If you have previously discussed this project with a member of the IPFS or Filecoin project team, they may volunteer to serve as technical sponsor for your grant application.
For most open and RFP grant applications, technical sponsors are optional. The only exception is for projects that seek to modify core protocols or codebases: if your project includes PRs to core implementations such as go-ipfs or lotus, or depends on FIP approval, a technical sponsor is required. For these projects, you may either identify your technical sponsor ahead of time (preferred) or submit your application with a request for a technical sponsor.
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Before submitting your application, you should have their verbal agreement. (You may wish to send them a link to the Technical sponsor responsibilities.)
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Once you’ve created the Github issue with your application, the sponsor should add a comment confirming their willingness.
That’s it! The Grants WG will reach out to the sponsor during the review process.
Technical sponsors serve as primary reviewers for project completion. They should be core contributors of the relevant project in the Filecoin, IPFS, or libp2p ecosystems. Agreeing to be a technical sponsor means you have confidence in the relevance and impact of the proposed project, and the capability of the proposing team to deliver. Responsibilities:
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Confirm your sponsorship via a comment on the application's Github issue.
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The Grants WG will ask for your review comments (usually via writing).
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Provide project guidance along the way. This can take many forms, from regular video calls to less-frequent email exchanges.
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As each milestone is complete, confirm your approval via a comment on the Github issue. The Grants WG will use this approval to release the milestone payment to the team.
For any questions, email [email protected] or ask in the #grants-help channel on the Filecoin Slack.