Grants Season 2 Overview: Direct Track

Polygon Funding Proposals
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Abstract

The Direct Track of the Polygon Community Grants Program (CGP) is designed to provide up to 20 million POL tokens in grant funding to builders with high-quality, outside-the-box ideas that may not fit into the predefined themes of the Grant Allocator (GA) Track. Managed directly by the Community Treasury Board (CTB), this track aims to support a broad spectrum of projects that contribute to the growth and sustainability of the Polygon ecosystem.

To streamline operations for the Direct Track, Polygon proposes collaborating with Questbook as an operational partner. Questbook will provide a dedicated Polygon portal to manage the Direct Track process, from receiving applications to mid-stage reviews and final recommendations.

Specification

Purpose of the Direct Track

The Direct Track exists to provide flexible funding opportunities for builders working on projects that may not align with the specific focus areas of the Grant Allocator Track. The Direct Track is open to all builders on Polygon as well as those migrating from other chains who are ready to bring breakout ideas and real-world utility to the network.

Projects suitable for the Direct Track include but are not limited to:

  • Consumer applications
  • Cross-chain tools and integrations
  • Infrastructure and protocol development
  • Novel experiments
  • Community-building initiatives

This track is non-prescriptive about specific themes and is focused solely on quality and impact.

Evaluation Process

The evaluation process for the Direct Track is managed by the Community Treasury Board (CTB) with operational support from Questbook and Polygon Labs. The process follows a structured, transparent framework to ensure fairness and consistency.

Step 1: Initial Application Review

  • Applications will be received through Questbook’s platform.
  • Spam and incomplete applications will be filtered out.
  • Applications must meet basic eligibility criteria to move forward.

Step 2: Mid-Stage Review by Domain Experts

  • Questbook will recruit and manage domain experts to conduct mid-stage reviews.
  • Reviews will assess applications based on a publicly available rubric that evaluates:
    • Technical feasibility
    • Potential ecosystem impact
    • Team expertise
    • Project milestones and deliverables

Step 3: Final Review and Approval

  • The Community Treasury Board will conduct the final evaluation and approve grant applications, with assistance from Polygon Labs, Questbook, or other delegated teams as needed.
  • In some cases, grant requests below 200,000 POL will go through an accelerated review and approval process to maximize the efficiency of deployed funds.
  • Approved grants will be disbursed in tranches based on agreed-upon milestones.
  • Feedback will be provided to applicants, whether approved or declined.

Projects that have already been approved for funding under any other grant program (including GA-led tracks) will not be eligible for a grant through the Direct Track.

Key Details

Grant Size

  • The Direct Track offers grants from small experimental funding to larger amounts based on project scope and potential impact.
  • All grants are denominated in POL.

Reporting Requirements

  • Funded projects must provide regular updates to the CTB through Questbook’s platform.
  • Reports should include milestone progress, challenges faced, and next steps.

Why the Direct Track Matters

The Direct Track provides a critical funding avenue for builders who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in Web3. By maintaining a broad and flexible scope, it ensures that bold, innovative ideas have a place in the Polygon ecosystem, even if they don’t fit into existing categories or themes.

TheCommunity Treasury Board is committed to empowering builders to create the next wave of breakthrough applications and real-world use cases that will drive long-term growth and adoption.

Next Steps for Builders

If you are working on a project that aligns with the goals of the Direct Track:

  1. Prepare a detailed project proposal.
  2. Submit your application through Questbook’s Polygon Community Grants portal.
  3. Join the Polygon Founder Community Discord for ongoing support and updates.