Thanks for the detailed report and recommendations @CastleCapital!
I wanted to add a learning from my own experience running grants programs: focus is critical. It’s easy to spread yourself thin by trying to fund a large number of projects and contributors, but in practice, the top 10% of grantees can deliver more impact than the rest combined. That’s why I’d also recommend doubling down on the most promising teams, rather than spreading grants too thin. This approach also makes it easier to track progress more effectively, and provide more hands-on support.
I also support your idea of forming a dedicated grants team. This would make it easier for them to work closely with Labs, the Foundation, and other stakeholders to identify the most valuable “wishlist” items, and then proactively reach out to high quality teams capable of executing on them, rather than just relying on inbound applications.