Phase 0 of KYVE Grants Program Concludes: Setting the Stage for Future Phases

After over 100 days live, Phase 0 of the KYVE Grants Program is now closed!

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The KYVE Grants Program was introduced by the KYVE Foundation to foster innovation and promote a decentralized, collaborative developer community. In line with KYVE Foundation's commitment to transparency and community involvement, Phase 0 was designed as an introductory step, providing a general grant application template and an interim governance voting process to guide grant approval. The phase’s main goal was to fund projects that directly benefit KYVE technology or its community of data users, with up to USD 50,000 per grant.

During this phase, seven applications were submitted, with four successfully passing the governance voting process. Of these, two have been approved, and the others are under final review by the KYVE Foundation. Overall, highlighting both the program’s potential to surface impactful projects and the KYVE community’s involvement in advancing the network. This initial phase has demonstrated the value of community-driven innovation and set the stage for the next phases of the program.

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Key Achievements 

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Easy Program Participation

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The grant application process itself proved to be straightforward and easily understood amongst all KYVE users, allowing participants to engage without unnecessary complexity. It went as follows:

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• Applicants submitted their proposals using a provided template on KYVE’s official governance forum. These proposals then underwent a 10-day discussion period, allowing the community to review and provide feedback.
• If no significant objections arose during this period, the KYVE Foundation advanced the proposal to on-chain governance voting. Successful proposals that passed this voting stage were then subject to a final review by the KYVE Foundation to ensure compliance with the program's terms and conditions. Upon confirmation, the grant was approved, and an agreement was signed to initiate the funding.
• Applications that received clear objections from the community, failed governance voting, or did not meet the program’s terms and conditions were rejected.

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Community Involvement

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Phase 0 has been a testament to the strength and engagement of the KYVE community. A major success was the active voting participation in the governance process on the received grant applications. This collective involvement was crucial in ensuring that the projects moving forward were aligned with the community's vision for the future of KYVE.

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Funding Impactful Innovations

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The ultimate success of this initial phase was the strategic funding of innovative projects supported by the community and designed to enhance the KYVE Network. While these initiatives are still in development, they are expected to drive significant advancements around KYVE, benefiting users worldwide. This aligns with the KYVE Foundation’s commitment to supporting positive developer contributions that foster innovation and build a decentralized, collaborative community.

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Phase 0’s Grant Applications 

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1. Four Pillars Research - Approved
   • Description: This initiative aims to enhance awareness of KYVE by publishing comprehensive research articles, including an introductory piece, an ecosystem overview, and a detailed 30-40 page report available in both English and Korean. All milestones are to be completed by December 31, 2024. Read their first article here.
     Granted Funding: $17,000 in USDC
     Status: Their application, Proposal #32, passed KYVE’s on-chain governance voting on June 14th, 2024. After a final review, the KYVE Foundation approved it on July 9th, 2024.
     

1. Staking Rewards Ecosystem Partnership - Approved
   • Description: A strategic partnership with Staking Rewards to increase exposure for KYVE protocol validators and enhance staking participation and decentralization on the KYVE Network. Milestones include the integration of KYVE Protocol into the Staking Rewards platform, SDK integration, and a Staking Summit.
     Granted Funding: $50,000 in $KYVE
     Status: Their application, Proposal #33, passed KYVE’s on-chain governance voting on June 18th, 2024. After a final review, the KYVE Foundation approved it on August 6th, 2024.
     

1. Blockrewards.info Integration with KYVE - In Review
   • Description: A project to integrate KYVE's decentralized data infrastructure with Blockrewards.info, a multichain analytics platform, to support institutional-grade staking rewards data. By leveraging KYVE’s decentralized data infra, they plan to migrate existing data indexers to KYVE over the next few quarters, aligning with KYVE’s vision of being the data backbone for Web3 projects. 
     Status: Their application, Proposal #36, passed KYVE’s on-chain governance voting on June 24, 2024, and is currently under final review by the KYVE Foundation.
     

1. MELLIFERA KYVE Restake Service for Protocol Nodes - Rejected
   • Description: A proposal to develop a restake service for KYVE protocol nodes, intended to improve staking processes and to enable validators within the protocol to offer restaking services.
     Outcome: Their application, Proposal #35, passed KYVE’s on-chain governance voting on June 21, 2024. However, this application was ultimately rejected by the KYVE Foundation due to incompliance with the grant program's terms and conditions.
     

1. Validatrium AML Bot - Rejected
   • Description: A project aimed at providing anti-money laundering tools within the KYVE ecosystem, further ensuring the integrity and security of the network.
     Outcome: Their application, Proposal #34, was rejected by KYVE’s on-chain governance voting on June 21, 2024.
     

1. Fair AI Data Validator - Rejected
   • Description: A proposal to build a validator system for AI data on the KYVE Network. Providing a platform where creators can securely contribute and monetize their work, while AI developers can gain access to ethically sourced, high-quality data, with clear licensing for use in AI training.
     Outcome: Their application, Proposal #38, was rejected by KYVE’s on-chain governance voting on July 25, 2024.
     

1. DAOsign Grant Management Platform - Rejected
   • Description: A decentralized platform for collaboration, authorization, and workflow management via smart signatures.
     Outcome: This application received questions from the community that remained unanswered during its 10-day discussion period. A 10-day extension was added, but the project remained inactive in responding. Therefore, this application was rejected on June 17th, 2024, and did not move on to governance voting. 

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Learnings From this Initial Phase

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One of the key takeaways from Phase 0 was the positive impact of having a fully open grant scope. This approach enabled the community to showcase its creativity and innovation, resulting in a diverse range of proposals on how to support and grow the KYVE Network, from research articles to staking enhancements, and even AI developments. 

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While the DAO-signalling approach ensured transparency and inclusivity, establishing a dedicated grant review team in future phases could enhance the thorough assessment of each proposal's potential impact on the KYVE ecosystem.

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Other room for improvement includes further motivating broader community participation in discussions surrounding each application. Although the voting process was well-attended, more could be done to encourage deeper engagement during the proposal review stage. Moving forward, efforts will focus on fostering an environment that promotes increased dialogue and feedback, ensuring that all voices in the KYVE community are heard.

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Throughout this process, KYVE’s commitment to transparency, inclusion, and community-driven decision-making has remained central. These values will continue to guide the refinement and evolution of the KYVE Grants Program.

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What’s Next for the KYVE Grants Program?

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With Phase 0 now officially closed, the KYVE Foundation is taking the time to thoroughly review the outcomes of this initial phase. The insights gained will help inform the direction of the overall Grants Program, ensuring any future developments remain aligned with KYVE’s core values and the goal of successfully supporting impactful projects powered by KYVE.

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Continuing transparency around the program, achieved milestones and other updates of approved grants will be shared with the community via the KYVE governance forum and on KYVE’s official X account.

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While this initial phase is now closed, Phase 1 is soon to come! Curious builders and KYVE enthusiasts, be sure to stay tuned for updates on the progression of this grants program. Also, don’t hesitate to share your opinion on how to further improve the KYVE Grants Program by starting a discussion on KYVE’s forum. Your continued engagement and contributions are vital to the success of KYVE, supporting even more innovative projects to come to life in the next phases.

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Blog Author: Margaux, KYVE Head of Marketing

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