.

Asking for: $9,850 USD

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Proposal: Zecweb.com - Trade Show Booth

@kworks

I want to attend ten trade shows, live markets, or shopping center locations. To showcase zec transactions, and sell zcash directly. Individuals will be introduced to zcash, and different methods to interact with the network, make transactions, most importantly purchase zcash and earn zcash. Interested individuals can receive purchased zcash direct to an address or on ssd card. Individuals will be able to earn zcash by completing a basic questionnaire, sending a transaction to zec internet boards, becoming a zcash community member.

@kworks

Approach:
I will set up a tradition trade show booth at a location with high volume human traffic. The booths aim is to be presented in warm inviting, friendly service atmosphere.
The aim is to have two standing monitors showing looping video to present zcash. Two stand up signs introducing zcash. Paper flyers and multiple paper questionnaires about zcash. Two clothed tables running, two internet connect zcash nodes, two internet connected mobile computers offering methods to connect to the zcash network.

Asking for: $13,962 USD (537 ZEC x $26 USD)

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Zecwallet Lightwalletd server continuation

@hanh

Zecwallet Light servers are down and not maintained anymore. Unfortunately, this leaves the Zcash public infrastructure with fewer options. There are no servers that run the ZecWallet fork of LWD that includes the Spam Filtering capabilities, and basically only mainnet.lightwalletd.com This grant is about running the servers on a cloud provider for 1 year AT COST.

Asking for: $6,000 USD

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Proposal: Zcash HCI Guidelines & Design System

@geffen

The current landscape of Zcash doesn’t have enough design support. ECC has done an admiral job of creating an SDK available to the public which adequately supports the existing partners and exchanges. However, it seems unlikely they will launch a product on their own and a large amount of the intricacies of good user experience aren’t publicly defined. Pacu has stepped up to ensure the SDK is available and usable, but there are no HCI guidelines or open-source design system available. I would like to remedy this now and ensure all the UX lessons of the past are documented and shared publicly.

Asking for: $24,000 USD

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Zcash Metrics and Analytics Dashboard

@aristarchus

This grant is intended to fund the launch of a Version 1.0 Zcash real time data and analytics webpage. Currently, many important Zcash metrics are available from Messari and Coinmetrics, but they are behind paywalls. This Minor Grant will fund an open data website freely providing some metrics that are currently only available from Messari and Coinmetrics, and it will feature some metrics that are not available anywhere at all to my knowledge.

Asking for: $25,000 USD

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Proposal: Art for Privacy Awards (Premios Arte para la Privacidad)

@palmar

I signed up for a new project that will push the narrative of financial privacy online by leveraging the power of art. I am very pleased to share with you the details of my recent Minor Grants application.

The “Art for Privacy Awards” consist of an open call for traditional and Web3 artists who must create original works of art that will be awarded $ZEC in this contest. The creative works will have to be based on three main themes:

• The mission of Zcash.
• The Cypherpunk Manifesto by Eric Hughes.
• Any relevant historical event regarding privacy.

The disciplines admitted for the first edition will be music, photography, poetry and digital art (illustration, gif, 3D).

Asking for: $9,000 USD

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Grand total of applications: $175,562

@Dodger

As before, the maximum grant size is $25,000, and the total budget is $75,000.

The total budget for the ZF Minor Grants Program is $75,000.

Since not everyone can be accepted, I wish all the participants the best of luck. And may the ZCAP members vote for the best!

[james_katz]

Disclaimer

I don’t know if it’s unethical for me, as a participant in the minor grants program, to compile this list. But my intention is just to make easier for people to find all the applications.

The order of applications is the order I found in the forum, I’m not favoring any particular application.

[Dodger]

We have published the list of Minor Grant applications that were submitted for this round, and we will open the ZCAP poll later today.

Grant title	Amount requested
Full lightwallet functionality for .NET	$18,000
Improved Lightweight Formal Verification of Halo2 Proof Systems	$20,000
In-person classes for entrepreneurs on Zcash as a payment method (forum topic)	$7,550
Introducing Zcash to tertiary institutions	$3,000
lwd.fail	$900.36
New stage of Zcast, the Spanish Zcash podcast (forum topic)	$24,000
Premios Arte Para la Privacidad (Art for Privacy Awards) (forum topic)	$9,000
PrivacyMap - Brazilian Privacy Alliance (forum topic)	$24,600
Radio Z (forum topic)	$5,200
ToDeFi 2024: Torino Decentralized Finance Conference 2024	$2,500
Zcash Africa (forum topic)	$9,850
Zcash HCI Guidelines & Design System (forum topic)	$24,000
Zcash Kuwait Community	$3,000
Zcash Mempool Visualizer (forum topic)	$18,400
Zcash Metrics and Analytics Dashboard (forum topic)	$25,000
Zcash Study Centre First Cohort	$6,000
ZCash University Campaign	$5,000
zcashdUtilities	$1,250
Zecwallet Lightwalletd server continuation (forum topic)	$6,000
Zecweb.com - Trade Show Booth (forum topic)	$13,962

[gordonesTV]

With so many interesting projects and proposals I am sure we will have a very interesting 2024 for our entire Zcash ecosystem.

All the best for all the proposals!

[palmar]

I’m glad to see my proposal on the list! We hope for the support of the community to bring together Art plus Zcash. I wish everyone great success, wonderful proposals.

[james_katz]

Good luck everyone!
This round is absolute

Also, congratulations to Zcash Foundation for the initiative.

[lexaleth]

Wow! Each project has something unique to offer the ecosystem. Good luck to all, and let’s keep building for privacy

[morocco]

Approve “Improved Lightweight Formal Verification of Halo2 Proof Systems”. Discard all else.

[robmarn]

I have read the proposals, and all of them are great…
If the community continues like this, adding value to the project, Zcash is going to become a “unique” initiative project in the crypto ecosystem!!!

They are all great.
Success Zcashers!!!

[ogasky]

Wow…I am super excited that my proposal Zcash Study Centre First Cohort is on the list, and this is going to be an opportunity to kickstart the process of drafting and training web3 developers in Nigeria to become an army of Zcash developers that will contribute to the advancement of Zcash and its privacy related projects towards massive adoption of the Zcash protocol. Like I have always said in most of my write-ups, the future of Zcash is partly in Nigeria, so let us all build it together by supporting the Zcash Study Centre First Cohort. Also, I want to appreciate everyone whose project is listed here for their great mind of community development. Thank you.

[dismad]

Good luck everyone

[JoakimEQ]

Great cohort. Glad to a see a mix of community + technical initiatives. This is the core of what we should be funding.

[Dodger]

The results are in!

With 116 votes cast, the approval threshold was 59 votes. Three grants were approved:

• Improved Lightweight Formal Verification of Halo2 Proof Systems (76 votes)
• Full lightwallet functionality for .NET (69 votes)
• Zecwallet Lightwalletd server continuation (68 votes)

Congratulations to the successful applicants! We hope to run another cycle of the Minor Grants program in early 2024.

[geffen]

Congrats peeps! I’m excited to see what happens next
I am super glad we have lightwalletd functionality and servers on this roster - this was ultra important for any and all mobile wallets moving forward!