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

Grants / Bounties
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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?
2

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.