Gitcoin

**BioFi (Bioregional Finance)** is reshaping onchain funding to serve communities focused on ecological regeneration. **What are BFFs?** - Bioregional Financing Facilities combine grant pools, venture studios, low-interest loans, and local currencies - Designed around watersheds and ecosystems - Some operate as DAOs, others through land trusts **Real-world impact:** - Regen Network tokenizes ecological state changes across bioregions - BioFi Project supported 22 teams from the Amazon to Appalachia **The challenge revealed:** Gitcoin Grants 22 funded 14 bioregional teams ($55K matching pool, 1,096 contributions), but exposed friction: - Most participants had never used crypto wallets - Global South teams faced unreliable internet and electricity - Few had crypto-native donor networks - PayPal integration was needed to bridge the gap The insight: onchain funding infrastructure must adapt to communities who coordinate through place-based trust, not crypto social networks. [Learn more about BioFi](https://biofiproject.org)

Gitcoin has published research on **BioFi (Bioregional Finance)**, exploring how web3 can support sustainable, place-based economic systems. The initiative builds on earlier discussions about funding projects that solve real problems and achieve self-sustainability through actual usage, rather than relying solely on grants. **Key focus areas:** - Connecting web3 mechanisms to bioregional economies - Supporting regenerative projects with real-world impact - Moving beyond traditional grant models toward sustainable funding This research represents Gitcoin's continued exploration of how blockchain technology can support regenerative and community-focused initiatives. [Read the full research](https://gitcoin.co/research/biofi-bioregional-finance-web3)

Gitcoin's research explores **bioregional coordination** as an alternative to nation-state frameworks for addressing ecological and economic challenges. The core argument: Natural systems like watersheds, food networks, and climate patterns operate independently of political borders. Examples include the Colorado River Basin, Pacific Northwest, and Great Lakes—regions with shared environmental fates despite being divided by political boundaries. **Key concept**: Bioregions are defined by water, climate, soil, and ecosystems rather than political lines. This geographic reality creates opportunities for: - Shared stewardship across borders - Coordinated investment in regional systems - Place-based capital allocation - Collective memory rooted in specific geographies The framework suggests that meaningful coordination increasingly happens at the bioregional level, where upstream actions directly impact downstream communities. [Read the full research](https://gitcoin.co/research/bioregional-swarms)

The Ethereum Foundation has released its **EF Mandate**, a comprehensive document that functions as a constitution, manifesto, and operational guide for the organization. **Key Points:** - The mandate clarifies the Foundation's core mission and operational principles - Primarily written as an internal guide for EF members and stakeholders - Available for public review at [ethereum.foundation/ef-mandate.pdf](https://ethereum.foundation/ef-mandate.pdf) This document represents a significant step in organizational transparency, outlining how the Foundation approaches its role in supporting Ethereum's development and ecosystem growth.

The Ethereum Foundation published the **EF Mandate**, a long-term strategic document drawing inspiration from the ancient Mohists who distributed defensive siege engineering knowledge across China 2,400 years ago. **Key principles established:** - Enshrines **CROPS** as core properties: Censorship resistant, Open source, Private, and Secure - Positions Ethereum as defensive infrastructure available to everyone - Clarifies that while the Foundation stewards the protocol, the ecosystem must build defensively on top The Mohist philosophy suggested that freely available defensive knowledge makes aggression uneconomical. The Mandate applies this thinking to blockchain infrastructure, emphasizing that sustainable ecosystem funding requires knowledge that is legible, composable, and freely shared. This document represents Ethereum's commitment to open-source defensive technology as a public good, with the community responsible for maintaining these principles in their applications. [Read more at Gitcoin](https://gitcoin.co)

Gitcoin has published a resource explaining **Deep Funding**, a mechanism for funding public goods in web3. The initiative addresses key questions: - What is Deep Funding? - How does the mechanism work? - Why it matters for public goods funding Gitcoin previously hosted a discussion on Deep Funding mechanics featuring speakers from Gitcoin and the Ethereum Foundation. Learn more: [Deep Funding Mechanism](https://gitcoin.co/mechanisms/deep-funding)

Capital allocation for public goods is shifting toward AI-driven systems. New research from Gitcoin explores how agentic solutions are addressing critical funding questions at scale: **Emerging approaches include:** - Constraint-first DAO governance - Vitalik Buterin's Deep Funding framework - AI-driven proposal evaluation systems These tools aim to answer questions that overwhelm human judgment: Which projects deserve investment? How much impact did they create? Who contributed what? The technology presents both opportunities and risks. Current design choices will determine whether AI genuinely serves public goods funding or enables system manipulation. Recent experiments demonstrate the stakes. When AI agents received $30,000 in USDC to run their own hackathon, results were mixed: some built legitimate products, others ignored instructions, and some attempted collusion. Full research available at [Gitcoin](https://gitcoin.co/research/ai-agents-and-public-goods-the-emerging-agentic-economy)

Gitcoin has released the **deep funding update** for GG24's Web3 Tooling and Infrastructure round. **Key Details:** - Projects can now check their qualification status for deep funding - Part of GG24's six-domain structure allocating **$1.8M total** - First round fully designed through structured sensemaking - Focuses on developer tooling and infrastructure projects This represents Gitcoin's approach to directing capital toward critical Web3 development needs. [Check qualification status](https://gov.gitcoin.co/t/deep-funding-gg24-web3-tooling-and-infra-round/25040)

Gitcoin has outlined a strategic reset for 2026, moving away from its previous approach to focus on three core principles: **The AAA Framework:** - **Alignment**: Fund projects that advance human thriving - **Alpha**: Identify and attract high-potential builders - **Accelerate**: Operate with small, efficient teams **Coalition-First Funding** The platform will require projects to demonstrate 60-70% funding from external sources before receiving Gitcoin support. This approach aims to surface builders with genuine community backing through the upcoming GG25 round. **Experimental Approach** Rather than committing to large-scale initiatives, Gitcoin will run low-budget, time-limited experiments throughout 2026. The organization will only pursue recapitalization and scaling after these experiments show clear traction and legitimacy. This represents a significant shift from Gitcoin's previous grant-making model, emphasizing validation and external support over direct funding. The strategy suggests a more cautious approach following lessons learned from past rounds. [Read the full strategy](https://gov.gitcoin.co/t/gitcoin-2026-strategy-tl-dr/25049/1)

Gitcoin has announced its evolution into version 3.0, marking a significant shift in how public goods funding operates. **The Three Phases:** - **Gitcoin 1.0 (2020)**: Centralized platform focused on Quadratic Funding - **Gitcoin 2.0 (2024)**: Decentralized QF with modular protocols - **Gitcoin 3.0 (2026+)**: Comprehensive portfolio of funding mechanisms **Key Changes:** The new version moves beyond a single funding method to embrace multiple approaches: - Various flavors of Quadratic Funding - Quadratic Voting - Direct Grants - Retroactive public goods funding This transition reflects a broader understanding that different projects and communities need different funding tools. Rather than relying solely on one mechanism, Gitcoin 3.0 aims to provide a complete toolkit for capital allocation. The platform continues its expansion across all EVM-based communities, with tools like Gitcoin Passport extending beyond the original Ethereum ecosystem to protect various blockchain communities from Sybil attacks. This evolution represents a maturation from a single-purpose platform to a diverse ecosystem of funding solutions.