CIP: 63
title: Renewing the CoW Grants Program
author: @Chim9, @Kubesqrt, @middleway.eth, @notsoformal, @mfw78, @c3rnst, @Master_CoW
status: Active
created: 2025-01-21

Simple Summary

With the passing of this CIP, the mandate for Grants DAO continues for the period of 1st February 2025 through and including 31st January 2026.

For this period, the proposal requests an additional 383,000 xDAI from the Treasury held funds. With this additional funding, the available funds at the discretion of the Grant Committee to give out for funds in 2025 is 600,000 xDAI and 1,465,260 COW for Grant activities and 4,990,000 COW for volume grants.

The use of grants in the CoW ecosystem is a critical driver for fostering innovation and growth. Grants not only incentivize builders to develop on top of CoW but also encourage the creation of impactful products that align with the ecosystem’s goals. Since the inception of the Grants DAO, the initiative has successfully onboarded several impactful projects that have significantly advanced the CoW ecosystem, contributing positively to its expansion and overall utility.

Motivation

The CoW Grants Program has funded numerous impactful projects contributing to the CoW ecosystem. For a full list and details on their contributions, please refer to the forum post.

Grant program financial position

Considering since the Grants program was created:

• Payouts Completed: So far, the Grants DAO has distributed a total of 919,853.03 xDAI and 2,602,740 COW, of which 1,010,000 COW was for the Volume program.
• Total Commitments: The Committee has committed 922,597.69 xDAI and 1,661,500 COW to various projects and initiatives. These commitments account for 51.26% of the xDAI budget, 53.60% of the COW budget, and 16.83% of the COW Volume allocation.
• Volume-Based Grants: Of the 6,000,000 COW allocated for volume-based grants, 16.83% has been committed. To date, multiple milestones have been met, and payouts have been made to eligible projects under this category.

The above allocations lead to a free funds allocation, from the prior CIP mandate of 198,803 xDAI, 1,1465,260 COW, and 4,990,000 COW allocated for Volume-Based Grants.

Given the above remaining allocation, which will continue to be available for Grant allocation via the Grants DAO committee, the Grants DAO committee requests under this CIP for the following additional funding:

1. An extra allocation of 383,000 xDAI (to initiate the year with a full budget of 600,000 xDAI;
2. The power to allocate part of the CoW Volume budget to non-volume CoW grants.

The xDAI funds should be sent by the Core Treasury team to the Grants DAO Safe (gno:0xDA00000B30dCf0C3f5d968e4451Ebdee6950d63e) in two instalments:

1. On passing of this CIP: 183,000 xDAI
2. By Jul 2025: 200,000 xDAI

Bonus Allocation for Grants

Grantees who exceed expectations, contribute significantly to the CoW ecosystem, or deliver exceptional results may receive a discretionary bonus of up to 10,000 xDAI (or equivalent in COW). Bonuses are awarded solely by the committee and do not require a Snapshot vote.

A portion of the Grants DAO budget is allocated for these bonuses. Once exhausted, further bonuses require approval via an on-chain vote.

For detailed criteria and process, please refer to the forum post.

Continuation of Existing Grant Commitments

All grants that have been committed within the current mandate but extend beyond the end of the term (January 31, 2026) will remain valid and honored under this CIP. This ensures that grantees fulfilling their milestones in 2026 will still receive their allocated funding, regardless of whether the Grants DAO program is renewed beyond this term. Any such outstanding payments will continue to be administered by the Grants DAO Committee or, in the event of dissolution, transferred to CoW DAO for fulfillment.

CoW Grants Committee Structure and Operations

Committee Composition

The CoW Grants Committee comprises five members:

• 2 Core Team Members
• 3 Community Members

The committee operates as a Gnosis Safe with a 4/5 quorum required for approving grants. Each member is responsible for overseeing multiple grants and serving as a steward for assigned grants. They guide grantees through the entire process, from onboarding to grant completion.

Committee Members and Wallet Addresses

• Community Members:

  • @Kubesqrt - 0x177127622c4A00F3d409B75571e12cB3c8973d3c
  • @Chim9 - 0xF44217A8b6b3f258BFFEaD635c226528aa516aea
  • @mfw78 - 0x0F641723997145715d23c0129b96041011d26666

• Core Team Members:

  • @middleway.eth - 0xa11da8b2d9a7883eb636d7de426025e5fd9fda1a
  • @Master_CoW - 0x76ba9825a5f707f133124e4608f1f2dd1ef4006a

Governance and Safe Operations

Nested Safe Design

The CoW Grants DAO has historically used a nested safe design, enabling the DAO to retain full control of funds. However, this structure introduced operational inefficiencies in handling transactions.

Proposed Update

To streamline operations:

• Funds will be held directly in the Committee Safe.
• CoW DAO will act as the ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) of the Committee Safe.
  This update will improve efficiency, reduce transaction friction, and allow faster payment processing while maintaining DAO oversight.

Roles and Responsibilities

General Responsibilities (All Committee Members)

• Actively participating in governance, calls, and decision-making processes.

Defined Roles

1. Technical Lead
2. Grant Steward
3. Grant Moderator

[...] For detailed roles descriptions please refer to the forum post.

Compensation

Base Pay and Additional Rewards

| Role | Base Pay (USD) | Payment in $COW Tokens | Bonuses | |--------------------|-------------------|----------------------------|-------------| | Technical Lead | $3,000 | Equivalent in $COW tokens | Performance-based (peer-reviewed) | | Grant Steward | $2,000 | Equivalent in $COW tokens | Performance-based (peer-reviewed) | | Grant Moderator | $1,000 | Equivalent in $COW tokens | Performance-based (peer-reviewed) |

Bonuses: Members may submit self-assessments for exceptional contributions. Bonuses (max 1,500 xDAI/month) are awarded quarterly after peer review, with potential external reviewer involvement.

Adding or Removing Committee Members

Adding Members

To address technical gaps, the DAO has discretion to add up to two additional committee members through an on-chain vote. New members will be added to the multisig as signers.

Removing Members

Committee members may be removed via a snapshot vote if they fail to fulfill responsibilities, including attending calls, overseeing grants, or engaging in decision-making. A 4/5 quorum is required for such votes.

CoW DAO Termination

CoW DAO reserves the right to terminate and dissolve the Grants DAO with a 30-day notice period, following an on-chain vote conducted on the CoW DAO governance forum. In the event of such termination, all funds held by the CoW Grants DAO will be returned to the CoW DAO. Furthermore, the liability for any existing payouts to ongoing grantees will transfer to CoW DAO, which will assume responsibility for honoring these commitments.

Transparency and Accountability

All grant-related activities, status updates, and governance discussions can be found on the Grants Program forum section, grant tracker, and snapshot space. See the forum post for all relevant links.

This CIP includes a suggestion for a revised Grant Template, available here separately on the Forum and part of this CIP and its governance process.

This CIP includes a suggestion for revised Grant Terms, available here separately on the Forum and part of this CIP and its governance process. If this CIP passes, future Grants are required to refer to these CoW DAO approved Terms.

CoW DAO will be the modular owner of all GrantsDAO Safes and obtains the right to withdraw funds as per above mentioned termination, and in case of extraordinary circumstances, with no notice.

Next to the possibility for the program to be terminated by CoW DAO, of course any renewal will include the success metrics of prior programs; if more funding is requested during the ongoing period, additional justification is provided.

Transaction Data

No transaction data is required.