Grants Program Marketing Skill#

For: DAO contributors, protocol marketing leads, grants committee members

Philosophy: A grants program is only as good as the builders it attracts. Marketing is the filter that brings signal, not noise.

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How to Use This Skill#

User says...Go to module"launch a grants program" / "design our grants" / "start from scratch"→ [MODULE 1: Program Design & Positioning]"attract more applicants" / "more builders applying" / "awareness for grants"→ [MODULE 2: Applicant Acquisition]"review applications" / "evaluate grantees" / "score projects"→ [MODULE 3: Application Review Framework]"announce grants results" / "communicate winners" / "grantee spotlights"→ [MODULE 4: Communications & Announcements]"report on grants program" / "DAO report" / "grants impact"→ [MODULE 5: Impact Reporting]

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MODULE 1 — Program Design & Positioning#

Trigger: Building a new grants program or redesigning an existing one.

Step 1: Program Strategy Intake#

Ask if not provided:

• What is the protocol/DAO? (brief description and mission)
• Goal of the grants program? (ecosystem growth, developer adoption, community tools, research, marketing/content)
• Budget available per round? (in USD or token equivalent)
• Typical grant size range? (micro: <$5K / mid: $5K–$50K / large: $50K+)
• Who do you want building? (developers, content creators, researchers, community builders)
• Current round/version? (V1 launch vs. V3 iteration)

Step 2: Program Positioning Statement#

Craft the grants program identity:

text

GRANTS PROGRAM POSITIONING
──────────────────────────
Program Name: [Protocol] Grants — [V# or Season name]
Tagline: [1 line that signals who this is for and what's possible]
Mission: "We fund [TYPE OF BUILDERS] who are building [OUTCOME] on [PROTOCOL]."
Scope: [What we fund] vs [What we don't fund] — be explicit
Differentiator: [What makes our grants better/different from Gitcoin, Optimism RPGF, etc.]

Real examples for calibration:

• ✅ "We fund builders who make [Protocol] the communication layer for every dApp."
• ✅ "[Protocol] Grants: Security infrastructure for protocols that can't afford to get hacked."
• ❌ "We support the community in building on our ecosystem." (too vague — anyone could say this)

Step 3: Grant Tiers Design#

TierBudget RangeForTurnaroundMicro Grants<$2,500Quick experiments, content, community tools1–2 weeksBuilder Grants$2,500–$15,000MVPs, integrations, small dApps2–4 weeksGrowth Grants$15,000–$50,000Core infrastructure, major features4–8 weeksStrategic Grants$50,000+Flagship projects, long-term partnershipsCustom

Step 4: Grants Page Copy Structure#

text

ABOVE THE FOLD
├── Program name + season
├── Tagline
├── Total funding available this round
└── CTA: "Apply Now" + deadline

WHAT WE FUND
├── Category 1 with 2–3 examples of ideal projects
├── Category 2
└── Category 3

WHAT WE DON'T FUND (critical — saves everyone time)
├── [Example: pure speculation/trading tools]
├── [Example: projects without a working prototype]
└── [Example: retroactive funding for completed projects]

HOW IT WORKS (timeline)
├── Applications open: [date]
├── Review period: [X weeks]
├── Results announced: [date]
└── Funding disbursed: [mechanism — USDC, token, milestone-based]

PAST GRANTEES (social proof)
└── 3–5 short spotlights with outcomes

APPLY NOW
└── Link to application form + contact for questions

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MODULE 2 — Applicant Acquisition#

Trigger: Program exists but needs more or better applicants.

Channel Strategy for Grants Awareness#

Twitter/X (highest reach in Web3):

• Announce with a thread — problem + solution + what we fund + apply link
• Tag ecosystem accounts, developer tools, and relevant hackathon winners
• Pin the application tweet for the full round duration
• Post "we're still accepting applications" reminder at 50% and 75% of deadline
• Use: #Web3Grants #BuildOnX #[ProtocolName]

Discord (highest conversion):

• Post in #announcements of your own server
• DM server admins of complementary protocols to post in their #resources or #opportunities channel
• Join developer-focused servers (ETHGlobal Alumni, Developer DAO, Buildspace Alumni) and share in appropriate channels

LinkedIn (underused in Web3, high signal for serious builders):

• Post grants announcement targeting "blockchain developer," "Web3 developer," "smart contract engineer"
• Frame as a career/funding opportunity, not just "crypto stuff"

Direct Outreach (highest quality applicants):

• Identify 10–20 builders who have built adjacent projects and DM personally
• Message hackathon winners from ETHGlobal, Chainlink, or relevant ecosystem events
• Reach out to developers who have forked or starred your GitHub repos

Content to create during application window:

• "Types of projects we want to fund" thread (with examples)
• "Q&A: Common questions about applying" post
• "We funded [grantee] — here's what they built" spotlight to show real outcomes

Application Form Optimization#

Keep it short. Every extra field = fewer applications.

Minimum viable application:

1. Project name and one-line description
2. What are you building? (200 words max)
3. How does it benefit [Protocol] ecosystem?
4. Team background (GitHub, prior work)
5. Requested amount + budget breakdown
6. Timeline with milestones
7. Contact info

Remove: unnecessary legal language, complex multi-stage forms, anything that requires >30 min to complete for micro grants.

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MODULE 3 — Application Review Framework#

Trigger: User needs a systematic way to evaluate grant applications.

Review Scorecard (0–5 per criterion)#

text

APPLICATION REVIEW: [Project Name]
Reviewer: [Name] | Date: [Date]

CRITERION                    SCORE (0–5)   NOTES
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. Ecosystem Fit             [  ]     Does this directly benefit [Protocol]?
2. Team Credibility          [  ]     GitHub, past projects, doxxed/anon?
3. Technical Feasibility     [  ]     Can they actually build this?
4. Originality               [  ]     Novel vs. copy of existing project?
5. Milestone Clarity         [  ]     Are deliverables specific and measurable?
6. Budget Reasonableness     [  ]     Fair for the scope of work?
7. Long-term Value           [  ]     Will this still matter in 12 months?

TOTAL: [  ] / 35

RECOMMENDATION:
☐ Approve as submitted
☐ Approve with modifications (specify below)
☐ Request more information
☐ Reject (reason required)

NOTES FOR COMMITTEE:
[Free text]

Review Red Flags#

Reject or flag immediately if:

• No GitHub profile or prior technical work (for dev grants)
• Budget request has no breakdown ("we need $20K for development")
• Project could be built without a grant (VC-backed teams asking for grants)
• Copy-paste of another protocol's existing tool
• Team has received a grant before and didn't deliver
• Vague milestones ("we will build the platform" — when? what exactly?)

Interview Questions (for shortlisted applicants)#

1. "Walk me through how this integration actually works technically."
2. "What's the biggest risk to this project and how do you mitigate it?"
3. "Why build on [Protocol] vs. alternatives?"
4. "What happens to this project if the grant runs out?"
5. "Have you talked to potential users? What did they say?"

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MODULE 4 — Communications & Announcements#

Trigger: Need to announce grants round, results, or grantee spotlights.

Round Launch Announcement (Thread format)#

text

Tweet 1 (Hook):
"[Protocol] Grants [V#] is open. [Total $] available for builders who [SPECIFIC OUTCOME].

We fund [TYPE 1], [TYPE 2], and [TYPE 3].

Here's everything you need to know 🧵"

Tweet 2: What we fund (with real examples)
Tweet 3: Grant tiers and amounts
Tweet 4: Timeline (open → review → results → funding)
Tweet 5: Past grantees + what they built (credibility)
Tweet 6: How to apply (link + deadline)
Tweet 7: "Tag a builder who should apply 👇"

Results Announcement Template#

text

Subject/Hook: "[Protocol] Grants [V#] — [X] projects funded, [$Y] deployed"

We reviewed [X] applications over [Y] weeks.
[Z] projects made the cut.

Here's what we're funding and why:

[Project 1 — 2 sentences: what it is + why we chose it]
[Project 2 — same]
[Project 3 — same]
...

Total deployed this round: [$X]
Ecosystem impact expected: [brief vision]

Applications for [V#+1] open [date].
We're looking for builders who [specific need for next round].

Grantee Spotlight Template#

text

BUILDER SPOTLIGHT: [Name/Team]
Project: [Name]
Grant size: [Optional — disclose if protocol is transparent]
Built: [What they delivered]

[2–3 sentences on the problem they solved]

[1 quote from grantee about the experience]

Live at: [link if applicable]
GitHub: [link]

This is what we fund at [Protocol] Grants.
Applications open [date → link]

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MODULE 5 — Impact Reporting#

Trigger: End of round or quarterly reporting to DAO/community.

Grants Impact Report Structure#

text

[PROTOCOL] GRANTS — [ROUND/SEASON] IMPACT REPORT

OVERVIEW
├── Round: V#
├── Applications received: [X]
├── Projects funded: [X]
├── Total deployed: [$X USD / X tokens]
├── Average grant size: [$X]
└── Round duration: [dates]

FUNDED PROJECTS
[For each project: name, category, amount, status, deliverables met Y/N]

ECOSYSTEM METRICS
├── GitHub stars / forks generated by grantees
├── Users/transactions generated (if measurable)
├── Integrations shipped
└── Follow-on funding raised by grantees

LEARNINGS THIS ROUND
├── What worked: [specific examples]
├── What didn't: [honest assessment]
└── Changes for next round: [concrete improvements]

TREASURY USAGE
└── [Optional: transparency on how funds were managed]

NEXT ROUND PREVIEW
└── Focus areas, budget, timeline, application link

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General Quality Rules#

1. Clarity converts. Vague grants programs get vague applicants. Be extremely specific about what you fund.
2. Show past results. "We funded X and they built Y" is the best acquisition tool you have.
3. Respect builder time. Long applications signal you don't value their time.
4. Follow up with rejected applicants — they often become great future grantees when their project matures.
5. Publish results even when uncomfortable. Projects that failed to deliver should be documented — it builds DAO credibility.

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Grants Program Marketing Skill v1.0

Built for DAO contributors and protocol marketing leads running grants programs that attract real builders.