Round 19 (Nov 7 - Dec 7) Grants / Bounties / Retrospective Awards Results

Grants / Bounties
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The GMC has concluded discussions and scoring for the Round 19 (November 7 - December 7) Grants/Bounties/RA Award Round.

This post also begins the fourteen-day clock during which, according to RPIP-15, “[a]nyone MAY file an RPIP disputing a grant, bounty, or retrospective award within two weeks of the announcement of recipients. Such an RPIP SHALL be subject to a snapshot vote.” Any awards not subject to such a challenge will become official on January 11, 2025 at 23:59 UTC.

General Updates

LUSD Treasury
The GMC has decided to discontinue converting 20% of RPL inflows to LUSD. Future recipients will no longer have the option to choose LUSD as a payment method. Link To Decision

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rETH Incubator
The GMC is seeking help converting some of the high quality rETH Incubator submissions into actionable items. You can find out more in the GMC Discord here.

Current GMC Roster
  • Ken
  • Waq
  • LFO
  • Dr Doofus
  • Destroyaaa
  • Steely
  • Kevster.eth
  • sckuzzle
  • LenofTawa
Application Breakdown
  • Total Grant Applications: 2
  • Total Bounty Applications: 4
  • Total Retro Applications: 0
  • Total Applications Transferred From Last Round: 2
  • Total Amount Grants Requested: $64,970
  • Total Amount Bounties Requested: $238,000
  • Total Amount Grants / Bounties / Retros Requested: $302,970
  • Total Amount Incoming Funds This Period: $70,000
  • Total Amount Reserves: $834,000

USD values calculated at the time GMC began deliberating on applications.

Awards, Average Overall Scores
Number Applicant Title Decision Amount (USD) Avg Score
BA192403 ShfRyn STAR Initiative Approve $209,000.00 4.57
BA192402 Epineph Support Payments (Dec 24 - May 25) Approve $18,000.00 4.43
BA192401 Valdorff RocketArb for Closes Approve $10,000.00 3.33
GA182405 Sleety Token Motion Design Subscription Defer w/ Future Consideration $29,970.00 2.5
GA182404 Butta beaconcha.in V2 Dashboard Decline $15,000.00 2.19
GA192401 ethseer Validator Monitoring Decline $8,000.00 1
BA192404 NeverAnIsland Lottery for rETH Holders Decline $1,000.00 1.33
GA192402 x23.ai AI Assistant Decline $12,000.00 1.5
Detailed Award Results

Name: STAR Initiative
Proposer: ShfRyn
Type: Bounty
Subcommittee: All
Link to Application: Round 19 - GMC Call for Bounty Applications - Deadline is December 7 - #4 by ShfRyn
Decision: Approve
Requested Funding: $209,000
Awarded Funding: $209,000
Score: 4.57
Comments: The GMC approves funding for the rETH Incubator proposal, recognizing its importance in addressing Rocket Pool’s bottleneck of rETH minting while supporting the recommended additions of tools like overseer and targeted marketing efforts.

  • Value to the Community: The proposal aligns with the GMC’s urgent priority of increasing rETH adoption, offering a cost-effective and low-risk solution to drive ecosystem growth.

  • Scope for Further Development: While the current definition needs refinement, implementation will address gaps, with a six-month review to evaluate progress and impact.

  • Encouragement for Collaboration: GMC members encourage proactive discussion and transparency to ensure successful implementation and alignment with community goals.

Pay Structure:

  • Overseer: $8,000
  • Marketing Package: $1,000
  • Rewards: $200,000
    • $50 - Search - Identify a unique organization with a treasury/funds worth reaching out to in regards to minting rETH. You can request to be the intermediary or another can be assigned. (This is earned when the Oversight Committee enter it on the STAR doc, meaning it has been vetted as a good candidate that is not currently in talks with another intermediary/Core Team/AlphaGrowth, etc.)
    • $250 - Target - If you are assigned as intermediary, find the relevant contact at the organization and get information on how to proceed with requesting they mint rETH. Using the boilerplate guidance, engage their community/leadership in the forums. This should lead up to a discussion of bringing up to a vote and must use official rETH material.
    • $700 - Request - Official vote goes live
    • 0.1% up to 10K rETH, 0.05% after (timelocked with llamapay) - rETH gets minted

Amounts subject to change as Oversight Committee or the GMC see fit.

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Name: Support Payments (Dec 24 - May 25)
Proposer: Epineph
Type: Bounty
Subcommittee: All
Link to Application: Round 19 - GMC Call for Bounty Applications - Deadline is December 7 - #3 by epineph
Decision: Approve
Requested Funding: $18,000
Awarded Funding: $18,000
Score: 4.43
Comments: The GMC approves funding for the Support Payments (Dec 2025 - May 2025) proposal, recognizing the critical role of support in the Rocket Pool ecosystem and its continued positive impact.

  • Value to the Community: Support remains one of Rocket Pool’s most valuable assets, providing premium assistance that justifies its cost and delivering significant value to the community.

  • Improved System: Feedback highlights that the current support system is an improvement over the previous one, effectively utilizing funds to maintain and enhance the quality of service.

  • Cost Concerns: While the proposed $18k budget raised some questions about its appropriateness, the majority view is that it represents a worthwhile investment given the system’s success and importance.

  • Commitment to Nurturing Support: The GMC underscores the importance of nurturing the support ecosystem and encourages ongoing evaluation to ensure its sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

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Name: RocketArb for Closes
Proposer: Valdorff
Type: Bounty
Subcommittee: Development
Link to Application: Round 19 - GMC Call for Bounty Applications - Deadline is December 7 - #2 by Valdorff
Decision: Approve
Requested Funding: $10,000
Awarded Funding: $10,000
Score: 3.33
Comments: The GMC approves funding for the RocketArb for Closes proposal, recognizing its potential to enhance peg stability and make arbitrage functionality more accessible to the Rocket Pool community.

  • Value to the Community: This proposal addresses a long-standing need for automated arbitrage functionality, allowing node operators to contribute to peg stability without requiring deep technical expertise.

  • Accessibility Improvements: While the tool will initially appeal to expert users, integrating it with a smart-node add-on in the future could significantly broaden its usability and impact.

  • Urgency and Long-Term Impact: The proposal aligns with Rocket Pool’s advertised features, ensuring node operators can effectively protect the peg. It also contributes to long-term effects on rETH minting and node operator queues, further supporting ecosystem stability.

  • Encouragement for Development: The GMC emphasizes the importance of finding contributors to implement the tool and encourages proactive collaboration to ensure its success.

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Name: Token Motion Design Subscription
Proposer: Sleety
Type: Grant
Subcommittee: All
Link to Application: Round 18 - GMC Call for Grant Applications - Deadline is November 7 - #7 by sleety
Decision: Defer w/ Future Consideration
Requested Funding: $29,970
Score: 2.5
Comments: The GMC defers the Token Motion Design Subscription proposal, acknowledging its potential value while highlighting the need for a clear plan and deliverables before committing funds.

  • Unrealized Potential: While the quality of Token Motion’s work is widely appreciated, the absence of a structured plan to utilize the offered time effectively prevents the GMC from moving forward at this stage.

  • Need for Clear Deliverables: Any future commitment should be tied to a regular publication plan, such as tweets, blogs, or other official Rocket Pool marketing materials, integrated into a focused effort to increase rETH adoption.

  • Budget Constraints: Given the limited GMC budget, design work should be funded on a case-by-case basis at commercial rates, as needed, rather than through a pre-committed subscription.

  • Future Consideration: The GMC encourages revisiting this proposal once there is a well-defined list of projects and deliverables, potentially with a dedicated coordinator to manage and prioritize design tasks.

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Name: beaconcha.in V2 Dashboard
Proposer: Butta
Type: Grant
Subcommittee: All
Link to Application: Round 18 - GMC Call for Grant Applications - Deadline is November 7 - #6 by Butta
Decision: Decline
Requested Funding: $15,000
Score: 2.19
Comments: The GMC declines funding for the Beaconcha.in V2 dashboard proposal, acknowledging its potential but determining that it lacks sufficient utility as a standalone project in its current form.

  • Incomplete Solution: While the quality of Beaconcha.in’s work is unquestionable, the proposal does not represent a complete solution. Its utility is limited without additional functionality to address key gaps, such as MEV monitoring or actionable insights for node operators.

  • Unclear Impact: The proposed dashboard for 300 node operators offers informational value but lacks clear use cases or the ability to drive meaningful outcomes for the protocol. Without a comprehensive plan for utilizing this data, its value does not justify the cost.

  • Future Opportunities: The GMC is open to revisiting this proposal if it evolves into a more robust tool with defined applications, such as assisting with MEV theft research, enhancing node operator performance, or supporting DAO-level monitoring efforts.

  • Encouragement for Collaboration: The GMC appreciates Beaconcha.in’s expertise and encourages ongoing discussions to explore how their tools could better align with Rocket Pool’s needs in the future.

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Name: Validator Monitoring
Proposer: ethseer
Type: Grant
Subcommittee: Development
Link to Application: Round 19 - GMC Call for Grant Applications - Deadline is December 7 - #2 by Migalabs
Decision: Decline
Requested Funding: $8,000
Score: 1
Comments: The GMC declines funding for the Validator Monitoring proposal, citing redundancy with existing tools and limited added value for the Rocket Pool ecosystem.

Redundancy with Current Tools: The functionality proposed is already largely covered by existing platforms like Beaconcha.in, Grafana dashboards, and Etherscan, reducing the need for additional investment.

Limited Utility: While visibility for Rocket Pool on a new platform could be beneficial, the metrics provided by the site are considered basic and do not meet the standards of established tools.

Low Community Impact: Without evidence of significant usage or clear advantages over existing solutions, the proposal does not justify the allocation of GMC funds.

Future Consideration: The GMC remains open to proposals that clearly demonstrate unique value or significantly improve upon current monitoring capabilities.

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Name: Lottery for rETH Holders
Proposer: NeverAnIsland
Type: Bounty
Subcommittee: Research
Link to Application: Round 19 - GMC Call for Bounty Applications - Deadline is December 7 - #5 by NeverAnIsland
Decision: Decline
Requested Funding: $1,000
Score: 1.33
Comments: The GMC denies funding for the Lottery for rETH Holders proposal, citing significant concerns regarding legality, ethical considerations, and effectiveness.

  • Legal and Ethical Issues: Lotteries raise potential legal challenges, particularly in jurisdictions like the USA, and conflict with some members’ ethical views on gambling.

  • Limited Effectiveness: The proposal is not seen as a cost-effective means of increasing rETH minting, with doubts about whether the benefits outweigh the risks and challenges.

  • Misalignment of Focus: The proposed lottery mechanics add unnecessary complexity and cost to what is essentially a funding request for development efforts, which could be better addressed directly.

  • Alternative Approaches Encouraged: The GMC is open to supporting initiatives that align with Rocket Pool’s values and priorities without introducing controversial or legally problematic mechanisms.

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Name: AI Assistant
Proposer: x23.ai
Type: Grant
Subcommittee: Marketing
Link to Application: Round 19 - GMC Call for Grant Applications - Deadline is December 7 - #3 by daveytea
Decision: Decline
Requested Funding: $12,000
Score: 1.5
Comments: The GMC declines funding for the AI Assistant proposal, citing its limited relevance to the Rocket Pool community’s current platforms and concerns about readiness.

  • Platform Misalignment: The primary focus on Telegram is a significant drawback, as the Rocket Pool community predominantly engages on Discord and other platforms, limiting the proposal’s utility.

  • Trustworthiness Concerns: While AI technology is promising, it is not yet reliable enough to handle the specific and technical assistance needs of the Rocket Pool community.

  • Future Potential: The GMC recognizes the potential for AI tools in the future, particularly if integrated into platforms like Discord or X to enhance user onboarding and guidance. However, this proposal is considered premature.

  • Existing Community Support: The active Rocket Pool community already provides quick and reliable support on Discord, reducing the immediate need for an AI assistant.

Bounties That Need Definitions

GMC is requesting support writing a definition for the DAO Engagement Discussion bounty.

Member Participation

All members participated in the decision process.

Final Voting Stages

There were no amendments declared during this period, and no members chose to reject the final vote slate.

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