Big Green DAO Grants (Community-Led Grantmaking)

Big Green DAO Grants

Big Green DAO is a decentralized, democratic grantmaking initiative where nonprofits and donors vote side-by-side as equals to determine how unrestricted funds are allocated to grassroots organizations growing food and strengthening local food systems.

Program Philosophy:

• Community-led decision making: Frontline organizations and community members decide where resources should go
• Peer-to-peer model: Centers trust, transparency, and lived experience of grassroots leaders
• Decentralized governance: Inspired by Web3 technology and DAO structures
• First-of-its-kind: Launched in 2021 as the first nonprofit-led philanthropic DAO in the world

Award Structure:

• Unrestricted grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000
• Grants determined through community-led voting process
• Recent round (Round 8): $495,000 distributed to 34 organizations
• All grantees receive: unrestricted grant, Community membership, voting token for future rounds

Geographic Scope: United States (nationwide)

Focus Areas:

• Organizations growing food
• Strengthening local food systems
• Urban farms, community gardens, mobile garden education
• Food production and skill-building

Total Impact (as of 2026):

• $4.04M+ granted since 2021
• 170+ organizations granted

How It Works

Three-Part Process:
1. Applying: Nonprofits submit streamlined applications
2. Voting: Community members (grantees and donors) vote on eligibility, budget allocation, and grant recipients
3. Awards: Successful grantees receive unrestricted funding, community membership, and voting participation rights

Eligibility Criteria

Corporate Eligibility (one of the following must apply):

• A nonprofit corporation in good standing with the state
• A governmental entity or tribal government
• Registered to solicit charitable contributions
• Operating under a fiscal sponsorship meeting requirements below

Mission/Program Match:

• Your mission clearly states that you grow food as your primary area of impact (examples: urban farms, community gardens, mobile garden education classrooms)
• You report outputs related to: food produced, number of participants growing food, educational sessions developing food-growing skills
• Primary mission test: If you could not have edible plants, you could not deliver on your mission

Program-Level Match:
Some organizations without growing food as primary mission may have specific projects/programs that qualify if:

• Project/program is established with dedicated budget line items for food-growing
• You track participant impact related to how growing food created change
• Edible plants are essential to program delivery

Fiscally Sponsored Organizations:
If your organization lacks 501c3 status, your fiscal sponsor must meet:

• Been in existence for at least 5 years
• At least $1,000,000 in assets
• Has sponsored other organizations previously
• Fiscal sponsor agreement in place for at least 6 months prior to application date
• Fiscal sponsor fees less than 10% of total granted amount
• *Note: Fiscal sponsors of multiple DAO grantees may be subject to additional eligibility/reporting requirements

Tax Classification Requirements:
Organization must meet one of these Section 170(c)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code requirements:

• 509(a)(1) public charities and 509(a)(2) organizations
• Church, synagogue, mosque, or other religious organization
• War veterans' organization
• Civil defense organization created under federal, state, or local law
• Nonprofit volunteer fire company
• Domestic fraternal society operating under lodge system (for charitable purposes)
• Nonprofit cemetery company (for perpetual care)
• State or U.S. possession (or political subdivision), or the United States or District of Columbia (for public purposes)
• Federally recognized Indian tribes and political subdivisions (IRC 7871)
• Public schools and universities

Non-Eligible Organizations, Programs, and Projects

Only open to current DAO Community Members (previously granted by DAO). Organizations granted within last 12 months are NOT eligible.

Always ineligible:

• School garden programs (standalone)
• Advocacy or umbrella organizations
• Entities that want to "add a garden" to their site
• Food distribution projects (unless directly connected to growing food or supporting people to grow)
• Organizations with racially discriminatory practices
• Private foundations and private operating foundations
• Groups that participate in partisan politics
• Type III Supporting Organizations under Section 509(a)(3)(B)(iii)
• Foreign organizations
• Terrorist organizations
• Re-granting organizations
• For-profit entities

Governance Structure

Big Green Community Committee: Leaders from across the country working to grow food in their communities. Committee leads governance and grantmaking, setting direction and ensuring decisions serve the Community and mission of supporting grassroots food-growing organizations.

DAO Structure:

• Not fully autonomous; exists both on-chain and off-chain
• Operates under Big Green's 501c3 umbrella, following all applicable laws
• Multiple safeguards protect grantee members and donor investments
• Blockchain-based organization governed by code and community members
• Community-owned with built-in treasury requiring group approval for use
• Grantees and donors have equal voting power

Benefits of Community Membership

• Access to capacity-building resources tailored to nonprofits
• Voting tokens for future grant rounds
• Peer-to-peer learning opportunities
• Ongoing education and professional development
• Support from fellow organizations strengthening food systems

How to Apply

Application Process:

Big Green periodically opens grant opportunities

Streamlined, fast application process designed to minimize time in grant portal

All eligible applicants gain access to Community's capacity-building resources (regardless of funding)

Voting Process (for Community Members):
1. Log in using email affiliated with organization's directory listing (main point of contact)
- If unsure about email or lacking access, platform guides through verification process
2. Get to know applicants
- Connect with grantseekers on Slack
- Engage in discussion via voting platform
- Use filters (location, program type, etc.) to find organizations
3. Cast your vote by designated deadline
- Receive 100 Seed Credits to distribute across organizations
- Allocate credits across multiple organizations as desired

Community Voting on Grant Terms:
Community votes on:

How much of Treasury will be used

Eligibility criteria

Which organizations receive grants and amounts

Grants awarded based on optimized consensus reflecting majority perspective

Support Materials

• DAO Voting Tutorial (video)
• DAO Committee Updates (video)
• Big Green Community Voting Guide (downloadable resource)