The GMC has concluded discussions and scoring for the Round 38 (June 7 - July 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 August 7, 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
Current GMC Roster
- Ken
- Waq
- Dr Doofus
- Destroyaaa
- Steely
- sckuzzle
- Epineph
Application Breakdown
Total Grant Applications: 3
Total Bounty Applications: 2
Total Retro Applications: 0
Total Applications Transferred From Last Round: 0
Total Amount Grants / Bounties / Retros Requested: $129,962.50
Total Amount Incoming Funds This Period: $10,400
Value of Treasury: $17,220
Total Amount Reserved: $66,787.50 ($45,000 for Saturn 2, $15,000 for Chainlink Oracle)
USD values calculated at the time GMC began deliberating on applications.
Awards, Average Overall Scores
| Number | Applicant | Title | Decision | Amount (USD) | Avg Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GA382601 | Patches | Rescue Node | Approve | $ 4,962.50 | 4.75 |
| BA382601 | ShfRyn | Support Payments #8 | Approve | $ 7,500.00 | 4.5 |
| GA382602 | Umberto Gotti | Validator Lifecycle Management | Decline | $ 100,000.00 | 1 |
| GA382603 | mahmudsudo | rp-watch | Decline | $ 15,000.00 | 1.4 |
| BA382602 | mahmudsudo | rp-ledger | Decline | $ 2,500.00 | 2 |
Detailed Award Results
Name: Rescue Node
Proposer: Patches
Type: Grant
Link to Application: Round 38 - GMC Call for Grant Applications - Deadline is July 7 - #2 by Patches
Decision: Approve
Awarded Funding: $4962.50
Requested Funding: $4962.50
Score: 4.75
Comments: The committee strongly supports continuing to fund Rescue Node at the full requested amount. Members consistently highlighted its importance to validator uptime and rETH APR, as well as its broader value to the Rocket Pool ecosystem.
Rescue Node also improves confidence among node operators and stakers, and contributes positively to Rocket Pool’s reliability and reputation.
Name: Support Payments #8
Proposer: ShfRyn
Type: Bounty
Link to Application: Round 38 - GMC Call for Bounty Applications - Deadline is July 7 - #2 by ShfRyn
Decision: Approve
Awarded Funding: $7,500
Requested Funding: $7,500
Score: 4.5
Comments: The committee supports renewing Support Payments for another three-month period. Members emphasized that continued community support remains valuable, while the payment formula provides an effective way to keep costs low during periods of limited support activity and scale compensation when demand increases.
Although the $7,500 maximum was noted as potentially high, members recognized that the formula makes reaching that amount unlikely unless there is a significant and sustained increase in support needs. Based on recent activity, actual expenditures are expected to remain substantially below the maximum.
Name: Validator Lifecycle Management
Proposer: Umberto Gotti
Type: Grant
Link to Application: Round 38 - GMC Call for Grant Applications - Deadline is July 7 - #3 by UmbertoGotti
Decision: Decline
Requested Funding: $100,000
Score: 1
Comments: The committee neither has the funding for nor sees sufficient value in this product.
Name: rp-watch
Proposer: mahmudsudo
Type: Grant
Link to Application: Round 38 - GMC Call for Grant Applications - Deadline is July 7 - #4 by mahmudsudo
Decision: Decline
Requested Funding: $15,000
Score: 1.4
Comments: The committee does not see sufficient value in funding RP-Watch in its current form. Reviewers noted that node monitoring is already available through the Smartnode stack and several external tools, while similar or additional functionality could likely be implemented at a substantially lower cost.
While some proposed features, such as rETH accounting, could be useful, there does not appear to be significant community demand for another monitoring solution, particularly at the requested $15,000 price point. GMC members also raised concerns about the proposed use of a local AI agent with access to the node.
Name: rp-ledger
Proposer: mahmudsudo
Type: Bounty
Link to Application: Round 38 - GMC Call for Bounty Applications - Deadline is July 7 - #3 by mahmudsudo
Decision: Decline
Requested Funding: $2,500
Score: 2
Comments: The committee does not see sufficient value or demand to fund rp-ledger in its current form. While reviewers acknowledged that rETH cost-basis and accounting functionality could be useful, much of the proposed functionality is already available through existing tools or could be added to them with relatively minor development.
Members also questioned whether a CLI-based tool effectively serves the rETH holders most likely to need this functionality, particularly users who do not operate a node or regularly interact with command-line tools.
Overall, the committee views the proposal as a potentially useful quality-of-life tool, but not a current priority given limited funding, existing alternatives, and uncertainty around broader adoption.
Member Participation
Waq abstained from the Rescue Node application due to his conflict of interest.
Final Voting Stages
Six out of seven members participated in the decision process.
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IMPORTANT
Based on the current value of the treasury, the committee will be extremely selective with the applications they approve in the near future. The GMC recommends only submitting applications that are of highest priority or could be considered an “emergency”.
To learn more about the decision-making process or to engage with the committee, reach out to ShfRyn for an invite to the GMC server.