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Foundation Rolling Grants for Science Research

Funding Amount

Up to $500,000

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Grant Type

foundation

Overview

ZF Grants Overview

Status: Active platform for community funding (launched May 2019, updated to ZF Grants 2.0 in December 2019)

Funder: Zcash Foundation

Geographic Scope: Global

Focus Areas:

  • Projects that grow or strengthen the Zcash ecosystem

  • Wallet development

  • Community outreach

  • Security analysis and improvement

  • User experience improvements

  • Technical research

  • Online services

  • Second-layer technologies

  • Financial integration

  • Privacy-focused tools

    • Award Amount: The Foundation planned to dispense the Zcash equivalent of $500,000 through ZF Grants in 2019. Awards are made in ZEC (Zcash cryptocurrency) to Sapling shielded addresses. Proposal and request funding is denominated in USD, with payouts determined by real-time market price of Zcash.

    What They Fund:

  • Individual developer projects

  • Company proposals

  • Academic research

  • Solid approaches with proven track records

  • High-risk/high-gain innovative approaches

  • Projects with clear milestones and deliverables

    • Evaluation Criteria:

  • Audacity: How crucial is the problem being solved?

  • Clarity: Does the team understand the problem? Is the timeline believable? Are outcomes concrete and explicit?

  • Excellence: Does the team have technical capability to deliver?

  • Accountability: Can the team work independently? Do they have experience with remote work?

  • Importance to the community

  • Likelihood of success

  • Security implications

  • Budget reasonableness

  • Balance across topics and recipient types

    • Eligibility:

  • Open to individuals, companies, and academic institutions

  • Proposers must be serious about their project

  • Projects should benefit Zcash ecosystem

  • Small ZEC stake required to prevent spam (amount may vary)

    • What They Don't Fund:

  • Spam or frivolous proposals

  • Projects without clear milestones or deliverables

    • Key Features:

  • Milestone-based funding structure (at least one milestone required)

  • Foundation can match funds or attach bounty payments

  • Foundation can appoint an "arbiter" to oversee milestone completion and fund disbursement

  • Community members can also pledge ZEC to projects

  • Non-attributed contributions accepted (no account required)

  • Projects can receive funding solely through community contributions

    • Platform Privacy:

  • Contributions initially through transparent transactions (t-addresses) though origin can be private via z-addresses

  • Campaign payouts made to shielded Sapling addresses

  • Fully private z-to-z contributions planned once Sapling viewing keys available

  • Non-attributed contributions not tied to accounts

    • Contact: [email protected]

    Related Pages:

  • Grant ideas list available on platform

  • Guide to writing fantastic proposals available

  • Tutorial on submitting proposals available

  • Platform: https://grants.zfnd.org (implied from context)

    • Additional Features (2.0):

  • Submit proposals requesting ZF funding

  • Submit requests suggesting ZF fund particular ideas

  • Discuss proposals in comments

  • Follow proposals for update notifications

  • "Like" proposals to show approval

  • Attach Sapling z-address for direct ZEC tips

    • How to Apply

    How to Apply

    1. Prepare Your Proposal
    - Review the guide to writing a fantastic proposal
    - Review the ZF engineering roadmap for 2020 (if pursuing technical grant)
    - Consider the evaluation criteria (Audacity, Clarity, Excellence, Accountability)

    2. Submit on ZF Grants Platform
    - Go to ZF Grants website
    - Create proposal or submit request
    - Define milestones (at least one required for milestone-based funding)
    - Specify funding amount needed in USD
    - Provide detailed project description
    - Include realistic timeline
    - Outline concrete, explicit outcomes for each milestone

    3. Required Information
    - Project title and description
    - Team/proposer background and track record
    - Detailed technical approach
    - Realistic timeline with milestones
    - Explicit deliverables for each milestone
    - Budget breakdown
    - Evidence of team capability
    - Sapling z-address for receiving funds
    - Proposed arbiter (if applicable) or acceptance of Foundation-appointed arbiter

    4. Submission Process
    - Pay small ZEC stake with proposal (prevents spam)
    - Submit via ZF Grants platform
    - Foundation staff will approve or reject proposal
    - Foundation evaluates on rolling basis
    - Community can discuss proposals in comments
    - Community can pledge ZEC to projects
    - Foundation may attach bounty or match funds

    5. After Submission
    - Expect feedback from Grant Review Committee
    - Committee may suggest scope or budget adjustments
    - Arbiter monitors milestone completion
    - Funds disbursed upon milestone achievement
    - Provide progress updates as required

    Proposal Elements

    Format:

  • Five paragraphs or less recommended for initial candidacy announcements

  • Full written proposals for selected candidates

  • Can include attachments and supplementary materials

    • Key Questions to Address:

  • Why does this project matter to Zcash?

  • What problem are you solving?

  • How will you solve it technically?

  • What is your timeline?

  • What are your specific deliverables?

  • How will community know you've succeeded?

  • What is your budget and why?

  • Who is on your team and what are their qualifications?

  • Have you worked on similar projects before?

  • Can you work independently and remotely?

    • Contact for Feedback:

  • Email [email protected] with questions or proposal ideas

  • Seek feedback before formal submission

  • Community forum discussion encouraged

    • Apply with Grantable Learn more

    What Zcash Foundation actually gave

    Source: IRS Form 990-PF, 2022 — the most recent filing with itemized grants

    Grants in 2022
    1
    Total given
    $316K
    Median grant
    $316K
    • By dollars: New Hampshire 100%. Top recipient cities: Winchester, NH.

    Example grants

    • The Tor Project Inc · Winchester, NH

      Research and Development

      $316K

    IRS Form 990-PF, 2022. Amounts as reported by the funder. Full 990 history →

    Focus Areas & Funding Uses

    Fields of Work

    science-research

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