Zcash Community Grants Meeting Minutes 9/29/25

Community Grants Community Grants Updates
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Zcash Community Grants Committee Google Meet Meeting: September 29, 2025

[Minutes taken by FPF]

Attendance:

  • Artkor

  • GGuy

  • Jason

  • Zerodartz

  • Decentralistdan

  • Alex (FPF resource, notetaker)

Key Takeaways:

Open Grant Proposals

  • Zcash Arabia

    • Zcash Arabia seeks to grow Zcash adoption, awareness, and development in the MENA region by building a strong Arabic-speaking community through education, engagement, and technical support. The initiative addresses key barriers—such as the lack of Arabic-language resources, low community engagement, and minimal developer involvement—by providing localized content via the Arabic Zcash Academy, launching interactive educational tools, hosting community events, and supporting regional developers with tailored workshops and materials. Given the region’s young, tech-savvy population, supportive regulatory environment, and increasing crypto adoption, Zcash Arabia aims to establish Zcash as a leading privacy-focused cryptocurrency in the Arabic-speaking world through sustained, community-driven growth. Requestor is asking for $10,000. ZCG members are asked to provide their feedback and vote.

      • Jason: They haven’t really proven themselves yet but we’re open to possibly approving it in the future if they prove themselves similar to other community groups.

      • Artkor: I’d like to add to Jason’s comments. We have carefully reviewed the applicant’s current resources, the YouTube channel and the cryptocurrency website which already feature materials on Zashi and Zcash and we value the presence of an established audience. I reject this proposal too but we are open to reviewing a similar ask in the future if Zcash Arabia continues to grow their impact.

      • Gguy: I don’t think they’ve hit the mark yet so I reject this grant.

      • Jason: I’d like to see them prove themselves first and then put in a grant. Every other community group has done that and I think it’s the right approach here.

      • Dan: I’m a reject on this proposal but I’m open to them reapplying in the future.

      • Gguy: We can see potential with their work.

      • Jason: The region is super important so it would be great to have some sort of representation in Arabic.

      • Zerodartz: I also agree the region is important but we haven’t seen success and activity from them like we’ve seen from many other communities.

      • Unanimous rejection.

  • Zcash YouTube Promotion Video

    • This proposal aims to boost Zcash awareness and engagement through consistent, high-quality video content targeted at a broader, often untapped audience. The applicant plans to produce daily Zcash-focused videos, weekly community updates, and privacy education content, along with Zcash giveaways to drive interest and participation. With a proven track record of promoting Zcash through their YouTube channel Cryptocurrency Theory and personal outreach, the applicant intends to build an active online presence and host in-person events across Mexico and the U.S. A key vision includes organizing a Zcash conference alongside major crypto events like the Bitcoin Conference. This initiative addresses the ongoing visibility gap in Zcash marketing by offering a grassroots, creator-led solution designed to inform, entertain, and expand the Zcash community. Requestor is asking for $49,999. ZCG members are asked to provide their feedback and vote.

      • Gguy: They haven’t met the mark yet. I’d need to see more first.

      • Artkor: I think we can’t approve the proposal in its current form. I suggest to the applicant that they work with ZecHub.

      • Zerodartz: He has done two Zcash videos in the last few days but the current proposal seems a bit too much for us, subscribers and video views don’t really match the grant ask in my view. I’d like to see him continue to support the Zcash community and maybe he can apply for a smaller grant in the future.

      • Unanimous rejection.

  • Zcash Adoption Through Targeted Reddit Marketing

    • This proposal seeks funding for a six-month Reddit marketing campaign aimed at expanding Zcash’s visibility and adoption beyond its current community. With a $60,000 budget, the project will produce 18,000 targeted comments and 800 posts across high-traffic subreddits related to crypto, DeFi, and privacy, engaging token holders, developers, and entrepreneurs. The campaign is designed to position Zcash as the leading privacy-focused blockchain, counter misconceptions about privacy coins, and insert Zcash into broader crypto conversations. Regular reporting and narrative reviews with Zcash ecosystem leaders will ensure strategic alignment and measurable impact. This initiative addresses Zcash’s current lack of mainstream visibility by establishing a strong, authentic presence in one of crypto’s most influential platforms.

      • Zerodartz: Reddit is an important place but it also has its problems like being super heavily moderated and Zcash hasn’t had the best time on Reddit and we should strive to improve it somehow in the future. But it’s not easy because we need users who are old and respected, post actually useful and original threads and comments and have a lot of user karma to really be effective. I reject it.

      • Artkor: Yes, it’s true. In general, Reddit’s current moderation climate is misaligned with our values around open discourse. I’ve experienced this firsthand. If platform admins addressed unfair moderation in local subjects, organic discussion would emerge without grants. Accordingly, I reject this proposal,

      • Zerodartz: I also reject.

      • DecentralistDan: I reject as well.

      • Jason: Reject

      • Unanimous rejection.

  • Fanmuse

    • This project will expand Zcash adoption by developing entertainment-driven digital IP and community engagement tools that make financial privacy accessible to mainstream audiences. By positioning Zcash as a practical payment method—not just a protocol or asset—we will create products, media, and community hubs that embed Zcash’s values into familiar consumer experiences. The initiative addresses privacy gaps in traditional digital payments, builds a sustainable ecosystem around Zcash, and is designed to become financially self-sufficient through digital IP sales, partnerships, and licensing. The result will be broader adoption, stronger network sustainability, and a more resilient Zcash ecosystem. Requestor is asking for $46,656.

      • Artkor: I didn’t fully understand the proposal. So I reject.

      • Jason: It’s not clear exactly what they want to do. It’s just a bunch of buzzwords.

      • Zerodartz: Sounds to me they want to do everything all at once. Very unclear. I reject.

      • Unanimous rejection.

Brainstorm Session Follow-Ups

  • ShapeShift Integration

    • Approved async. ZCG was waiting for more detail on the marketing and node costs. ZCG was satisfied with the response and approved this grant.

  • Zaino, the Zallet Release

    • Approved async. ZCG was waiting for technical feedback, feedback received, grant approved.

  • DeFi Specialist RFP

    • DecentralistDan prepared a draft specification for a potential DeFi Specialist role RFP, envisioned as an ecosystem resource to evaluate DeFi projects and identify where Zcash could best integrate. Two draft writeups were merged into a single version, which will be published in the next week or so. The goal is to gauge interest, pricing, and candidate experience before deciding whether to proceed with the contractor role. This initiative stems from prior successes where being well-informed enabled stronger partnerships and collaborations with domain experts. If the right fit emerges, the role could provide valuable knowledge to support Zcash integrations.

  • Web3Privacy Sponsorship

    • ZCG is in coordination with the event organizers in the lead up to the event.
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Where is the best place to locate ZecHub? I went searching for it and landed at a website under construction……

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@ZecHub :slight_smile:

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I’m happy to see us rejecting marketing related grants. The recent buzz around Zcash has proved that the best marketing is “price go up”, and for that (and many more serious reasons) I think we are better off investing in technology and accessibility.

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At least for theYoutube world the best way for Zcash to reach more impressions and a wider audience is the consistency down to the minute of videos being released. For example: Post Zcash videos using Tags matching the hashtags the same frequency of times and days over time; that is the best way for Youtubes algorithm to push Zcash specific videos. I looked at most of the former grants that have been approved for marketing Zcash after checking out their channels, the content is spotty in terms of the frequency of the posting. If you look at top crypto YouTubers, they use the same tags and hashtags, post at the same time, everyday, over time. That is how they reach a bigger audience at least in the Youtube world.

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But yeah “number go up” is always good!

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@ZCG
Thank you for taking the time to carefully review our proposal and share your feedback.

We understand that the committee feels our work has not yet reached the level of other communities, and that there may be certain aspects we need to clarify or improve. At the same time, we would like to highlight that our team has already achieved significant progress in and has worked diligently to bring developers, investors, users, and potential partners to Zcash.

Our key achievements so far include:
- Growing our community to 500 Twitter followers and 200 Telegram members

  • Achieving 1,000+ views on most Twitter posts.
  • Consistently generating 200–400+ views per video.
  • Ranking many of our articles and videos on the first page of Google search results.
  • Developing and launching a dedicated Arabic Zcash website.
  • Publishing numerous Arabic articles, videos, and educational content, as well as hosting several community events.
  • Establishing two local partnerships and engaging in discussions with global projects such as Axelar, Zetachain, and others about collaborations involving Zcash.

We believe these results demonstrate both commitment and tangible impact, and we are confident we can build on this momentum if supported with a four-month grant.

That said, we recognize that something may still be missing in how we presented our value. To move forward productively, it would be very helpful if ZCG could provide clarity on:

  • What specific metrics, outcomes, or activities you would like to see from us in order to qualify for funding? From our side we believe that our work merits a stronger chance of being approved for the grant.

Our goal is to build a strong, sustainable Zcash presence in Arabic-speaking countries, and we are committed to meeting the standards and expectations of ZCG. Your guidance will help us focus our efforts more effectively.

We kindly ask that you reconsider our proposal, or provide us with clear guidance on how we can better align our efforts with ZCG’s expectations.

Thank you.

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I think you saw it backwards: mentioning Zcash at events, on social media, and having respected figures in the ecosystem echo (marketing) was what drove up the price.

It is important that there are marketing and dissemination proposals at events and social networks, but these must be done with a clear order and strategy, and a sensible budget before being approved.

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Question, would it be okay If I make smaller Reddit marketing proposal to show what can be done? 2 Months and 20% of original value and scaled down kpis?

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Thank you for outlining the progress your team has made so far. We truly appreciate your dedication to promoting Zcash in Arabic-speaking regions and recognize the value of the initiatives you’ve already undertaken.

At the same time, ZCG aims to maintain consistent evaluation standards across all community grant requests. For regional initiatives, we typically look for:

  • A proven record of measurable impact within the Zcash ecosystem (e.g., original educational resources focused special on Zcash, high activity on social media like twitter and telegram).
  • Demonstrated engagement with the wider Zcash community, including cross-collaboration with other ecosystem teams (e.g. ZecHub).
  • Evidence that the initiative has already been sustained on an unpaid, long-term basis, as a sign of genuine commitment to the community’s values.

To see more specific details, please note specific examples of communities where local grants have been approved. We encourage you to continue your work and remain active in the community. Thank you!

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Thank you for your thoughtful response and for clarifying the general evaluation criteria applied to regional initiatives.

After reviewing your message, we believe that our current efforts already align closely with these expectations:

  • Measurable impact: We have produced and published numerous original Arabic resources focused specifically on Zcash — including educational videos, articles, and social media content.

  • Community engagement: Our Twitter and Telegram communities are active and continue to grow, with consistent interaction and visibility.

  • Collaboration: We’ve initiated communication with other projects and are eager to work more closely with ecosystem teams.

  • Sustained commitment: Our work to promote Zcash has been ongoing and self-funded for some months.

if possible, we kindly ask that you reconsider our last proposal, as we genuinely believe our current work already aligns with ZCG’s expectations and demonstrates clear, measurable impact within the ecosystem.

At the same time, we would deeply appreciate it if you could specify exactly what you would need to see — or which specific metrics or numbers ZCG considers sufficient for regional initiatives like ours to qualify for funding. This clarity will help us focus our efforts more effectively and ensure full alignment with your standards.

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