Authors: @MrJaf, @SixtyKeys Reviewers: @Kene_StableLab, Raphael (StableLab)
The objective of this proposal is to initiate a Grants Program managed by the Push community, and not the core team, furthering the progressive decentralization roadmap of the DAO.
The proposal seeks to establish a Grants SubDAO, run by a Grants Council comprising two seats for community-elected representatives and one seat for a Push team member. The overarching aim of this program is to support the development and progression of projects exclusively utilizing the Push Protocol for their communication requirements. Emphasis is placed on long-term benefits for the DAO, acquiring new users of Push Protocol and concurrently, the proposal seeks to establish a Grants SubDAO with the capability to operate autonomously following this initial iteration.
Implementing this proposal by Push DAO would represent a crucial advancement in transferring protocol ownership to the community. This move is poised to enhance the DAO’s legitimacy and provide greater visibility and transparency across processes, resource allocation, and overall DAO activity. Additionally, it serves as an added layer of protection for the community.
Handing over the responsibility of coordinating the Push Grants program to the community, is a big step towards decentralization, and we hope to inspire more community members to take ownership of various operational aspects of the DAO, as well as spin up several different SubDAOs that further the growth of the Push DAO and Push ecosystem.
The Push Grants Program has operated privately through an internal Grants Review Committee in the previous two iterations. While this approach facilitates swift decision-making and analysis, it lacks transparency and community involvement.
Push has been developing infrastructure to enhance project visibility for applicants within our community and promote greater community engagement. You can read more about it here.
The objective of this proposal is to transition full control of the Grants Program to a community-elected Grants Council after the initial iteration is complete (One Push DAO Season). This shift is crucial for the success of the DAO for the following reasons:
The Grants Council will use and report on the following KPIs that align with the Push Grants program goals and desired outcomes, focusing on the success and impact of the projects funded by the PGPv3 in the Push ecosystem.
The Grants Council election will use an open nomination system (nomination criteria will be shared in a future post) combined with a governance vote on the Push Snapshot space 1. Open nominations (done on a dedicated nomination thread) on the Push Forum will occur for a week, followed by a formal voting period.
The voting system being used in the governance vote is weighted choice voting, as in our experience this enables voters to have more optionality as it relates to candidates, when it comes to selecting candidates it is best to ensure that voters can express their choices without being confined to a single absolute choice, weighted choice voting allows voters to express their choices in varying degrees. An example can be viewed here.
The candidate with the highest number of votes will assume the Grants Lead role, while the second-place candidate will take on the Evaluator role. If any of the elected members choose not to continue, the runner-ups will be offered the opportunity to step in.
Election Timeline
Budget The table below proposes a budget for the inaugural season/implementation of the Push Grants Program v3. The season will run for approximately 3 months, and any remaining funds will be carried forward to the upcoming season.
The Budget will be denominated in USD, and the council will receive $PUSH tokens equivalent to the USD amount once the proposal is passed.
A SAFE will be established for managing fund allocation, primarily overseen by the Grants Council with a 3/5 signers configuration. Over time, control will gradually transition to the grants subDAO. The configuration of the SAFE is likely to evolve after the first iteration, with the possibility of adding signers from other SubDAOs.
Delay mechanisms will be incorporated into the SAFE to allow sufficient time for response in case of issues. During the initial iteration, PUSH will act as the emergency switch.
The first iteration of the community-run grants program will only disburse micro and rapid grants ($500 - $2000), this will allow the grants council to hone in on operational efficiency before they can distribute larger grant requests.
References [Discussion] A Community-Run Push Grants Program (v3)