What is this about?

This discussion revolves around the development of a pluralistic grant program for Arbitrum, a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum. Feems shared an update on the progress of this initiative, highlighting the success of their Gov Month campaign, which was designed to boost community engagement and gather input for shaping a strategic framework for Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) building grant programs and distributing funds¹. They also introduced the ThankARB Strategy, a comprehensive guide for their grant framework design, stakeholder coordination, and future directions in alignment with Arbitrum’s ecosystem¹.

A Request for Proposals (RFP) was submitted, seeking one or two specialized service providers to deliver an open-source dashboard and analytics tooling, regular reporting to the Arbitrum community, and a Final Impact Report¹.

During their bi-weekly governance call, they discussed various topics including grant accountability, the overlap of grants and working groups, the STIP KYC process and funding closure, and the onboarding of new DAO participants¹.

How is the community reacting?

The community is actively participating in the discussions and initiatives. The Gov Month campaign was successful in increasing community engagement and gathering valuable input. The community is also looking forward to the three initiatives launched with Gitcoin, including a 300k Match Pool Matching on Arbitrum, Arbitrum Citizens Retrofunding Round 1, and Allo on Arbitrum Hackathon, set to begin on November 1².

Why this is positive?

The development of a pluralistic grant program for Arbitrum is a positive step towards fostering a more inclusive and participatory ecosystem. The successful Gov Month campaign and the introduction of the ThankARB Strategy demonstrate a commitment to community engagement and strategic planning. The RFP for specialized service providers and the discussions during the bi-weekly governance call show a focus on transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. The launch of initiatives with Gitcoin further enhances the opportunities for community participation and innovation.

Why this is negative?

While the overall sentiment is positive, there could be potential challenges in managing the overlap of grants and working groups, ensuring grant accountability, and onboarding new DAO participants. The STIP KYC process and funding closure could also pose some difficulties. However, these issues are being actively discussed and addressed in the bi-weekly governance calls¹.