Celo Community Fund

Focus Areas

Our focus is to support the following areas:

On/off ramps

CELO/fiat or cUSD/fiat CLOB exchange pairs, fiat-to-crypto software, P2P platforms, wallet integrations, point-of-sale integrations, e-commerce integrations, etc.

Community tools

Desktop/browser/hardware wallets, developer tools, governance voting applications, block explorers, validator metrics dashboards, etc.

Research

Support people and projects that want to conduct research. This can include both technical and non-technical areas relevant to Celo.

Education

Create educational content, host Celo related talks. We are also open to considering other great teams/projects that might be beneficial to Celo’s mission/ecosystem.

Grants Process

Here’s how the Celo Community Fund process works, from application to finish line.

Step 1: Choose a Category

If your project fits into one of these 4 grant programs and aligns with the Celo mission, you’re a candidate for the Community Fund. Join Discord and reach out.

Step 2: Submit your Grant Application

Make sure you thoroughly complete the application form and clearly state how your project will contribute to the Celo ecosystem. Please review the Grant Application Terms and Conditions before submitting.

Step 3: Evaluation & Approval

The Stewards will review your application in the order it is received. If your proposal meets the program criteria, you will be invited to an interview with two committee members.

Step 4: Acceptance or Denial Notification

All applicants will be notified whether their application has been accepted or denied. If your application is accepted, at this point, you will go through the agreement formation process.

Step 5: Build and Launch Your Project :)

Get started with the tutorials, learn about the SDK and explore the codebase.

Frequently asked questions

Who is eligible?

Individuals and business entities that are aligned with Celo’s mission, comply with KYC/AML policies and Terms and Conditions are eligible.
If your application is accepted, we will send you the grantee agreement and the KYC/AML questionnaire.

What funding levels are available and what should be the level of commitment from the team?

The Celo Community Fund will provide grants based on the amount needed to achieve the applicants objectives as well as the anticipated value added to the Celo ecosystem. We expect to fund a majority of projects in the 'Medium' range.

Small: 10k cUSD or less
Medium: between 10k-50k cUSD
Large: more than 50k cUSD

Each applicant will create their own project plan and commitment based on their availability. We expect a minimum commitment of 8 hours/week or more from the applicants.

How do you measure the success of the project?

We expect the applications to create their own objectives and key results to measure your progress? (Reference for OKRs).
Stewards can request changes to key results and will have sole discretion to determine completion percentage.

Who will make grant decisions?

The three Celo Community Fund stewards will make grant decisions. In some cases, if additional expertise or help is needed they may enlist help from Celo community members or subject matter experts. However, the final decision will be made by the stewards.

How is the payment handled?

Payment will be made every last Friday of the month. Typically, the payment schedule will be as follow:

Small project: full amount is sent once the grant is approved
Medium: $10k initial payment and rest after 50% completion
Large: 25% initial funding and the remaining balance is paid at 50% and 75% completion rate. For instance, for a $100k project, payment will be made at the beginning ($25k), at 50% mark ($37.5k) and the remaining balance at 75% mark ($37.5k)

Note it is under the stewards' discretion to change the payment terms according to the type and needs of the project.

How much equity will the CCF take?

The CCF provides grants without taking any equity. But we do expect projects to be professional and give back to the community. See below for details.

What is expected of me, if I receive a grant?

Meet project milestones and communicate effectively with the stewards if deadlines change
Help other projects within the Celo community as a sign of appreciation
Serve as ambassadors of Celo in the larger crypto community

What is Celo Community Fund?