Zcash Community Grants Meeting Minutes 6/25/2024

Community Grants Community Grants Updates
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Below please find the latest ZCG meeting minutes and Public Dashboard link.

Attendance:

  • Amber
  • Brian
  • GGuy
  • Jason
  • Michael
  • Alex (ZF resource)
  • Dan (ZF resource)
  • Deidra M (notetaker)

Key Takeaways:

  • Open Grant Proposals
  • Miscellaneous
    • ZCG Runway / Dev Fund Lockup - The committee discussed concerns about the sustainability of the Grants Program, given the current price of ZEC.
    • Least Authority - ZCG agreed to continue the independent contract agreement with Least Authority.
    • ZSA Whitepaper (Steptoe) - Steptoe has submitted their draft for the ZSA Whitepaper for ZCG review.

Open Grant Proposals

  • Zcash Browser Wallet Library- Jason recapped this grant. Bryant from ChainSafe submitted a proposal for $150,000 to expand the Zcash ecosystem by building developers a browser-compatible library that offers essential primitives for web wallets and browser plugins. This project would be a precursor for a metamask snap.
    • Jason emailed Bryant last week, and Bryant said the entire project can be done for $300,000. The committee is also waiting to hear back from Dan Finlay from MetaMask before voting. ZCG is hoping they can get co-funding for this grant from MetaMask.
  • Zcash Integration for Mobazha - Jason gave background on this proposal. Fengzie, CEO of Mobazha, is requesting $35,000 to integrate ZEC as a payment option alongside BTC, BCH, and Polygon on their decentralized e-commerce platform. The funds would cover the integration, which includes setting up a Zcash blockbook server, integrating Zcash wallets, and promoting adoption through demos, videos, and community engagement.
    • The committee had previously discussed this project during their brainstorm session and voted to reject this grant as it is not a project they currently want to fund.
  • ZecHub 2024 - Jason summarized this grant. This is the second grant proposal for ZecHub this year. Squirrel and Dismad seek $46,705 to continue their open-source education efforts for the Zcash ecosystem. The funds will be used to create new content and educational resources like a Zcash & Privacy Technology Wiki, bi-weekly newsletters, and multimedia tutorials. Their current proposal also includes 500 ZEC for the bounty program. That portion of the grant would go directly to FPF, who would administer the funds. FPF would receive a management fee of 10% or 50 ZEC.
    • Jason abstained from voting as he is a member of the DAO.
    • The remaining committee members unanimously approved this grant. Reporting frequency will be monthly and categorized as education for the records.
    • Jason noted that the total bounty price is denominated in ZEC, which causes the USD amount to be lower since ZEC has dropped since they submitted this proposal.
    • ZF stated that these are effectively two different grants (ZecHub general + Bounty Program, FPF). ZF will relay to ZecHub that FPF will need to submit a separate grant for the bounty program + 10% admin fee portion of the grant (550 ZEC) and ZecHub will need to remove the startup funding from their current grant. The total USD amount of ZecHub’s revised grant should be $34,440 and without start up funding.
  • Zcash Global <> Zcash Brasil - Jason gave background for this grant. This is the Q3 2024 proposal for the Zcash Brazil team. They’re asking for $16,800 for the quarter to expand Zcash’s presence in Brazil and run the Zcash Global Discord channel. The Zcash Brazil project focuses on Zcash adoption through community outreach, educational activities, and the development of tools like Discord bot and educational materials.
    • This grant was recently submitted, so it was too early for ZCG to vote on it officially.

Miscellaneous

  • ZCG Runway / Dev Fund Lockup - The committee discussed concerns about the sustainability of the Grants Program, given the current price of ZEC.
    • They also discussed ZCG’s identity and role and whether the committee focuses on finding new, innovative, cool projects or supporting the Zcash ecosystem more broadly, especially with a low treasury.
      • Least Authority was a subject of debate on this topic. GGuy voiced his opinions on the significance of security, and most of the committee agreed. Michael dissented, stating that although Least Authority has done a good job thus far, Zcash needs features and products and felt that security and auditing would be lower on his list of priorities.
      • Michael also said he determines which grants to fund by reducing each grant to its most potent output rather than the team’s personalities.
    • ZCG discussed a need for strategic changes to ensure the longevity of the Grants Program.
      • Brian said there was some talk of ZCG potentially conducting a quarterly review of grants, which would allow the committee to focus on the priorities of the next quarter. Jason said the committee should have a separate meeting on this topic to discuss it further.
  • Least Authority (LA) - ZCG agreed to continue the independent contract agreement with Least Authority; however, given the current financial strain, the nine-month duration was discussed.
    • Extension pending paperwork from LA
      • ZCG unanimously agreed to the nine-month contract with LA.
      • Alex confirmed that ZF does not hedge out independent contractor agreements (as opposed to grant agreements).
      • The committee agreed that LA’s role in maintaining security and integrity for the Grants Program is essential.
    • Confirm priorities with LA
      • ZCG listed the priorities for Least Authority to focus on based on timing:
          1. ZSA’s
          1. MayaDex Protocol; and others
      • Brian will communicate these priorities to Least Authority.
  • ZSA Whitepaper (Steptoe) - There was a discussion on the current status of this paper and the next steps. Alex to share draft edits with the lawyers next week once everyone has had a chance to review.
  • Jason was on Free2Z this past week with Skylar and discussed having a future ZCG Program Retrospective call with the committee. The committee agreed to hold a ZCG update community call in the near future.
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