Mission
The D.A.O. Grant Program aims to:
- Be the entry level grant program of the Arbitrum DAO: with an open RFP and grants up to $50,000, the program allows for both new builders to bootstrap their projects in Arbitrum and more established one to focus on our chain.
- Strengthen the Arbitrum Ecosystems: The Domain Allocator Offering (D.A.O.) Grant Program aims to strengthen the relationship between builders and contributors to the Arbitrum ecosystem by allowing a first level financial support for excellent projects.
- Ensure Transparency and Community Input: The program mandates regular progress reports and seeks community feedback to influence the direction of funded projects.
Project Allocation
The D.A.O. team approach to grant allocation focuses on supporting five verticals, with an open RFP approach that will potentially evolve in a more specific RFP process over time based on the feedback of the DAO:
- Focus on 5 verticals: the current domains, approved by the DAO, are “New Protocols and Ideas”, “Gaming”, “Education, Community Growth and Events”, “Dev Tooling on One and Stylus” and “Orbit Chains”.
- Grants up to $25k or up to $50k paid in USDC: our grant structure will allow for requests of up to $25,000 or up to $50,000. In the former case, only one DA will review and approve the proposal; in the latter, at least 2 DAs will have to review, and approve, the proposal. All grants are requested, and paid, in USDC
Budget (12 months)
| Category |
Amount ($USD) |
| New Protocols and Ideas budget |
1,500,000 |
| Gaming |
1,500,000 |
| Education, Community Growth and Events |
1,500,000 |
| Dev Tooling on One and Stylus |
1,500,000 |
| Orbit Chains |
750,000 |
| Operations Max Budgeted Cost |
703,800 |
| Total D.A.O. Budget |
7,453,800 |
Due Diligence
Our due diligence process aims to be a robust evaluation system that combines the rigor of early-stage investing with strategic alignment to Arbitrum’s goals. After the initial screening, we will focus on the following elements:
- Team Assessment: We evaluate the project’s team, considering qualifications, experience, and track record to gauge their ability to execute their vision effectively.
- Impact Assessment: We evaluate the potential impact of the project on the Arbitrum ecosystems, ensuring alignment with our grant program’s values
- Risk Assessment: We identify and assess various risks, including market, technology, and execution risks, to gauge the project’s risk mitigation strategies effectively
- Final Approval by the Domain Allocator(s): The DAs will evaluate each grant application based on the rubric of that domain
- Ask for continuous feedback from the DAO: To tailor the outcome of the program to the overall goals of the Arbitrum ecosystem, we aim to get continuous feedback on the RFP and anything related to the program from the Arbitrum DAO.