Zcash Community Grants Meeting Minutes 7/22/2024

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

Attendance:

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

Key Takeaways:

  • Open Grant Proposals
  • Brainstorm Session Follow-Ups
    • Treasury
    • QEDIT
    • Arborist Calls
    • Zcash Media
    • Hanh: Proof of Balance
    • Steptoe Document Distribution

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.
    • ZCG met with MetaMask who agreed to provide Chainsafe a grant of $150,000 to develop a MetaMask Snap.
    • ZCG is conditionally approving this grant with the stipulation that Chainsafe applies for and receives the grant from MetaMask to cover the development of a Snap that supports shielded ZEC.
    • ZCG would like to thank Zooko for introducing them to Dan Finlay of MetaMask.

Brainstorm Session Follow-Ups

  • Treasury
    • ZCG is monitoring upcoming grant obligations with regard to ZCG’s USD surplus and may discuss potential actions with ZF further, if warranted.
  • QEDIT
    • ZCG met with QEDIT to discuss the cancellation of their stablecoin grant.
    • ZCG encouraged QEDIT to open up a discussion with the community on the forum to solicit feedback on compliance features. ZCG recommended that QEDIT use a moderator from the Zcash Foundation to lead and guide the discussion. QEDIT plans to reach out to a ZF board member.
    • QEDIT is working on a new grant proposal that focuses on asset swaps and transaction acceptance.
  • Arborist Calls
    • ZCG representatives to attend Arborist Calls going forward. Dan to be backup if no ZCG members can attend.
  • Zcash Media
    • Jason believes Zcash Media has underperformed on this grant, and the community is not seeing a good return on investment. He agrees with many of the criticisms raised on the Forum. He also has received feedback in private from a number of Zcash Media supporters who are very unhappy with the project. Engagement metrics have been poor, and the team’s interaction with the community has been disappointing. While the videos are high quality, Jason believes they do not focus enough on Zcash. He thinks David and Natasha are extremely talented and sees great potential in Zcash Media. However, Jason believes that this project has fallen short of expectations and that immediately canceling the second milestone would benefit the community, Zcash Media, and ZCG. He believes Zcash Media should continue releasing the remaining videos as scheduled. Afterward, they should address the community’s feedback and concerns, reassess the project’s goals with ZCG, and apply for another grant with a revised structure.
    • ZCG has heard the community’s frustration with the output and impact of the work completed thus far and they agree with many of the criticisms that have been expressed.
    • In light of the above discussion, Jason and Michael voted to cancel the second milestone, but there was not currently consensus.
    • ZCG will revisit canceling the second milestone after the second video has been released and they’ve had a chance to assess feedback and metrics.
  • Hanh: Proof of Balance
    • ZCG invited Hanh to submit a grant for the second part of the Proof of Balance grant for development and implementation, which may include retroactive funding for work related to this project.
  • Steptoe Document Distribution
    • Accessibility is the key to useability so ZCG will create an abstract and an audio file. ZCG and ZF to discuss distribution once the document is finalized.
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