Round 21 - GMC Call for Grant Applications - Deadline is February 7

This thread is for applications for Rocket Pool’s January 7, 2025 - February 7, 2025 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 February 7, 2025 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 21:

  • Application Period (January 7 - February 7)
  • Scoring Deadline (February 18)
  • Final Voting Amendments, Discussion and Finalization (February 19 - February 21)
  • Award Announcement (February 23)
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?

### 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?

### Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol in any way for this work?



## 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?

Name of Grant

Victus Capital Investment Proposal for Rocket Pool

What is the work being proposed?

Victus Capital proposes a strategic partnership with Rocket Pool, including an investment of $3,000,000, a minimum commitment of $2,000,000, and daily transaction-based funding to accelerate Rocket Pool’s growth in the Web3 space. This partnership includes financial backing, market-making services, user acquisition support, and connections to top exchanges and key opinion leaders (KOLs).

Is there any related work this builds off of?

Yes, Victus Capital has a strong track record of successful partnerships in the Web3 ecosystem, including projects like PepeCoin, Dynex, and LUKSO Network, among others. These partnerships have contributed to increased market adoption, enhanced branding, and network growth for these projects.

Will the results of this project be entirely open source (MIT, GPL, Apache, CC BY, or similar)?

No, the investment and strategic support are not directly related to creating open-source work but are focused on ecosystem and community growth. However, any associated tools or resources developed as part of this partnership will be assessed for potential open-source contributions.

Benefit

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

Projects within the Rocket Pool ecosystem, exchange partners, liquidity providers, and Web3 protocols integrated with Rocket Pool stand to benefit from increased liquidity, enhanced branding, and user acquisition efforts.

Work

Who is doing the work?

Victus Capital’s team, including BD associates, market makers, and strategic growth partners, will handle the investment process and provide the outlined services.

What is the background of the person(s) doing the work?

Victus Capital comprises seasoned professionals experienced in venture capital, market making, expert traders and ecosystem growth in the Web3 space. Their portfolio includes successful partnerships with leading projects like PepeCoin, Dynex, and LUKSO Network.

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

  1. Trial Period (2 weeks):

Investment of $20,000 daily.

Assessment of Rocket Pool’s initial market response.

  1. Scaling Period (Post-Trial):

Daily investments increased to $20,000–$40,000.

Activation of value-added services (KOL partnerships, market-making services, etc.).

  1. Ongoing:

Monitoring market conditions for gradual token sales to ensure minimal price impact.

Continuous branding and marketing support.

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

Yes, the trial period will serve as the initial testing phase, allowing for adjustments in investment cadence and market-making strategies. Ongoing monitoring ensures alignment with market conditions.

How will the work be maintained after delivery?

Victus Capital commits to long-term partnership support, including continuous market monitoring, branding, and user acquisition services.

Costs

What is the acceptance criteria?

The partnership will be deemed successful if:

The Rocket Pool ecosystem shows measurable growth.

User acquisition targets are met.

RPL and rETH liquidity and stability improve.

What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant?

Victus Capital proposes a structured payment schedule: an initial trial period of daily investments at $20,000 per day, scaling up to $20,000–$40,000 per day post-trial. The total proposed investment is $3,000,000, with an 18% discount on token acquisition. These tokens will be strategically utilized for trading on the market in a manner that ensures price stability and minimizes volatility, protecting the interest of GMC and Victus Capital.

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

The GMC can monitor market conditions, ecosystem growth metrics, and branding outcomes through transparent reporting provided by Victus Capital.

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

Victus Capital has minimized margins on value-added services (from 22% discount request to 18% discount) to ensure mutual benefit while maintaining a long-term partnership model.

Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol in any way for this work?

No, Victus Capital has not received prior compensation for this work.

Conflict of Interest

Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose?

No conflicts of interest have been disclosed.

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?

Victus Capital will benefit from a successful partnership through token sales executed in a market-responsible manner, supporting long-term growth for all parties involved.

Name of Grant

Rocket Pool Validator Integration for ethseer

What is the work being proposed?

This project will integrate Rocket Pool validator monitoring into ethseer, creating an open-source monitoring solution for the Rocket Pool community. The integration will connect with Rocket Pool smart contracts to track node operator performance, validator status, and rewards in real-time through ethseer’s open-source infrastructure. Node operators will access comprehensive performance metrics through ethseer’s interface.

The correctness comparison will show three bars to see side by side the performance of the target RP operator, all RP operators and all validators on mainnet.

These attestation correctness scores will be given for four different time periods.

Is there any related work this builds off of?

This integration builds upon ethseer’s open-source existing blockchain explorer infrastructure, which currently provides comprehensive monitoring for Ethereum validators. Ethseer is less popular than beaconchain, but not for it less accurate. Just recently we discovered that the number of slashed validators in beaconchain and etherscan was wrong. We wrote a blog post explaining their errors and how to fix them. Please check our blog post in our webpage to see the details.

The implementation will be leveraged by Migalabs indexer (Goteth) to process Rocket Pool-specific data. This approach ensures consistent performance monitoring across different staking pools while maintaining the specific requirements of each. Goteth is also used by other teams and quite popular.

Will the results of this project be entirely open source?

Yes, all code developed for this integration will be released under the MIT license and published on GitHub. This includes indexer modifications, and frontend components developed specifically for Rocket Pool integration. Please visit our repository on github to see all our open-source tools (github com / migalabs)

Benefit

Group Benefits
Potential rETH holders & rETH holders Access to transparent, real-time validator performance metrics.
Potential NOs Access to comprehensive network statistics and performance benchmarks to evaluate operational requirements and expectations before joining the network.
NOs Real-time monitoring of validator performance, rewards, and network metrics through a reliable, established platform. Enhanced visibility into individual and network-wide operational metrics.
Community Access to an additional open-source monitoring tool that enhances network transparency and provides valuable operational insights.
RPL holders Greater visibility into network health and performance metrics that may impact protocol value and growth.

Which other protocols would benefit from this grant?

The integration architecture developed for this project will serve as a template for other staking protocols seeking monitoring solutions. The open-source nature of the project allows other protocols to leverage our implementation for their own monitoring needs.

Work

Who is doing the work?

MigaLabs (dot) io

What is the background of the person(s) doing the work?

Migalabs is a Blockchain ecosystem observatory. We have built and maintained open-source services within the Ethereum ecosystem, engaging in collaborations with teams Lido, Obol, Protocol Labs, and Attestant. Please visit the “Research Papers” section of our website as well as our Blog to see more details on all the work we have done in the community.

In addition, the founder and research leader of MigaLabs (Leo), is a core researcher of Ethereum and is deeply involved in the PeerDAS and FullDAS research, as well as in many P2P aspects: Profile - leobago - Ethereum Research

What is the breakdown of the proposed work?

The project will be completed in three phases over eight weeks:

Phase 1 (Weeks 1-3): Backend Integration

  • Smart contract integration
  • Indexer modifications
  • Database schema updates

Phase 2 (Weeks 4-6): Frontend Development

  • Node operator dashboard implementation
  • Validator performance metrics
  • Data visualization components

Phase 3 (Weeks 7-8): Testing and Documentation

  • Integration testing
  • Performance optimization
  • Documentation creation
  • Community feedback integration

How is the work being tested?

Testing will occur throughout development, including unit tests, integration tests, and community beta testing. The final two weeks are dedicated to comprehensive testing and refinement based on community feedback.

How will the work be maintained after delivery?

Our team will maintain the integration as part of ethseer’s regular maintenance schedule. Although the regular maintenance of Ethseer ensures the Rocket Pool community with this data, all major updates will be executed under new grant proposals with the goal of building a long-term relationship that benefits the Rocket Pool staking ecosystem.

Our intention is to do this project as a starting point, looking for a long-term collaboration between MigaLabs and RocketPool in which we continue delivering R&D products to RP, every time more and more finely tuned to the specific needs of RP.

Costs

What is the acceptance criteria?

The integration will be considered complete when:

  • All specified features are implemented and tested
  • Documentation is complete and published
  • Code is released under MIT license

What is the proposed payment schedule?

Total budget request: $8000 USD

  • 50% upon proposal acceptance
  • 50% upon final delivery

Is the applicant requesting RPL or LUSD?

We request payment in LUSD.

How will the GMC verify delivered work?

We will provide regular GitHub updates and milestone demonstrations. Each phase will include documentation and results for review.

What alternatives have been considered to save costs?

We leverage existing ethseer and goteth infrastructure to minimize development costs and ensure long-term maintainability.

Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol?

No, we have not received any previous compensation from Rocket Pool.

Conflict of Interest

Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose?

No conflicts of interest to disclose.

Will the recipient benefit financially if the grant is successful?

No direct financial benefits beyond the grant compensation. The integration will be freely available to all users.

## FOMO Factor EP1 (side-event at ETHDenver) proposal for RocketPool

### What is the work being proposed?

FOMO Factor proposes the integration of RocketPool into its’ flagship event, happening on the 26th of February (between 12:00 and 18:00 MST).

This partnership includes a strategic speaking opportunity, business development opportunities, on-site branding, a co-marketing campaign featuring all the event’s partners and thought-leadership placement alongside the key players within the re/staking space.

Both the DAO and Core Team will be welcomed into the event, with as many representatives as deemed neccessary.

FOMO Factor’s event is already gaining traction and is firmly placed as a must-not-miss Staking/Restaking related side events of the conference week, for thousands that will be travelling to Denver’s annual conference.

The event link can be found here: 🇺🇸 FOMO Factor: EP1 - 🔂Re/Staking · Luma

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

Yes, FOMO Factor has been running private events for various projects in Web3 space for the last 8 months - most notably at ETHCC and Token2049 Singapore. The team has over 10 years of experience, executing high-level events both in Web2 and Web3.

Mastercard, SSV and P2P are a good representation of this mix.

### 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?

No, the investment (and FOMO Factor’s support) are not directly related to an open-source creation - instead focusing on thought leaderships, ecosystem & community growth.

## Benefit

The RocketPool ecosystem and any specific partners that the chosen speaking representative brings a spotlight to during the event/speaking appearance.

In addition, the RocketPool DAO and Core Team will be able to benefit from a tailored guest-list of attendees, enhancing business development opportunities.

| Group | Benefits |

| Potential rETH holders | If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help people looking to stake ETH for rETH? |

The awareness and relationships gained at FOMO Factor’s flagship event can drive increased rETH liquid staking adoption/integration and help RocketPool to scale.

| rETH holders | If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help rETH holders? |

Similarly to the above, FOMO Factor’s event will help align with the DAO’s key objectives of driving increased rETH liquid staking adoption/integration.

| If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help people looking to run a Rocket Pool node for the first time? |

Through this synergy, RocketPool will gain access to a wide range of staking interested attendees, meaning also several opportunities for first point of contact.

| If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help people already running a Rocket Pool node? |

The potential traction gained off the back of RocketPool’s appearance at FOMO Factor’s event can directly, positively, impact the DAO and its community in the short, medium and long term.

| Community | If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help the Rocket Pool community? |

RocketPool will gain access to a co-marketing campaign placing them top-of-mind pre/post/after the event.

| RPL holders | If the grant is successfully completed, how does this help RPL holders? |

Current holders would also benefit from the connections, business and attention that the event will bring to RocketPool’s DAO, it’s Core Team, holders and wider community.

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

N/A

## Work

### Who is doing the work?

FOMO Factor’s including it’s founders, marketing team, on-site support as well as the selected venue in Denver - will all provide the outlined service

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

The FOMO Factor team comprises of seasoned professionals with over 10 years of developing events across both the Web3 space as well as the Web3 industry.

Both founders have worked multiple roles (CMO, Global Events Lead, Product Marketing, Creative Lead) in these spaces. As previously mentioned, their portfolio includes events for Mastercard (Champions League, BRIT Awards, various tech shows), Binance (running the first events in Brazil/South America) topping a long list of previous work.

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

The scope of the partnership agreement includes RocketPool gaining access to a main panel speaking slot (via a representative from the Core Team), sharing 6 (six) posts on their social medias/forums promoting the event (content provided and curated by FOMO Factor), receiving the full RSVP lists upon conclusion of the event and full access to the event for their team (both DAO and Core Team).

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

N/A

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

FOMO Factor will run a follow-up marketing campaign + report in the two weeks upon the conclusion of the event. This first collaboration with also push RocketPool to the front of the queue in terms of collaboration on ‘Episode 2’, which will happen at Token 2049 Dubai - the next key global conference happening after ETHDenver.

## Costs

### What is the acceptance criteria?

The partnership will be deemed successful if:
The RocketPool DAO members and Core Team are satisfied by the quality of the event.
Attendee targets (400pers cumulatively) are met.
A room full of quality and relevant attendees are on location.
RocketPool can pick up business opportunities via this collaboration.
The RocketPool speaking representative (Core Team) makes a successful and valuable panel appearance, furthering both thought leadership and branding.

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

FOMO Factor proposes a one-time payment of $3500 - this to help cover venue costs, marketing materials, venue setup and team support.

The payment is to be made as soon as this proposal is cleared by the RocketPool community, via wire to FOMO Factor’s USDt (erc-20) compatible wallet.

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

The GMC will receive a post-event report from the FOMO Factor team - this will breakdown all the event statistics.

In addition the GMC will receive feedback from the RocketPool Core Team on location - ensuring a fair and transparent follow-up process, post-event.

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

The closest event package on the market (with a lesser offering in terms of both speaking opportunity, potential business development and branding/co-marketing) goes for $8500.

FOMO Factor has made sure to keep RocketPool’s offer extremely competitive - which will not be able to be matched elsewhere.

### Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol in any way for this work?

No, FOMO Factor has not received prior compensation for this work.

## Conflict of Interest

No conflicts of interest have been disclosed.

### 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).

FOMO Factor will benefit from a successful partnership through bringing in more potential event collaboration with RocketPool (both DAO and Core Team), with view of the next synergy being at Token2049 Dubai, upon a successful collaboration at ETHDenver.

### 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, FOMO Factor will use the allocated funds to further the success of the event - while making sure that the team working on execution is fairly compensated.

1 Like

Name of Grant

Using rETH as collateral to support preconfirmations with mev-commit

What is the work being proposed?

Primev, the organization behind mev-commit, proposes adding support for rETH as collateral for opting in validators. Validators can drive increased usage and adoption of rETH and increase yields by opting into mev-commit using rETH as collateral. Opting in is passive and requires no operational overhead or additional software. In addition to increased yield, we are implementing a points program that will reward validators for their support with bonus multipliers for early adopters and long term commitment to the network.

We propose Rocket Pool incentivize validators to opt-in by posting 1,000 rETH as collateral for the entire Rocket Pool Node Operator set.

The Primev development team will integrate rETH as a supported collateral type in the staking contract enabling validator opt-in to the mev-commit protocol. Our development team will also ensure our validator dashboard supports Rocket Pool node operators by delineating opt-in methods, registration processes, and trust assumptions.

In addition to development work, our growth team will support co-marketing and engagement with Rocket Pool validators to ensure the community is armed with information and understands the benefits of using rETH to opt-in to mev-commit. Our team will partner with Rocket Pool to co-develop or produce material for forum and research posts, documentation, and other relevant resources. We will also make our team available for community calls or via Discord, to answer any questions and help drive engagement.

Is there any related work this builds off of?

The proposed work builds off our current staking contract implementations, as well as our established validator dashboard with registration flows. Links below:

Will the results of this project be entirely open source?

Yes, all code will be open source as Primev builds in the open. Core integration code will be available in the mev-commit repository. Dashboard modifications will be publicly accessible. Technical specifications and integration guides will be public.

Benefit

The ability to use rETH for mev-commit generally increases the value proposition for staking with Rocket Pool and helps increase yields for existing rETH holders as well as Node Operators. Overall, this will contribute to enliving the Rocket Pool ecosystem and its competitive advantage vis-a-vis other validator communities. Specifically –

Group Benefits
Potential rETH holders Increased utility and yield potential for rETH makes it more attractive as a liquid staking token
Additional revenue streams provide better value proposition for staking with Rocket Pool
More use cases and integrations enhance rETH’s ecosystem position
rETH holders Higher yields through mev-commit integration without additional action required
Expanded utility of rETH through mev-commit staking contract integration
Increased value accrual to rETH through validator rewards
Potential for additional revenue streams through MEV optimization
Potential NOs Enhanced revenue potential makes node operation more attractive
Clear pathway to participating in MEV-commit with their validators
Simplified onboarding through integrated dashboard
Additional incentives through points system
NOs Immediate access to additional yield through mev-commit
No changes required to existing node operation
Seamless integration through dashboard
Recognition and rewards through points system
Opportunity to increase returns without additional infrastructure
Community Growing ecosystem of rETH integrations
Enhanced competitiveness in liquid staking market
Support for fast transaction experience within Ethereum ecosystem
RPL holders Increased demand for node operation could drive RPL demand
Growing ecosystem increases RPL utility

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

mev-commit was started to address coordination inefficiencies among mev actors in an increasingly decentralized and complex transaction execution landscape. To that end, we’re building a neutral, chain abstracted, credible commitment network that enables composability and increased liquidity across the entire mev ecosystem. For everyone to benefit, validators and other providers must opt-in but also, ultimately, bidders such as searchers and solvers.

Work

  • Integration of rETH as a supported collateral type for validator opt-in to mev-commit
  • Development of validator dashboard support for Rocket Pool node operators
  • Creation of specific user flows and documentation for Rocket Pool validators
  • Implementation of point system rewards for Rocket Pool validators
  • Co-marketing initiatives to drive adoption among Rocket Pool node operators
  • Technical support for validators during rollout

Who is doing the work?

Primev, the founders of mev-commit, developers and growth/operations team members.

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

Primev, the organization behind mev-commit, was founded in November 2022 to address coordination inefficiencies among mev actors in an increasingly decentralized and complex transaction execution landscape. Our team, with experience at Blocknative operating a mainnet relay and block builder, developed mev-commit as an open source credible commitment network.

Regular interactions with transaction execution pipeline actors led to the creation of mev-commit. Primev has published extensive research on preconfirmations and is building mev-commit in the open, with plans to grow the network with the community through a DAO structure, which will present a governance voice for participating PBS actors including relays. We used validators staked in Holesky as a benchmark for market demand for commitment games and saw significant interest, modeling a 0.23% increase in total yield based on 30% higher bids for preconfs, bringing the potential staking yield from current ~3.2% to 3.43%. Since launching mainnet, we have formalized partnerships and continue to see demand as we work toward deeper mainnet adoption.

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

  1. Milestone – March 1st 2025

Completed implementation which integrates rETH as a supported collateral type for validator opt-in to mev-commit

  1. Milestone – March 5th 2025

Development of validator dashboard support for Rocket Pool node operators

  1. Milestone – March 10th 2025

Creation of specific user flows and documentation for Rocket Pool validators

  1. Milestone – March 15th 2025

Audit for aforementioned implementation is complete.

  1. Milestone – March 15th 2025

Completed implementation of point system rewards for Rocket Pool validators

Other ongoing initiatives to launch following the completion of milestones 1-5 and continue through the adoption of mev-commit by Rocket Pool validators. Co-marketing initiatives to drive adoption among Rocket Pool node operators. Technical support for validators during initial rollout, as well as beyond.

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

Testing is included in the above schedule. Prior to any public releases the Primev development team will follow best practices for testing and security. This includes:

  • Unit testing throughout the test-driven development process
  • Integration testing with external staking protocols (if applicable)
  • E2e testing of the full opt-in flow for validators
  • Audit of staking contract

There is a testnet available with various services, more information is available here Mev-commit Testnet - Documentation.

Security considerations prior to launch include:

  • How/if the staking implementation integrates with external staking protocols
  • How long auditing will take for any new code

How will the work be maintained after delivery?

  • Ongoing support through Primev team
  • Regular updates and improvements
  • Community feedback incorporation
  • Technical support for validators
  • Documentation updates as needed

Costs

We propose Primev absorb development and co-marketing costs and all funding associated with this grant go toward incentivizing all Rocket Pool node operators to op-in. Entity-level staking is at 1,000 rETH, the cost for which we suggest Rocket Pool GMC authorize to benefit the whole Rocket Pool community.

What is the acceptance criteria?

  • Successful deployment of rETH integration
  • Working validator dashboard with Rocket Pool support
  • Documentation and guides published
  • Marketing materials and announcements released
  • Initial validator set onboarded: >1,000 Rocket Pool validators

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

We propose holding the 1,000 rETH in a contract [equivalent of escrow] for incentivizing validators. It would need to be available in that contract by the end date of the last milestone in order for Rocket Pool validators to be able to opt in.

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

Each of our milestones will have publicly available deliverables either on our Github or documentation site. Additionally we are happy to post progress updates to a dedicated forum post, as GMC wishes. For community support, this will be done in collaboration with the Rocket Pool team. Ultimately, the validator opt-in will speak for itself – if it doesn’t happen then there’s no incentivization payout.

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

We are already determined to absorb costs related to development and co-marketing in order to preserve the entirety of any costs associated with this proposal for the necessary opt-in amount. The choice of opt-in method (vanilla, EigenLayer, or Symbiotic) affects the amount of ETH required and the capital efficiency of the process. In this case, our only leaver to drive down costs would be to restrict opt-in to a subset of whitelisted validators at 3 ETH per validator, rather than entity-level opt-in.

FAQ: Why do we need 3 ETH (or equivalent) per validator to opt-in?

Collateral is required to opt in to mev-commit for several reasons:

  1. Staking Requirement: Validators need to stake ETH as collateral to participate in the mev-commit protocol. This stake serves as a security measure and incentive for honest behavior.

  2. Capital Efficiency: The amount of ETH required depends on the opt-in method chosen:

  • Vanilla staking: Requires standalone ETH stake (1 ETH on mainnet, 0.0001 ETH on Holesky testnet per validator pubkey).
  • EigenLayer: More capital efficient as it allows reusing the 32 ETH already staked with the beacon chain.
  • Symbiotic: Offers capital efficiency through ERC20 collateral in a Symbiotic vault.
  1. Incentive Mechanism: The staked ETH is part of a reward and slashing mechanism. Validators can earn rewards for following the protocol and face penalties (slashing) for malicious behavior or failing to propose blocks from mev-commit registered block builders.

  2. Protocol Security: The ETH stake helps secure the mev-commit protocol and incentivizes validators to include blocks built by mev-commit providers in the L1 chain.

  3. Commitment to Protocol: Staking ETH demonstrates a validator’s commitment to following the mev-commit protocol rules, including the relay selection rule.

Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol in any way for this work?

No

Conflict of Interest

None

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 has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?

Funds for the grant go toward Rocket Pool validators. This helps mev-commit help validators in your community opt-in and receive better rewards over time.

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Name of Grant

Smart Node v2 Exit Arbitrage Add-on

What is the work being proposed?

I propose to develop an exit arbitrage add-on for Smart Node v2 that automates arbitrage capture during operations that distribute ETH to the rETH contract. When a node operator (NO) issues commands such as minipool close, minipool distribute or node distribute-fees, the add-on will check if the module is active, notify the operator of potential arbitrage opportunities, and finally construct and submit the necessary bundled transactions. This project builds on the previous bounty (BA022310) and leverages the RocketpoolExitArbitrage tool. An optional extension would add arbitrage support for additional commands like minipool reduce-bond and minipool stake that indirectly distribute the node distributer.

Is there any related work this builds off of?

Yes, this work builds directly on lessons learned from the previous bounty (BA022310) and uses the existing Smart Node v2 infrastructure. I plan to reuse the contract deployed at 0x2631618408497d27D455aBA9c99A6f61eF305559, developed as part of that bounty.

Will the results of this project be entirely open source (MIT, GPL, Apache, CC BY license or similar)? If not, which parts will not be, why, and under what license will they be published?

N/A - as an add-on this will be published as part of the smart node.

Benefit

Group Benefits
Potential rETH holders Enhanced price stability and improved exit liquidity at protocol rate, which can increase the demand for rETH when staking ETH.
rETH holders Improved pricing stability through more consistent exit liquidity at the protocol rate.
Potential NOs User-friendly add-ons lower entry barriers and can attract new node operators to the Rocket Pool network.
NOs Access to real-time profit notifications and automated transaction bundling integrated directly into Smart Node v2, eliminating the need for external tools.
Community Enhanced Smart Node capabilities that reduce rETH price discounts, contributing to a more robust protocol.
RPL holders As RPL is closely linked with rETH, enhanced stability and pricing of rETH can indirectly support and boost the value of RPL.

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

By reducing rETH price discounts, the tool minimizes exit liquidity concerns for DeFi integrations, potentially increasing the adoption of rETH in various protocols.

Work

Who is doing the work?

0xtrooper

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

I have previously developed the RocketArb For Closes bounty (BA022310), creating a CLI tool that has been used over 100 times. This experience provides a strong foundation for refactoring and extending the functionality into an add-on for Smart Node v2.

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

  • Milestone A – Core Integration & Functionality:
    I will develop the exit arbitrage add-on, integrating it with key commands (minipool close, minipool distribute, and node distribute-fees), and implement real-time profit notifications and bundled transaction construction. I estimate delivery within 1–2 weeks for submitting a PR to the Smart Node, assuming V2 is ready. As merging the PR depends on external factors, I cannot commit to a fixed deadline for that.

    • Optional extension:
      This extension would extend the functionality for commands like minipool reduce-bond and minipool stake or node deposit, which only indirectly distribute ETH to the rETH contract, as they need to distribute the node distributer rewards. These arbitrage checks might not be deemed necessary, if requested, they would require an additional 1–2 days.
  • Milestone B – Megapool Support:
    I will update the add-on to support megapool-specific arbitrage based on the finalized specifications. This phase should take approximately 2–5 days, as most of the core code will be reusable, with timing mainly depending on testing delays.

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

I will perform extensive testing on the Holesky testnet to ensure robust functionality and security.

How will the work be maintained after delivery?

I anticipate minimal ongoing maintenance. However, I will address any issues for a reasonable period post-release and provide thorough developer documentation for future reference.

Costs

What is the acceptance criteria?

A fully functional add-on that integrates with Smart Node v2, automating arbitrage capture as described.

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

The payment would be done after the Milestones are accomplished. I request the following amounts:

  • Milestone A: $4,000
    • Optional extension: additional $500
  • Milestone B: $1,000

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

Verification can be performed via progress updates, code reviews, and testing (eg. on Holesky).

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

N/A

Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol in any way for this work?

This work is based on the bounty RocketArb For Closes (BA022310). Although some code will be reused, some refactoring and new features are required to convert it into an add-on. This also includes incorporating lessons learned from the previous 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).

There are no conflicts of interest. I am an independent developer.

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

Name of Grant

Certifications for rETH Course Completion Incentive

What is the work being proposed?

Rocket Pool can purchase Cyfrin certifications as incentives for course completion. The first x developers who complete the course—along with any additional requirements we set (e.g., joining Discord)—would be eligible. (x corresponds to the number of courses purchased.)

For the inclusion of certifications giveaways in our rETH Integration course launch campaigns, we’ll be highlighting this across all pre-launch, launch, and post-launch activities. Re; eligibility criteria, we’ll leave the decision to you. The baseline requirement is that participants must complete the rETH integration course. However, if you’d like to include additional criteria—such as joining your Discord community or other engagement activities—we’re happy to incorporate that to direct new developers to your community

Is there any related work this builds off of?

Yes. The GMC approved a grant for Cyfrin to build two extensive courses. This would incentivize developers to complete Rocket Pool’s upcoming rETH course.

Will the results of this project be entirely open source (MIT, GPL, Apache, CC BY license or similar)? If not, which parts will not be, why, and under what license will they be published?

Benefits

Group Benefits
Potential rETH holders Increases marketing visibility of rETH
rETH holders Increasing developer knowledge of rETH
Potential NOs N/A
NOs N/A
Community Creates buzz with a strong co-marketing event. The community can take advantage of the promotion.
RPL holders Potential improvement in sentiment could lead to a increase in token price

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

N/A

Work

Who is doing the work?

Cyfrin

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

Certifications serve as proof that an individual has the necessary skills to work as a professional smart contract engineer or security researcher. Developers can now purchase a seat for the SSCD+ (Solidity Smart Contract Development Certification) exam and get certified.

Here are more details for your review:

  • Blog: Cyfrin Updraft Launches Blockchain Developer Certifications Introducing Blockchain Developer Certifications from Cyfrin Updraft
  • Program: Solidity Smart Contract Developer Certification (SSCD+) Cyfrin Updraft Solidity Smart Contract Developer Certification
  • We launched Certifications just 2.5 weeks ago and have seen great interest. Our first purchase came in just 10 minutes after launch, and our first exam session took place yesterday.
  • Interest has been strong, particularly from leading protocols.
  • In addition to Rocket Pool, our launch partners include zkSync, Chainlink, Uniswap Foundation, Curve Finance, Circle, GMX, EigenLayer, Trezor, and globally recognized education partners like Cambridge University Blockchain Society, Harvard Undergraduate Blockchain, and Oxford Blockchain Society and more.

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

The work will be marketed in tandem with the release of the rETH course they built.

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

N/A

How will the work be maintained after delivery?

N/A

Costs

There would be a 35% discount for 100 licenses, and a 20% discount for anything less than that.

  • Certification ($199)
  • Reschedule Voucher ($9.99) – Allows rescheduling up to 7 days in advance
  • Study Guide ($9.99) – Includes 40+ practice questions
  • Retake Option ($49.99) – Allows a retake if they don’t pass the first attempt

Total Value: $269.99

100 Certifications

  • Without Add-ons: $129.35 per certificate
    • Total: $12,935
  • With Add-ons: $175.49 per certificate
    • Total: $17,549

50 Certifications

  • Without Add-ons: $159.20 per certificate
    • Total: $7,960
  • With Add-ons: $215.99 per certificate
    • Total: $10,799.50

What is the acceptance criteria?

N/A

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

I have asked if the certificates can be funded ONLY if developers complete the courses and the parameter(s) first.

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

The GMC can choose whether or not they would like to purchase add-ons and how many licenses they would like to purchase.

Have you already been compensated by the RP protocol in any way for this work?

No.

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).

This proposal came up during a meeting with Cyfrin. I’m submitting it myself because of the deadline. I have no opinion on whether or not to fund 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.

Notice: This message marks the closing of the twenty first (21) 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 February 23rd. 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.