Funding the Commons: Accelerating the Public Goods Funding Ecosystem

Public Good Projects Discussion
12

Section One: Octant Epoch VI Update:

Total Funds Received from Octant so far:

  • Octant 2: 12.15 ETH (~$31k)
  • Octant 3: 0.11 ETH
  • Octant 4: 9.53 ETH (~$31k)
  • Most Recent Round: $25k
  • Total: ~$87k
  • KarmaGap profile: Funding the Commons | Karma

Funds Spent:

$90k

Detailed Utilization of Funds Received from Octant:

Conference Production:

  • $20k deployed to fund Funding the Commons San Francisco Bay Area.
  • $20k deployed to fund Funding the Commons Tokyo.

Public Goods Funding Experiments & Real-World Pilots:

  • $20k seeded the **Commons Fund [**PGF Distribution], allocated as follows:
    • $10k towards the Builder Basic Income Fund, matched 1:1 by Drips.Network.
    • $10k towards public goods builder grants, supporting innovation in the public goods funding ecosystem.

// new expenses from Epoch V //

  • $7.5k towards the Chiang Mai Builder Residency: 40 builders hosted from 25 countries. Details below.
  • $7.5k towards the Funding the Commons x Earth Commons Hackathon. A total of 356 participants joined online, with a number attending the final 2-day sprint in Bangkok to benefit from our community’s support, including mentorship from dedicated experts. The event resulted in 116 projects and distributed $110,000 in prize funding.
  • $7.5k towards Funding the Commons x Earth Commons Bangkok Flagship Conference.
  • $7.5k towards Creation of high quality media content, including speaker videos like Aya Miyaguchi, Glen Weyl, and Artem Brazhnikov, Head of Engineering at Octant, to recruit actors beyond Web3 into the conversation. This professionally produced content is also inclusive of our livestream, which benefited 497 attendees who were able to join us remotely, making our conference content a public good accessible to all. All of these videos will be posted to YouTube in the coming weeks, making them freely available for everyone to enjoy indefinitely.

Milestones and Deliverables

Milestone 1: Chiang Mai Builder Residency

40+ residents from 25 countries participated in the builder residency. Projects here.

Description: Hosted the Funding the Commons Chiang Mai Builder Residency, a month-long immersive program held in October 2024, designed to accelerate public goods innovation in Southeast Asia and beyond. The residency welcomed 40 talented builders from diverse backgrounds to a collaborative environment in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This initiative provided the space, resources, and mentorship necessary for participants to ideate, prototype, and refine impactful public goods projects.

Immediate Outcome: The Chiang Mai Builder Residency served as a launchpad for several groundbreaking projects and fostered a vibrant community of public goods builders. Key outcomes included tangible advancements in tools, protocols, and platforms for public goods funding and deployment. The program featured contributions from Octant and other strategic partners, including UNICEF and GainForest, reinforcing connections between global organizations and local talent.

The residency also emphasized skills development through workshops on decentralized finance, AI ethics, and sustainable tech solutions. Interactive sessions were led by Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum Foundation), David Dao (GainForest), and Artem Brazhnikov (Octant). Two Octant team members participated in the residency.

Projects like Akashic, Impact Evaluation Service, Counterfactually, Hyperstaker, Doogly, the Commons Protocol, Fund Pop Up Cities, and Refunite Digital ID system were prototyped and advanced during the residency. Berlin Residency alumni Climate project GainForest shipped new features (and won the Rainforest X Prize!), and Ethereum Next Billion Fellow Devansh Mehta launched VoiceDeck, the first live marketplace for Hypercerts. Two Octant team members participated in the residency, making progress on Octant v2. Amongst other mentors, Vitalik Buterin visited the residency and took an hour of questions from residents on building public goods funding systems and mechanisms.

Engagement Metrics:

  • Participants: 40 builders from 25 countries
  • Projects Developed: 22 innovative public goods prototypes
  • Workshops Conducted: 18 interactive learning sessions
  • Follow-on Funding Secured: $500k for projects being built by residents from the beginning of the residency through 1 December 2024

Key Outcomes:

  1. Talent Pipeline: At least one residency participant was hired by a sponsoring organization.
  2. Innovation Incubation: Several projects have moved into pilot stages, with prototypes showcased at the subsequent FtC Bangkok conference and hackathon.
  3. Community Building: The residency fostered cross-cultural collaboration, bridging gaps between local builders in Southeast Asia and global public goods networks. An immediate key outcome is that five of our residents, all of whom are based in India, came together to organize an FtC pop-up on 6-8 December at ETH India, the largest Ethereum hackathon in the world.
  4. Strategic Insights: Focused exploration of decentralized governance, impact evaluation, zero-knowledge privacy cryptography and regional public goods challenges informed the development of new funding models and frameworks.
  5. Funding: Projects and residency builders have received approximately $500k between the date the residency began (7 October) and 6 December 2024.

The full list of projects worked on can be viewed here.

A film shot at the residency will be released in Q1 2025.

Photos (Drive link):

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  • Funding Used: $10k

Milestone 2: Funding the Commons x Earth Commons Hackathon

The FtC x EC Public Goods Hackathon brought together 356 participants globally, with 41 in-person hackers engaging in an intense 2-day sprint in Bangkok. This collaboration produced 116 innovative projects, supported by a total prize pool of $110,000.

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Key Metrics:

  • 356 online participants
    • 41 in-person hackers at the final sprint in Bangkok.
    • Key countries from analytics: Turkey, India, Nigeria, Brazil, Argentina, United States, Thailand, Philippines
    • Key demographics: 20-40 y.o, male
  • 116 projects submitted, showcasing a diverse range of solutions across public goods funding infrastructure, privacy and decentralized identity, decentralized AI, and governance.
  • 50K page views garnered during the hackathon.
  • 20+ mentors supported participants with expert guidance throughout the event.
  • 8 virtual workshops and sessions that engaged over 300 participants.
    • Sponsor workshops have been recorded and uploaded on our YouTube.
  • 9 bounty tracks, fostering innovation in areas such as public goods, identity, environmental impact, and decentralized storage.
  • 25 unique winning projects across multiple tracks, receiving recognition for their groundbreaking solutions.
  • Prize distribution happened directly, as well as through platforms such as OnlyDust (NEAR, Stellar, DaoStar, etc.) and Drips (FtC, Filecoin), intended to drive more engagement towards open-source software funding and distribution mechanisms.
  • Quotes:

“FtC is definitely one of the most exciting hackathons happening in that period.” - Claire, DoraHacks Team

Examples of social media traction:

Milestone 3: Funding the Commons x Earth Commons Bangkok [ Flagship Conference ]

Description: Produced Funding the Commons Bangkok, a two-day flagship conference held on November 8-9, 2024. The event was co-hosted in partnership with APAC DAO and Earth Commons, emphasizing environmental stewardship, public goods funding, decentralized science, and digital innovation. FtC Bangkok was part of the broader LabWeek Web3, a decentralized conference by Protocol Labs.

Immediate Outcome: FtC Bangkok solidified the Funding the Commons brand in Southeast Asia, further bridging the global public goods ecosystem with regional actors. The conference provided a unique platform for public goods builders, policy advocates, and funders to engage directly, explore collaborations, and incubate impactful projects.

Key partnerships and collaborations were established with entities like UNICEF, NEAR Foundation, Stellar Development Foundation, and CoalaPay. Notable speakers included Juan Benet (Protocol Labs), Illia Polosukhin (NEAR), Michel Bauwens (P2P Foundation), Kevin Owocki (Gitcoin), David Dao (GainForest), Max Song (Carbonbase), Alan Ransil (Filecoin Green), and Artem Brazhnikov (Octant).

The program included thematic focuses on:

  • Public Goods Funding Mechanisms: Exploring innovative funding tools and the challenges of impact evaluation.
  • Southeast Asian Civic Initiatives: Highlighting regional approaches to digital identity, privacy, and cooperative governance.
  • Decentralized Science and Biodiversity: Bridging technology with indigenous stewardship and environmental preservation.
  • Outcome Showcases: Featuring results from the Chiang Mai Builder Residency and Hackathon.

Event Metrics:

  • Total viewership: 875 people touched by this event programming:
    • A balanced mix of in-person (299) and livestream (497) attendees across both days, showcasing strong hybrid engagement - also includes (93 speakers + 20 staff / volunteers).
    • Conference Sessions and Panels over 2 days
      • 40 mainstage sessions
      • 37 workshops
    • Speaker Highlights included: Kolatat Phaiboonnukulkij (RIFFAI), Illia Polosukhin (NEAR), Risdianto Irawan (UNICEF), Artem Brazhnikov (Octant), Kevin Owocki (Gitcoin), Juan Benet (Protocol Labs), Melyn McKay (Coala Pay), Rashmi Abbigeri (DAOstar), Max Song (Carbonbase), Adam Advisson (University of Naples Federico II), Christopher Goes (Anoma), Shady El-Damaty (Holonym), Chi Ling (Equitech), Megan Klimen (Filecoin)
  • Demographic present: success in reaching beyond Web3 (42%), with representation from non-profits (12%), non-web3 tech industry professionals (8%), academia (7%), and other fields such as media (3%), finance (3%), and government (2%), while still engaging a majority of attendees (58%) from tehe Web3 sector.
  • Attendees joined in-person from 76 countries:
    • South East Asia (including Thailand): 28%
    • East Asia: 15%
    • India: 10%
    • Oceania: 5%
    • North America: 14%
    • Europe: 21%
    • LATAM (Latin America): 7%
    • Africa: 3%
    • Middle East: 2%
    • Other: 5%
  • Community Growth
    • 67% were first-time attendees, reflecting successful outreach and expansion of the FtC community.
    • 33% were repeat attendees, indicating sustained interest and loyalty among prior participants.
  • Accessibility & Scholarships
    • 74% of participants received complimentary tickets, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity as a true public good, while 16% utilized coupon promotions, reflecting effective outreach strategies.
    • 9 scholarships and 2 travel stipends were awarded, highlighting efforts to support underrepresented and financially constrained participants.
  • Hackathon Demo Hour: Showcased the winning projects selected from 100+ innovative builds and 340 hackers, with $110,000 in prize funding distributed. DoraHacks platform representatives joined us for the winners’ ceremony, and a number of the winning builders were present in person for the award ceremony.
  • Design Jam:
    • 23 Mentors, including
    • 5 Facilitators
    • 71 total participants
    • 3 selected projects to highlight, covering ecological and local SEA issues

In the Public Eye:

Key Outcomes:

  1. Together, our Thailand events—residency, design jam, in-person hackathon, and conference—brought over 1,070 participants into the public goods conversation.
  2. Facilitated the development and showcase of real-world use cases designed to drive innovation and attract new participants to the public goods funding conversation, fostering long-term engagement and impact.
  3. Deepened relationships with local NGOs and public goods initiatives, including ongoing collaborations with displaced Burmese communities.

This milestone underscored Funding the Commons’ ability to foster innovation, connect global and regional actors, and drive tangible impact across diverse sectors. FtC Bangkok has positioned itself as a cornerstone for public goods discourse and action in the Asia-Pacific region.

Summary video:

Milestone 4: Production of High Quality Media Content

In 2024, Funding the Commons began shifting from being solely events-focused to embracing its role as a media platform. Key efforts include:

  • Expanding Communication Platforms: Leveraging a highly engaged audience of 11k+ followers to amplify voices and ideas that advance Public Goods in Web3 and beyond.
  • Prioritizing LinkedIn: Diving deeper into engagement with governments, nonprofits, and NGOs to broaden our impact.
  • Growing on Twitter: Achieving 1M organic impressions over the past 12 months, continuing to drive awareness and engagement.
  • Creating Lasting Public Goods: Producing high-quality content, including reels, interviews, and a growing library of 100+ recorded talks, to make insights accessible and impactful long-term.
  • Reshaping Narratives: Amplifying thought leadership to expand conversations around Public Goods far beyond our events.

This approach ensures we continue to grow our reach and deliver lasting value to the ecosystem.

Amplifying FtC Community Voices Beyond Events

4 New Reels: Diverse Community Perspectives to Drive Attendance

(~50k organic views)

100+ Recorded Talks: A Growing Library of Knowledge

  • 100+ recordings of talks from Funding the Commons events since December 2023, freely accessible to all as a public good.
  • 30+ talks from Bangkok will be released before the end of 2024, continuing our commitment to making these valuable insights available to a global audience.
  • Explore the full library on our YouTube channel.

Interview Library: Thought-Leadership in Public Goods Across the Globe

27 unique interviews recorded in San Francisco, Tokyo, and Bangkok

  • Elevating the Narrative: Leveraging FtC’s unique access to thought leaders at live events, we are dedicated to creating content that uplifts and reshapes the narrative for the entire ecosystem.
  • Trusted Platform: FtC combines exclusive access to visionary voices with a trusted content distribution platform within the Public Goods Funding (PGF) community, ensuring impactful storytelling that reaches beyond Web3 audiences.
  • Emphasis on plain language: Metaphors and basic framing for maximum reach to new audiences, or as Audrey Tang said, “We hope my grandma likes it”

1. Al Smith – The Tor Project (only one on this list launched during previous epoch)

2. Audrey Tang – Plurality.net (Former Digital Minister of Taiwan)

3. Samantha Power – BioFi Project & Finance for Gaia

4. Navroop Sadev – The Digital Economist

5. Atossa Soltani – Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance

6. Stuart Cowan – Buckminster Fuller Institute

7. Glen Weyl – Plurality Institution & RxC & Microsoft

8. Aya Miyaguchi – Ethereum Foundation

9. Chris Szymczak – UNICEF Office of Innovation

10. Scott Moore – Public Works

11. Ken Suzuki – University of Tokyo, SmartNews Inc.

12. NounsDAO

15 New interviews have footage recorded, and currently in production

  • Anke Liu – Stellar Development Foundation
  • Anna Whitson-Diaz – Former UN System, Stellar Development Foundation
  • Artem Brazhnikov – Head of Engineering, Octant & Golem Foundation
  • Brian Behlendorf – Linux Foundation
  • David Dao – Chief Scientist, GainForest (XPrize 2024 Winner)
  • Funding the Commons & Tokyo DeSci Team
  • Grégoire Gambatto – Co-Founder & CEO, OnlyDust
  • Jarrod Barnes – NEAR Foundation
  • Kevin Owocki – Gitcoin
  • Melyn McKay – Founder, CoalaPay
  • Michel Bauwens – P2P Foundation
  • Natalie Cadranel – Open Archive
  • Shady El Damaty & Nana Nihal Khalsa – Holonym Foundation
  • Supachai Kid Parchariyanon – CEO & Co-Founder, Rise