Round 11 - Call For Grant Applications - Deadline is April 7

ShfRyn · 11 March 2024 00:33

This thread is for applications for Rocket Pool’s March 10, 2024 - April 7, 2024 grants. Please only post grant applications in this thread. If you would like to discuss and/or ask questions about any applications you see in this thread, we ask that you do so in this separate forum thread which has been established for all community discussions related to this round of applications. Only those grant applications that are posted in this thread and timestamped by April 7, 2024 at 23:59 (11:59 PM) UTC will be considered. Any grants posted after that deadline will be carried over to the next award period.

This is the expected schedule for round 11:

Application Period (March 10th - April 7th)
Negotiation Period (April 8th - April 22nd)
Scoring Deadline (April 23rd)
Final Voting Amendments, Discussion and Finalization (April 24th - April 27th)
Award Announcement (April 28th)

Differences Between Grants and Bounties

Grants are intended to be applied for by those who are wishing to carry out the work themselves. Bounties are open-ended goals that could be met by anyone, including those other than the proposing party. In other words, if I believed that Rocket Pool needed a fifty-foot paper mache orange rocket for publicity purposes and I wanted to be the one to built it, I would apply for a grant. If I instead thought Rocket Pool needed a fifty-foot paper mache orange rocket for publicity purposes but I wanted it to be open to whoever built it first to claim the reward (similar to a prize), then I’d apply for a bounty.

To guide you in your application, the GMC has established the following goals and the following scoring rubric:

GMC Goals

Grants, bounties, and retrospective awards should make it easier and/or more attractive to do one or more of the following:

become a node operator
operate a node, mint rETH
hold or use rETH
improve the quality of life for the protocol and its community.

Grants Rubric

When evaluating grant applications, the GMC takes into account the following goals:

If the application is successful, to what extent does it further the GMC goals?
To what extent can the application be feasibly carried out by the person(s) proposed to complete it?
If the application is successful, how large is the benefit to the protocol relative to the size of the proposed costs

Grant Application Template

Please copy paste the template below into a reply. Answer the questions there, feel free to remove or add sections based on relevance.

## Name of Grant

### What is the work being proposed?

### Is there any related work this builds off of?

### Will the results of this project be entirely open source ([MIT](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT), [GPL](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html), [Apache](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0), [CC BY](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) license or similar)? If not, which parts will not be, why, and under what license will they be published?



## Benefit

<please enter N/A where appropriate>

| Group | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Potential rETH holders | If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help people looking to stake ETH for rETH? |
| rETH holders | If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help rETH holders? |
| Potential NOs |  If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help people looking to run a Rocket Pool node for the first time? |
| NOs | If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help people already running a Rocket Pool node? |
| Community |  If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help the Rocket Pool community? |
| RPL holders |  If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help RPL holders? |

### Which other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?



## Work

### Who is doing the work?

### What is the background of the person(s) doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?

### What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?

### How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?

### How will the work be maintained after delivery?



## Costs

### What is the acceptance criteria?

### What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much USD $ and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?

### Is the applicant requesting RPL or LUSD?

### How will the GMC verify that the work delivered matches the proposed cadence?

### What alternatives or options have been considered in order to save costs for the proposed project?



## Conflict of Interest

### Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).

### Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?

ShfRyn · 25 March 2024 18:43

Rocket Pool Summit Grant

What is the work being proposed?

Fund regularly hosted Rocket Pool meetup events where community members can meet in approved locations (cities) twice a year, and be reimbursed up to a certain amount for their expenses.

Right now ETH Denver is the primary event for the Rocket Pool community. This grant would serve to promote more in-person communication and networking throughout the year, and also give another chance for those that may have missed ETH Denver that year.

Cities would need to be approved or added in order to streamline the process, encourage regular events, and cut down on administration verification. Following an approval of the grant, those interested in being hosts, or organizers can submit their location’s details. Their application would include the city, potential meeting locations, and a list of community members that have voiced interest in attending an event there.

Once a city is approved, they can advertise and organize events on their own, they would just need to hit all of the requirements to be eligible for reimbursement.

Funding Details:

Up to 15 community members per event
Up to $50 reimbursement per member, per event
1 event per city, per six months
$3,000 annual (calendar year) budget

Ideally this would only be for community members, the reimbursement wouldn’t cover friends, family, etc.

Is there any related work this builds off of?

The GMC has funded volunteers for ETH Denver in the past.

See a conversation thread I started specifically about the Summit Grant idea here.

Benefit

Group	Benefits
Potential rETH holders	N/A
rETH holders	N/A
Potential NOs	Organizers could invite potential NOs to help explain the protocol to them
NOs	Boosts community morale, engagement and discussion
Community	This would be one of the most impactful ideas to make the RP community more interactive and in-person
RPL holders	Token price correlates with sentiment, and active discussions contribute to fostering a more positive community sentiment.

Which other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?

None

Work

Who is doing the work?

GMC will be verifying applications and payment requests.

What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?

Ideally having six established locations utilize the grant regularly (twice a year) would be a good goal for the first year. At ten people in attendance per event, and twelve events, that would cost $3,000.

Costs

What is the acceptance criteria?

Upon approval of a location application, the GMC will post the location into a designated channel on the GMC server. Events must be prominently advertised on the dao.rocketpool.net website at least one month (30 days) before their scheduled date. Reimbursement requests must be lodged with the GMC Administrator within 30 days following the conclusion of the event, either directly or by posting on the GMC server.

Requirements For Reimbursement:

Picture of check / bill
Photo of group
List of Discord handles
Event took place in approved city (or within 30 miles)
Minimum 4 members in attendance
A $5 POAP ticket must be purchased prior to the event, this amount will be refunded upon successful attendance of the event (ShfRyn can help facilitate this)

Is the applicant requesting RPL or LUSD?

RPL recalculated at time of event.

The bill would be divided by the number in attendance and that number would be sent out equally to each attendee.

Conflict of Interest

Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).

I am the GMC administrator. I would likely apply to host events in the Philadelphia area.

Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?

No.

Other

I did try and write this as a bounty but a lot of the mechanics made me come to the conclusion that it makes more sense as a grant. I think the primary reason is because bounties have shifted towards hiring outside help, where the goal of this is to have a feature / perk embedded into the pdao.

aJoshR · 30 March 2024 19:28

Name of Grant

Research on Node Operator Succession Planning Solutions

What is the work being proposed?

This is an exploratory grant to determine what options exist for creation succession planning for Node Operators, in the event they die and their families need assistance transitioning their nodes.

Is there any related work this builds off of?

No

Will the results of this project be entirely open source

N/A

Benefit

Group	Benefits

| Potential rETH holders | N/A |

| rETH holders | Nodes that are ignored if the Node Operator passes away are bad for rETH holders, who experience a lower rate of return. |

| Potential NOs | If the Rocketpool community had a working Succession Planning process, it would be a competitive advantage over other liquid staking options. |

| NOs | This grant will help give Node Operators peace of mind that their loved ones will be taken care of, in the event they pass and their loved ones are unable to maintain their node.|

| Community| N/A |

| RPL holders | N/A |

Which other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?

N/A

Work

This first stage would be to research and propose two-to-three possible solutions to the succession planning problem. I would then solicit feedback from the community to see which option(s) are most viable.

The solutions would have to find a way to be trustworthy, secure, simple, and cost effective.

Who is doing the work?

aJoshR

What is the background of the person(s) doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?

Linkedin:Josh Rosenblatt - Co:Create | LinkedIn

I am an attorney and have been an executive at several successful crypto-startups since 2017. I am also a node operator and recently had to think through the problems of estate and succession planning with my family. I realized there is a huge gap for node operators, in the event something terrible happens.

What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?

I view this as The first stage of a three stage project. This grant is for Stage 1.

Stage 1: Research ideas, solicit community feedback, and report back on the results.

Timeline: One month

I have several ideas that I think would work well for a Node Operator succession planning proposal.

Those range from the simple: generating a form that is available for users to complete, print, and keep with their Will, that include instructions to their executor upon their passing.

To the complex: create a business whose job it is to buy Node Operator’s nodes when they are no longer able to run the node.

There are several options in between. This work will be to define and solicit the best ideas, get feedback from the community, and determine whether there is a preferred path forward.

Stage 2: Create an MVP of the solution (if viable), and begin to solicit initial users from the community.

Stage 3: Launch the solution.

How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?

It will primarily involve soliciting feedback from discord and having discussions with potential users.

How will the work be maintained after delivery?

The next grant will be to move to Stage 2, if there is sufficient interest after Stage 1.

Costs

Time: I expect this will take 20-40 hours.

What is the acceptance criteria?

Whether there is enough interest from the committee to research succession planning solutions, with the aim of standardizing a “preferred” solution for the community if all three stages are complete.

What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much USD $ and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?

Payment upon approval of the grant.

Is the applicant requesting RPL or LUSD?

200 RPL

How will the GMC verify that the work delivered matches the proposed cadence?

There will be a report at the end of the grant, detailing the findings and next steps.

What alternatives or options have been considered in order to save costs for the proposed project?

N/A

Conflict of Interest

N/A, though I plan on apply for the IMC.

Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).

No.

Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?

No.

Other

I have been a node operator for about a year, and have been a silent member of the Rocketpool discord and avid watcher of Rocket Fuel for some time. I am now at a place where I can get more involved in the Rocketpool community, and am really excited to contribute!

Davidlerma · 7 April 2024 00:11

Enhancing Rocket Pool Node Security using Sakundi Technology

What is the work being proposed and the related work this builds off of?

The proposed work involves collaborating with Rocket Pool to integrate the advanced capabilities of our Tikuna project, previously funded by the Ethereum Foundation, to enhance security and performance monitoring for Ethereum node operators (NOs). Leveraging Tikuna, we aim to provide Rocket Pool NOs with comprehensive monitoring and alert systems for critical metrics essential for operational excellence and security, such as eclipse attack detection and peer behavior scoring, among others.

Our Tikuna project utilizes Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), to effectively detect peer-to-peer (P2P) security threats within the Ethereum blockchain’s network layer. Empirical tests have demonstrated significant advancements in identifying attacks like eclipse and covert flash attacks. Ongoing monitoring efforts have revealed daily anomalies in a limited dataset, emphasizing the need to expand collaboration with additional validator operators to better understand the prevalence of these potential attacks.

Moreover, we have developed a preliminary security dashboard UI providing valuable insights into node behavior and status, which will benefit the Rocket Pool ecosystem. Through our partnership, we seek to scale and refine Sakundi’s solution in a wider real-world application, gathering crucial insights from users in an operational environment. This collaboration aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of our solution on a larger scale and extend its application across more nodes and protocols, ultimately enhancing the ecosystem’s reliability and security. The goal is to make advanced monitoring and alert functionalities easily accessible to NOs without requiring deep technical knowledge of the underlying code.

Will the results of this project be entirely open source?

Tikuna, the data analysis framework, is Open Source under the Apache License. Tikuna already includes some dashboards. We have some other Dashboards that are not open at the moment.

Benefit

Group	Benefits
Potential rETH holders	Sakundi’s monitoring tool enhances trust in Rocket Pool’s validator nodes by providing advanced security and performance insights. This increased reliability attracts more ETH stakers to Rocket Pool, making staking for rETH a preferred choice within the Ethereum ecosystem.
rETH holders	N/A
Potential NOs	Operating a validator node on a blockchain network introduces significant challenges, especially for those who are new to the task. The complexities of maintaining uptime, securing against threats, and enhancing node performance can be overwhelming. In response to these challenges, Tikuna emerges as a crucial tool for support. Tikuna delivers continuous monitoring services, ensuring that validators remain operational and in sync with the blockchain. It also aids in enhancing node efficiency through detailed network observation. The provision of intuitive dashboards are invaluable for beginner operators, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding their node management. This assistance is key to streamlining the process for individuals new to managing nodes within the Rocket Pool network.
NOs	Experienced Ethereum network validator nodes can derive substantial advantages from an AI-powered monitoring and alerting tool, such as the one we propose with Tikuna. The utilization of AI’s advanced analytics capabilities provides an additional layer of protection for node operations. This enhanced security ensures that even experienced validator nodes can uncover and address security threats and vulnerabilities that might otherwise remain unnoticed when relying solely on traditional monitoring tools. In summary, Tikuna not only supports newcomers but also provides invaluable assistance and enhanced security to those who are already proficient in managing Rocket Pool nodes.
Community	Our objective is to enhance the security within the Rocket Pool community by offering AI-driven validator security monitoring tools. Leveraging our prior research, funded by the Ethereum Foundation, we’ve developed Tikuna, a security monitoring system tailored for Ethereum’s P2P network. Our plan involves integrating Tikuna into the Rocket Pool network, accommodating various clients, and refining the process of collecting validator data to enhance privacy and efficiency.
RPL holders	N/A

Work

Who is doing the work and what is the background of the people doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?

The proposal will be executed by a team of professionals with extensive experience in their respective areas:

Dr. Andres Gomez Ramirez serves as the CEO of Sakundi, an organization dedicated to security and privacy research for blockchain networks. He has a Ph.D. in cybersecurity from the University of Frankfurt and CERN. As a computer scientist with a deep understanding of information security, machine learning, and computing infrastructure setup, he is responsible for providing technical and scientific leadership for the project. His role encompasses leading research activities and overseeing the design and development of our organization’s products.
Loui Al Sardy holds an M.Eng. in Software Engineering for Industrial Applications and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the School of Engineering at Erlangen-Nuremberg University (Germany). With a strong background as a test engineer at a software development company, Loui has acquired valuable experience over the past seven years. Additionally, Loui has conducted research studies on “Intelligent Evolutionary Constraint-based Testing Approaches for Software Vulnerabilities Discovery.”
Francis Gomez Ramirez is a computer scientist who obtained his degree from the Universidad Nacional of Colombia and has expertise in Project Management from UNITEC University. With a 12-year tenure at Grupo Bancolombia, Francis has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in managing infrastructure and suppliers. Notably, he has led groundbreaking AWS cloud migration processes and has successfully implemented infrastructure automation using pipelines in Azure DevOps. These accomplishments reflect Francis’s technical prowess and exceptional problem-solving abilities.

What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?

Milestone	Description	#Days	Budget
Integration research	Conduct a comprehensive investigation into the seamless integration of our existing monitoring and security tool, Tikuna within the Rocket Pool ecosystem	10	0%
Pilot program	Integrate the Tikuna security dashboards in order to make them available to selected Rocket Pool users to overcome the complexity of the existing code	7	40%
Gather feedback and make adjustments	Rigorous testing will be conducted to verify the functionality, accessibility, and user-friendliness of the Tikuna security dashboards for Rocket Pool users. In this phase, we will monitor the system’s performance, gather feedback from users, and make necessary adjustments.	15	60%

How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?

Testing is fundamental to our approach, with each phase meticulously planned to ensure Tikuna integrates flawlessly with Rocket Pool. Our journey begins with leveraging our past successful integration Edenia’s (our partner) validator nodes as a reference point, providing us with a solid foundation and advanced starting point for compatibility tests. During the pilot program, we focus on deploying Tikuna dashboards to a select group of Rocket Pool users, emphasizing real-world application and immediate feedback. Our primary aim is to conduct these tests within Rocket Pool, using Edenia’s proven integration as a complementary benchmark to enhance our solution’s functionality, performance, and security before its full rollout.

How will the work be maintained after delivery?

To secure Tikuna’s future, we aim for a partnership where Rocket Pool becomes a key customer of Sakundi, utilizing our enhanced services post-grant. Through a pilot program designed around Rocket Pool’s specific needs, we will showcase the effectiveness of Tikuna, positioning it as an indispensable tool for their operations. This strategic collaboration is envisioned to transition into a client-customer relationship, with Rocket Pool leveraging Sakundi’s offerings to ensure optimal network security and performance. Our commitment to adapting and refining Tikuna based on pilot feedback underscores our dedication to meeting Rocket Pool’s requirements, establishing a foundation for long-term mutual success.

Costs

What is the acceptance criteria?

Integration and Deployment: Seamless integration of the Tikuna solution with Rocket Pool, ensuring compatibility and stable operation without disrupting existing services.
Pilot Program Success: Meeting specific performance benchmarks in the pilot program, such as enhanced detection and response times to security threats, and improved node performance metrics.
User Satisfaction: High satisfaction among pilot program participants with Tikuna’s impact on usability and operational efficiency, measured through positive feedback.
Downtime Reduction and Attack Awareness: Demonstrable reduction in node downtime and effective alerting of security attacks, with metrics established to quantify improvements in these areas.

What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much USD $ and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?

Project Start Date: May 1st 2024
Project End Date: June 16th 2024
Total Days: 46
Work Days: 32

Budget use:
Our budget is determined by our infrastructure costs to deliver these services effectively and to compensate for the development work involved.

Grand Total: $5,000

Is the applicant requesting RPL or LUSD?

LUSD

How will the GMC verify that the work delivered matches the proposed cadence?

To ensure the GMC can verify that our work aligns with the proposed cadence, we will provide the following:

A GitHub repository containing detailed documentation of our solution allows for a transparent review of the project’s development and implementation.
We will deliver test results and progress reports from our pilot program with Rocket Pool. These documents will showcase the functionality, performance, and real-world applicability of our solution, clearly illustrating how our milestones align with the planned project timeline

What alternatives or options have been considered in order to save costs for the proposed project?

To optimize project costs by minimizing the project’s duration, we have explored the following strategies:

Utilizing our partner’s infrastructure (Edenia) for testing purposes instead of procuring or renting similar infrastructure, effectively economizing on infrastructure expenses.
Implementing a component reuse strategy, incorporating certain components from our existing Tikuna project. This approach streamlines development efforts and reduces the need for additional resource allocation, thus contributing to cost savings.

Conflict of Interest

Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).

N/A

Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?

N/A

dodao · 7 April 2024 09:19

Rocket Pool - Tidbits, Simulations, and Videos

What is the work being proposed?

Currently, the primary method for understanding Rocket Pool and learning about the project involves reading the documentation. While this documentation is detailed and well-written, it is not user-friendly for newcomers.

It assumes that the reader will spend a significant amount of time reading through the details to understand.

We propose the creation of a Tidbits site that would enable users to learn about Rocket Pool in approximately 10 minutes.

Here is a sample site: Rocket Pool Tidbits

On the Rocket Pool Tidbits site, we plan to include

Tidbits which make it easy to learn any topic under a minute
Interactive demos
Videos

For instance, here is an example of an interactive demos on the “Uniswap University” - https://uniswap.university site that we created: https://uniswap.university/simulations.

Additionally, we will be creating short videos covering some of the most important topics in Rocket Pool. These videos will be integrated alongside the text tidbits.

Is there any related work this builds off of?

The effort to create a tidbits site for Rocket Pool is a completely new initiative. We have previously
developed academy sites for several other leading projects in the space.

Here are the sites we have created:

https://uniswap.university/
https://arbitrum.education/
https://compound.education/
https://optimism.university/

…and many more.

The tidbits site is our latest product, drawing on three years of learning and feedback from the community in the education space.

Will the results of this project be entirely open source? If not, which parts will not be, why, and under what license will they be published?

Rocket pool content will be free for everyone to copy and use. Our own software i.e. the Tidbit Site Builder is open source.

Benefit

Group	Benefits
Potential rETH Holders	Newcomers will learn about staking, the decentralized nature of Rocket Pool, and how to stake (using simulations) in less than 2-3 minutes.
rETH Holders	Coverage of integrations, i.e., the protocols where rETH can be utilized, will enhance confidence and choices for rETH holders.
Potential Node Operators	For those considering becoming a node operator, Tidbits can provide valuable introductory information.
Node Operators	It’s unclear if Tidbits will be the best resource for existing node operators. (N/A)
Community	Will save hundreds of hours for new community members who want to understand various aspects of Rocket Pool and its DAO. One feature to be added is “Current/Past Initiatives,” pending development due to its complexity.
RPL Holders	RPL holders will easily be able to learn about the uses of RPL and how they can participate in the DAO.

Which other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?

This is specific to Rocket Pool.

Work

Who is doing the work?

DoDAO

What is the background of the person(s) doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?

We have previously
developed academy sites for several other leading projects in the space.

Here are the sites we have created:

https://uniswap.university/
https://arbitrum.education/
https://compound.education/
https://optimism.university/

…and many more.

The tidbits site is our latest product, drawing on three years of learning and feedback from the community in the education space.

We also did the technical docs for Uniswap V4 and are now working on governance tooling for Compound.

Here is a sample site for Rocket Pool: https://rocket-pool.tidbitshub.org

What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?

Right now we have created a sample site with two Tidbit Collections. With each collection having four tidbits.

We will be adding between 2-4 tidbit collections per category

Introduction to Rocket Pool: 3 - 4 tidbit collections with ~4 tidbits each
Staking and rETH: 2 - 3 tidbit collections with ~4 tidbits each
DeFi Integrations: 2 - 3 tidbit collections with ~4 tidbits each
RPL Token: 2 - 3 tidbit collections with ~4 tidbits each
Node Operators: 2 - 3 tidbit collections with ~4 tidbits each
Governance: 3 - 4 tidbit collections with ~4 tidbits each

For tidbits under Introduction to Rocket Pool, Staking and rETH, and DeFi Integrations, we will be creating interactive demos. We will be adding 2 - 3 interactive demos for each of these categories.

Milestones:

Milestone 1 - Creation of rough drafts for all tidbit collections and the tidbits within them - $6000
Milestone 2 - Completion of tidbits for Introduction to Rocket Pool, Staking and rETH, and DeFi Integrations - $2500
Milestone 3 - Completion of tidbits for RPL Token, Node Operators, and Governance - $2500
Milestone 4 - Completion of interactive demos for Introduction to Rocket Pool, Staking and rETH, and DeFi Integrations - $4000
Milestone 5 - Production of videos - $2000
Milestone 6 - Final review - $2000

All work will be completed within 2.5 months.

How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?

Yes, we can added the review in the schedule.

How will the work be maintained after delivery?

We can assign some members of the Rocket Pool team as editors for the site, allowing them to update the site as needed.

For any significant updates, we could do follow-up mini-grants.

Costs

What is the acceptance criteria?

We have added milestones for the grant and these milestones will be reviewed by the Rocket Pool team.

What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much USD $ and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?

Milestones:

Milestone 1 - Creation of rough drafts for all tidbit collections and the tidbits within them - $6000
Milestone 2 - Completion of tidbits for Introduction to Rocket Pool, Staking and rETH, and DeFi Integrations - $2500
Milestone 3 - Completion of tidbits for RPL Token, Node Operators, and Governance - $2500
Milestone 4 - Completion of interactive demos for Introduction to Rocket Pool, Staking and rETH, and DeFi Integrations - $4000
Milestone 5 - Production of videos - $2000
Milestone 6 - Final review - $2000

Total: $19,000

All work will be completed within 2.5 months.

Is the applicant requesting RPL or LUSD?

LUSD

How will the GMC verify that the work delivered matches the proposed cadence?

We have a history of delivering projects of top quality and on time. All the content will be publicly available and can be reviewed by the team.

What alternatives or options have been considered in order to save costs for the proposed project?

Our aim is to collaborate with all the top DeFi projects, and Rocket Pool is among these top projects. Therefore, we have set very reasonable costs for our efforts.

Conflict of Interest

Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).

N/A

Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?

N/A

ShfRyn · 7 April 2024 15:19

RP Team Partnership (Patches)

What is the work being proposed?

Patches contributes to the core development of the Rocket Pool protocol while being compensated by the GMC’s treasury.

Langers sets priorities with Patches for short and medium term development objectives; Patches works through these assignments independently, coordinating at completion or at important junctures with the core team.

Is there any related work this builds off of?

Patches has worked on the Smart Node and frequently coordinates with the team.

Patches has worked on Rocket Pool ecosystem projects like vfvm, sprocketpool, Rescue Node, and others.

Patches’ background is as a Systems Programmer with over 10 years of experience at traditional tech companies. Patches can provide a detailed CV upon request.

Benefit

Group	Benefits
Potential rETH holders	Speeding up Saturn development, should speed up rETH’s APR potential.
rETH holders	Speeding up Saturn development, should speed up rETH’s APR potential
Potential NOs	Saturn adds a ton of competitive features such as a lower barrier to entry, and potentially a non-rpl collateral option (depending on how tokenomics discussions go).
NOs	NOs will make more yield with Saturn, and have more options with their capital.
Community	Patches stands out as a prominent community member actively contributing to RP. This grant opportunity serves as a clear indication of the broader range of options available for community members to contribute effectively.
RPL holders	If Saturn takes too long to launch, it could negatively impact the price of RPL as competitors would take advantage of EIP-7002 before Rocket Pool.

Which other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?

N/A

Work

Who is doing the work?

Patches

What is the background of the person(s) doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?

Patches has worked on the Smart Node and frequently chats with the team in the devchat channel on Discord.

What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?

A typical work week would be 24 hours, with the maximum amount of time eligible for compensation being 40 hours.
Patches would give Langers and RP team ample notice (two weeks) if he plans on working less than 24 hours during a given week.
The RP team can have Patches start as soon as possible. If accepted, the grant will be finalized the second week of May, but Patches can submit retros for any work before then.
The initial term would be for six months, with the possibility of renewal thereafter.

How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?

The RP team would test the work based on their existing processes. Langers will verify the hours Patches submits to the GMC.

Costs

I propose a fixed rate at $100/hr.

Patches has expressed a desire to work 24 hours per week. However, during periods of urgency or when he needs to make up for shorter hours in previous weeks, a maximum of 40 hours per week may be required.

$62,400 (24 hrs / wk) - $104,000 (40 hrs / wk)

These rates take into account many factors, such as Patches’ status as a short-term contractor, work history, the job market in which he resides, and discussions with him

What is the acceptance criteria?

When logging hours, Patches will submit a timesheet to the GMC for both RP core work, and bounty assistance work. Langers can verify the RP core work and the GMC can verify the bounty assistance work. The GMC has discretion to modify the hours proposed for the bounty work.
This is not a contract; patches, the GMC, or the core team can terminate this partnership at any time; the GMC remains responsible for reimbursing for work prior to termination.

What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much USD $ and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?

Paid monthly
Timesheets would be due on the 7th of each month. (This gives 5 days for both the GMC and the RP team to verify the work completed before that month’s transaction is created.)

Is the applicant requesting RPL or LUSD?

LUSD

Conflict of Interest

Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).

I am the administrator representing the GMC, and I am submitting this grant application on behalf of Patches. The GMC and Langers recently convened with Patches to deliberate on various components of this grant.

Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?

No

ShfRyn · 8 April 2024 00:00

Notice: This message marks the closing of the eleventh (11) round of Rocket Pool grant applications. Any applications submitted after this will not be considered for this round. The GMC will announce the award recipients in a new thread here on the forums around April 28th. The community will then have two weeks to issue any challenges before funds are disbursed. Thank you to all who applied and thank you to everyone who has followed along. Anyone who would like to comment on existing applications is encouraged to do so in this thread.