Below you’ll find a comprehensive update of the program so far, a breakdown of the applications and their status, and a progress report on the KPIs set forward in the original announcement of the program.
We also want to remind you that you can stay up to date with the status of each grant and the program as a whole through the public dashboard that we maintain.
Executive Summary
Applications Received: 14 (+4)
Applications Approved: 5 (+2)
Funds Allocated: $24,100 (+$11,000)
Funds Distributed: $8,650 (+$4950)
Funds Remaining: $25,900 (-$11,000)
Firestarters isn’t accepting any new applications as of March 31st. A retrospective report will be published by the end of next week.
Consumer App Support Program by Tempe Techie
Status: Completed
Grant Amount: $4,800
A grant to fund the work needed to evaluate the feasibility of launching a Consumer Apps Support Program (CASP), a new initiative aimed at attracting and supporting consumer mobile applications that can drive meaningful user activity and TVL to Arbitrum One. For the scope of the grant, the grantee will map 10-20 consumer apps, interview consumer-app builders to gather insights into their needs, and align with the Arbitrum Foundation ecosystem team and the Offchain Labs consumer app team.
The research will culminate in a feasibility report to inform whether a CASP has merit and should be pursued further. If the report’s findings are positive, the grantee will also publish a first draft of what such a program could look like.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
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Tempe’s application scores high in the evaluation matrix as:
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There’s a clear outlined plan with defined steps (interview of teams, input from stakeholders, mapping of needs, culmination of insights) and a specific end-goal (a feasibility report, and a forum-ready proposal)
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Tempe has relevant experience as a software developer and founder of a consumer-facing business
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The application falls inside the categories defined by the program, specifically the builder support initiatives for verticals other than DeFi category
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Tempe is decently connected in the Arbitrum ecosystem and he’s already in contact with multiple builders from the Arbitrum ecosystem
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The size of the grant request is based on a more than fair market value for light research, communications and operations work ($30/hr).
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The potential impact of the grant is medium, as it will lead to a feasibility report that will determine whether or not a proposal will be pursued, after which it’s up to governance. It’s that uncertainty of the final outcome that leads to the ‘medium’ scoring.
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KPIs
Here are the KPIs we’ve set together with Tempe to keep track of the progress of the grant, along with the progress so far under each.
- Interview at least 20 consumer app builders/teams
- 21 teams have already been interviewed (105%)
- Have at least 10 discovery calls with potential app participants and delegates
- 15 teams and 1 delegate have been interviewed (160%)
- Complete a clear mapping of consumer apps’ needs (technical and other)
- Completed and available here
- Feasibility assessment completed and published
- Completed and available here
- Forum-ready proposal delivered (only if feasibility assessment is positive)
- After reviewing the proposed paths forward, it is our recommendation that we do not proceed with any of the four options outlined. That recommendation is made only after we’ve consulted with other AAEs.
Tempe had begun interviewing consumer app builders/teams and potential program participants before the grant was even approved. That’s why the initial progress has been so rapid compared to when the grant was approved.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
DAO Events Playbook by Tekr0x
Status: Completed
Grant Amount: $3,150
A grant to fund the work needed to create simple, lightweight standards for how the Arbitrum DAO participates in events. The goal is to help the DAO show up consistently, professionally, and with clear intent, without adding unnecessary process or overhead.
For the creation of the playbook, Tekr0x will consult with the events team of Arbitrum Foundation and Offchain Labs, with different event organizers of events that the DAO has sponsored in the past, and with past grantees from the D.A.O program under the ‘Events’ domain. Then, in collaboration with Sinkas, the Program Manager of the OpCo, he’ll work on creating a playbook that can be used to inform event organization in the future and set the standards for the events that the DAO organizes or sponsors.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
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Tekr0x’s application scores medium-to-high in the evaluation matrix as:
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There’s a clear outlined plan with defined steps (interviews with past grantees from D.A.O’s events domain, input from relevant stakeholders and mapping of current efforts, research of event activities in other ecosystems) and a specific end-goal (the DAO Events Playbook)
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Tekr0x is decently connected in the Arbitrum ecosystem and he’s already in contact with multiple stakeholders relevant to events
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Tekr0x has some event organization experience, which is enough to adequately cover the scope of the grant
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The application falls inside the categories defined by the program, specifically the ecosystem initiatives category. Additionally, the timing is really good as the OpCo has been working on a proposal about taking over events organization and management on behalf of the DAO.
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The size of the grant request is based on a more than fair market value for light research, communications and operations work ($30/hr)
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The potential impact of the grant is medium, as it will help us create a playbook to be used by the OpCo to help standardize events that the DAO sponsors or organizes. However, the impact of those events is often indirect, thus the medium scoring.
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KPIs
Here are the KPIs we’ve set together with Tekr0x to keep track of the progress of the grant, along with the progress so far under each.
- Hold at least three calls with past grantees under the D.A.O program’s Events domain
- Completed
- Research event activities and standards from at least 2 other ecosystems
- Completed with Solana’s Superteam and available here
- Completed with the Ethereum Everywhere team
- Complete mapping of current event efforts, budgets, workflows, and overlaps
- Completed and available here
- Hold at least three calls with ambassadors from the Arbitrum Foundation’s ambassador program
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
Arbitrum Yield & Risk Intelligence Layer by Today in DeFi
Status: Accepted
Grant Amount: $5,000
TiD Research proposes building a simple, highly effective Yield & Risk Dashboard for Arbitrum, starting with a single pilot asset: thBILL. Right now, it is too difficult for both regular retail users and larger institutional investors to figure out if a DeFi yield is safe and sustainable. This MVP will deliver a live tracking dashboard and an easy-to-read risk report for thBILL. By starting with just one asset, we can prove that giving users clear, trusted data makes them confident enough to deposit their money. Furthermore, this MVP serves as a scalable template that can be rapidly adapted for other high-traction assets in the future.
You can read the entire application here. The original application can also be found here.
Initial Evaluation
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TiD’s submission scores medium on the evaluation matrix as:
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While there is a specific plan for the creation of the analytics dashboard with defined steps, there’s no specific end goal for the use of the dashboard. This can be attributed to the nature of data dashboards, but I’m unsure about an actionable result that access to the data that TiD wants to track will lead to.
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The team does have relevant expertise and experience, and they are decently connected within Arbitrum ecosystem.
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The proposal doesn’t strictly fall within one of the defined categories of the program, even though it’s submitted under the ‘Revenue’ category. I’m evaluating this as an ‘Open Track’ application, which means I want to have strong justification for funding it.
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The proposal does have strategic relevance, especially as Arbitrum, along with the broader crypto ecosystem, is getting more attention for TradFi and financial institutions who need deeper insights before deploying resources. The timing is also good.
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In terms of the grant size, the described work-hours and costs appear to be at a market rate, though this kind of work could be charged at a big premium.
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The impact of the grant can be considered high in the sense that it will fund the creation of the actual dashboards, and not some kind of research about the dashboards potential usefulness. However, the impact of the dashboards’ existence on Arbitrum is not something I can adequately gauge.
Strong Justification for Open Track
After reviewing the updated application, I largely agree with my initial evaluation so therefore I’ve kept it as is. The reason I decided to accept the application was because TID is positioned to maintain, update and use this dashboard for their own purposes too. I see this grant more like a typical grant, and less so like a public good funding in that regard.
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KPIs
Here are the KPIs we’ve set together with Today In DeFi to keep track of the progress of the grant:
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Completion of deep-dive report for thBILL
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A live MVP dashboard with real-time and historical data specific to thBILL on Arbitrum
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Increase in thBILL’s TVL on Arbitrum and higher utilization rates across Arbitrum lending markets, as measured with the metrics below:
- Capture 50+ verified institutional/fund email leads/domains via the risk report download portal & data dashboard registration.
- Correlate dashboard launch with a 10% increase in thBILL’s TVL on Arbitrum.
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High retail engagement on our dashboard (page views, unique visitors) and an increase in active retail wallets farming thBILL.
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Achieve 1,500+ unique dashboard sessions within the first 30 days.
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Maintain a 10%+ Click-Through Rate (CTR) from our Yield Matrix directly into Arbitrum-native DeFi protocols (e.g., Camelot, GMX).
KPIs 3 and 4 are to be tracked for 30 days after the successful delivery of the outlined deliverables.
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Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
USD-backed ARB stablecoin and a decentralized micro-escrow system by David
Status: Rejected
Grant Request: $7,990
A grant to fund the work needed to build an SMS-based micro-escrow on Arbitrum allowing users to trade and secure funds without requiring internet data or smartphones.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
David’s evaluation scores low in the evaluation matrix as:
- While the creation of an SMS gateway that lets feature phones interact with Arbitrum via ERC-4337 and of the open source toolkit is the expected outcome, the proposal is lacking an overarching goal.
- The proposal does have a plan in terms of research and creating an MVP with defined steps.
- The applicant doesn’t necessarily have good positioning within Arbitrum as he’s not, to the best of my knowledge and what I managed to find out, well connected within the ecosystem, nor have they worked in the ecosystem in the past.
- From their application, it does seem that they have some relevant experience, and they do have references to prove it.
- The proposed initiative does have potential strategic relevance with some upcoming initiatives, but the timing is not optimal as the initiatives in mind are still underway.
- The grant request is competitive in terms of pricing, but the direct impact of the proposed initiative is relatively low.
KPIs
Since the proposal was rejected, the OpCo has not set any KPIs in coordination with the proposal author.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
DAO Contributor Program by Rika Goldberg
Status: Ongoing
Grant Request: $35/hr (40hrs min, 100hrs max)
A grant to fund research and design a practical DAO Contributor Incentives Program. Building on Patrick’s discussion thread and delegate feedback, the research will create clearly defined pathways for contributors to support Arbitrum’s protocol growth through builder engagement and product feedback, and builder onboarding and ecosystem growth.
The deliverable is a comprehensive framework with standards, evaluation criteria, compensation models, and integration plans with existing Arbitrum initiatives—published to the forum for community review and feedback.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
The application from Rika scores medium-to-high in the evaluation matrix as:
- There’s a clearly outlined plan (validation of contributor incentives needed before designing a program), there are defined steps (interviews, stakeholder chats, and mapping), and a specific end goal in sight.
- The applicant has relevant expertise and good positioning within Arbitrum as they are already connected to a lot of the stakeholders that would need to be consulted for the validation.
- Delegates and contributors could potentially be leveraged in many ways as part of the existing initiatives, so potential strategic alignment does exist.
- The scope of the grant does fall within the defined categories, as a potential contributor reward program could be leveraged to assist in many different ecosystem initiatives.
- The timing is irrelevant, but it does come at a time after the ‘Rewarding Active Delegates’ program has been established, and a contributor program was something that was meant to be visited after RAD.
- In terms of grant size, the amount requested is at a fair market value for the work required to execute on the mandate.
- The impact of the grant will be moderate, as it will help unblock the DAO from the contributor incentives discussion, without however directly leading to a creation of a contributor program.
KPIs
Here are the KPIs we’ve set together with Rika to keep track of the progress of the grant, along with the progress so far under each.
- Conduct at least 10 interviews with stakeholders (AAEs, delegates, contributors, builders on Arbitrum)
- 16 interviews completed as of March 26.
- Map the existing compensation pathways and identify gaps, if any
- Initial mapping completed and being actively refined with feedback
- Complete the validation research report and publish it on the forum
- Circulate the validation research report to at least 10 delegates and ask for their feedback
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
Emerging Markets Stablecoin Adoption Feasibility Study by Agate
Status: Rejected
Grant Request: $5,000
A grant to fund work that explores the feasibility of establishing Arbitrum as the leading stablecoin infrastructure for emerging markets (EM), focusing on regions like Nigeria, Latin America, and Southeast Asia
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
The initial evaluation for this proposal is still ongoing. On the first look, the proposal looks AI-generated (checked with multiple different tools), and does not include any information on the person/team and why they are well positioned to carry out the initiative.
I left some comments on the original doc, but overall the proposal is of very poor quality and I can’t really evaluate it unless significant changes are made.
The proposal author wasn’t responsive for some time, until they got back to me on February 25. I then marked the application as ‘In Review’ again, only for the author to not be responsive again, nor making any adjustments.
I marked the proposal as ‘Rejected’ again on March 26.
KPIs
As the proposal is still in review, there are no KPIs that have been set by the OpCo in coordination with the proposal author.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
Exploring Bond Issuance as a Sustainable Funding Mechanism for Arbitrum by James McWhye
Status: Rejected
Grant Request: $10,000
A grant to conduct a targeted study into the feasibility of Arbitrum issuing and selling bonds (using locked ARB tokens) as a funding mechanism to cover operational costs, as an alternative to selling tokens on the open market.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
The proposal scores low on the evaluation matrix as:
- There’s no specific end goal in sight (even if the hypothesis for the bond sells holds true, the fundamental reason for doing it is to just shift sell pressure, there’s no material improvement or a creation of a new revenue stream), although a plan does exist to figure out if one exists.
- The applicants have relevant experience, but they’re not necessarily well-positioned in Arbitrum to execute on the initiative, without having significant buy in from existing stakeholders.
- The proposal does not come at a good time as any sort of time-locked bond would have to be sold at a discount and ARB is already at an all-time low.
- The proposal doesn’t directly fall within the defined categories, although it could be argued that reducing the cost-basis of covering OpEx could be loosely tied with increasing the revenue streams we currently have (by increasing margins).
- The grant size is not competitive for the kind of work described (mostly research and hypothesis validation)
- The impact of the grant could potentially be high, only if it’s followed by connection to institutional demand on the buy-side of the bonds, which is a long-shot from where we are currently.
KPIs
Since the proposal was rejected, the OpCo has not set any KPIs in coordination with the proposal author
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
DefiScan Arbitrum Coverage by DefiScan
Status: Rejected
Grant Request: $5,000
A grant to help DefiScan increase its coverage of the Arbitrum landscape and support genuinely decentralised protocols with appropriate liquidity management strategies.
There was no document linked, nor a complete application to share.
Initial Evaluation
I could not complete my evaluation due to inadequate information. After trying to reach the team through multiple different ways over multiple days, I’ve marked the application as ‘rejected’.
KPIs
Since the proposal was rejected, the OpCo has not set any KPIs in coordination with the proposal author.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
Outcome Evaluation and Verification Tool by Disruption Joe
Status: Rejected
Grant Request: $10,000
A grant to fund an MVP where a cohort of reviewers uses our webapp to (1) rank outcomes by importance, (2) assess what work most contributed to each outcome, and (3) flag missing context or disagreement between different stakeholder groups, such as delegates/foundation/token holders.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
Disruption Joe’s application scores medium-to-low in the evaluation matrix as:
- While I can understand the goal the MVP hopes to achieve, it’s more of an exploration rather than a concrete goal with defined next steps. Both the plan as well as the final outcome are very fluid and based on too many variables.
- The applicant does have strong experience and expertise on deliberation mechanisms and governance, and he also has strong positioning within Arbitrum.
- The scope of work doesn’t directly align with or leverage any ongoing initiatives, but instead tackles something more fundamental.
- The timing is not the best as the basis of the problem the proposal tries to address might not be as relevant in the current landscape.
- The grant size is not competitive for the scope of work proposed.
- The expected impact of the grant is medium-to-low as the exact outcome is both hard to define and measure.
KPIs
Since the proposal was rejected, the OpCo has not set any KPIs in coordination with the proposal author.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
Crypto Cities by Max Lomu
Status: Rejected
Grant Request: $10,000
A grant to fund work to create, attract, and grow a portfolio of protocols that bring onchain their positive cashflow from real world activities.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
Max’s application scores medium in the evaluation amtrix.
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While there’s a plan to work with a specific project, talk with LPs, wallets/aggregators and a specific target (+20-30% TVL increase) for the case study, I do not see any paths forward for this initiative, even if it proves to be successful for the case study.
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The applicant does have relevant domain expertise and good positioning within Arbitrum
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The application does fall within one of the defined categories
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Timing is slightly irrelevant (it could be better, but that’s only due to market conditions). However, there’s no strong strategic alignment with any of the existing initiatives that the DAO or any of the AAEs are undertaking.
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The grant size is at about market rate, but I wouldn’t describe it as competitive.
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The impact of the grant is medium-to-low as the research and the case study result could potentially lead to something, but it’s highly uncertain, and past explorations in this direction were not favored. After internal deliberation, even with a successful case study, I do not see any reasonable paths forward.
KPIs
As the proposal was rejected, there are no KPIs that have been set by the OpCo in coordination with the proposal author.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
Stablecoin Research by LamprosDAO
Status: Accepted
Grant Amount: $6,000
A grant to fund work on a model to gauge how much of the sequencer revenue can be attributed to stablecoin activity on Arbitrum. They will also research revenue projection benchmarks for a non-USD stablecoin.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
Overall, the application from LamprosDAO scores medium-to-high in the evaluation matrix as:
- There’s a clearly outlined plan, broken down in specific distinct milestones, and there’s a specific end-goal that the team will be working towards.
- The applicants do have relevant experience, and they’re decently positioned within Arbitrum, having been actively involved in the DAO over the last 2+ years.
- The application loosely falls within one of the defined categories. While it’s not directly associated with an initiative to drive revenue, it’s groundwork that could inform a potential revenue stream.
- There’s strong strategic alignment with existing initiatives, especially on the AAE side, and the timing is good.
- The grant size is at market rate for this kind of research work.
- The impact from the grant is medium, as the deliverable could inform a potential workstream, but activating such a workstream is not an easy task or a decision to be made lightly. Therefore the impact isn’t as direct.
KPIs
Here are the KPIs we’ve set together with LamprosDAO to keep track of the progress of the grant:
- The stablecoin dataset was put together and shared with the OpCo
- Live Dune dashboard with the fee attribution model and documented methodology shared with the OpCo
- Non-USD asset selection completed
- Non-USD benchmarking report completed, with revenue projections and strategic options outlined, delivered to the OpCo
- Full research report and potential next steps memo published on the Arbitrum Forum
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
RWA Composability Feasibility Research by DAOplomats
Status: In Review
Grant Request: $7,500
A grant to fund work to map the technical, legal, and market preconditions that must exist before tokenized Real World Assets can be natively composable with Arbitrum’s DeFi stack.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
The application by DAOplomats scores medium-to-low in the evaluation matrix as:
- While there is a plan to research and talk to protocols, there’s no specific end-goal in sight. There’s the possibility to create a proposal based on a feasbiility report, but many of the things that a proposal could support protocols with are variable and differ from protocol to protocol.
- While the applicants have decent positioning within Arbitrum and some experience relevant to the scope of their proposed grant, I do not have enough evidence that they’re well positioned to properly execute on some of the aspects of the research, particularly on the legal front, which is a hurdle for many RWA issuers.
- The proposal does fall within one of the defined categories of the program.
- The proposed scope is of high strategic importance as Arbitrum seeks to strengthen its positioning as the go-to place to issue RWA, and DeFi composability could make the appeal even greater.
- The timing isn’t necessarily good, but mostly due to market conditions, and a lack of any specific initiative on the RWA support side being active at this time.
- The grant size is at a market rate or slightly higher for the scope of work proposed.
- The impact of the grant is medium-to-low as a research could help identify some paint points, but it’s possible that these pain points are a) already known, and b) hard to address on the ecosystem level.
KPIs
As the proposal is still in review, there are no KPIs that have been set by the OpCo in coordination with the proposal author.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
Arbitrum Aligned Investors Network by Tempe Techie
Status: Rejected
Grant Request: $4,800
A grant to fund work to establish the network of Arbitrum-Aligned Investors (AAI), a curated group of VCs and angel investors who are open to receiving warm introductions to high-quality startups building within the Arbitrum ecosystem.
You can read the entire application here.
Initial Evaluation
Tempe’s application scored low on the evaluation matrix, but mostly driven by the fact that the proposed investor list already exists.
- There is a specific plan (talking with investors) and a concrete end-goal (creating a list of Arbitrum aligned investors to run potential opportunities by) in sight.
- The application falls within the defined categories
- The applicant does have experience talking with teams, but he might not be well positioned to execute on such a scope.
- While there’s general strategic alignment, the proposed list of Arbitrum Aligned Investors already exists within AAEs.
- Timing is irrelevant as it would be something that would be useful regardless of timing, assuming it was not already in existence.
- The size of the grant request is at a market rate for this kind of work.
- The impact of the grant would be high, assuming that the list didn’t exist already. Now that it does, the impact would be low.
KPIs
As the proposal was rejected, there are no KPIs that have been set by the OpCo in coordination with the proposal author.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
Coop by Afolabi Aiyeloja
Status: In Review
Grant Request: $7,200
Coop is a browser based AI agent that’s fully local and private with the sole goal of taking your loose chickens (tabs) and turning them into clear knowledge for your respective communities and translate it into opportunity.
There was no document linked, nor a complete application to share.
Initial Evaluation
I could not complete my evaluation due to inadequate information. I’m in touch with the proposal author.
KPIs
As the proposal is still in review, there are no KPIs that have been set by the OpCo in coordination with the proposal author.
Changelog
You can find a changelog with frequent updates on the grant’s progress in the dashboard’s tracking page for this grant.
If you have any question for Firestarters, please reach out to Sinkas on Telegram.