Author: OneBlock Community

In the journey of striving to promote decentralization, November 16, 2023 became a A landmark day. The Web3 Foundation, an organization that continues to explore and promote the development of blockchain technology and decentralized applications, officially announced the launch of the Decentralized Futures Plan. At the same time, This move also officially sounded the clarion call for Polkadot to move towards a new future.

The launch of the Decentralized Futures program aims to stimulate and accelerate the growth of innovative projects within the Polkadot ecosystem through funding,resources and support. In this context, the Web3 Foundation has issued an invitation to developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators around the world to jointly explore and develop new technologies and technologies that can promote the concept of decentralization. application to promote theexpansion and diversification of Polkadotwhile attracting more talents and resources to invest in this great cause.

Overview of decentralized future plans

The Decentralized Future Initiative supports individuals and teams launching new initiatives by allocating up to $20 million and 5 million DOT  Promote the development of the Polkadot ecosystem. Financial support includes both investments in Polkadot-centric for-profit organizations and grants to non-profit projects that can develop plans to adopt Polkadot after 2024 Strategies for obtaining ongoing funding from on-chain treasury systems.

The Decentralized Futures Initiative supports the team through a variety of mechanisms, including grants, investments, and service agreements. The most appropriate mechanism will be selected on a case-by-case basis, combined with a DOT-based incentive scheme. Returns from any investment will berecycled into other funding projects so that the Web3 Foundation can continue to support the ecosystem.

Application Guide

Decentralized Future The program is dedicated to stimulating economically independent and engaged innovators in the Polkadot ecosystem. Particularly encouraged are forward-looking and innovative project ideas which should not only sustain development after the funding period ends, but also pave the way for the future. In order to assist you in constructing your proposal more effectively, the Decentralized Future Project has specially designed an application template. Please remember to share your initial project concepts on the Polkadot forum before submitting your application so that the Web3 Foundation can better understand and support your innovative plans.

Application Timeline

Application opening period (November 2023 - June 2024)

• Fill out theApplicationform . This form will guide you through each step of your application.

• Please post your idea in advance on the Polkadot Forum one week before submitting your application.

Review Phase (November 2023)

The review team will begin reviewing the submitted application and solicit feedback from experts.

Application Deadline (June 2024)

Proposals Must be submittedby July 1, 2024.

End of review process (July 2024)

Delivery and disbursement of all projects will take place by the end of 2024.

If you have any questions, please feel free to consult W3F Decentralized Future Community on Element.

Apply now

Application URL:https://futures.web3.foundation/

Application template:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ay6qbNivSsda0VW1ZQspMabJDYugksHay0AhYbGFJN4/edit

Polkadot Forum:https://forum.polkadot.network/c/ecosystem

W3F Decentralized Future Community:https://matrix.to/#/#df:web3.foundation

Selection criteria

At the current stage, the Web3 Foundation intends to adopt an open strategy, aiming to< strong>Encourage applications for bold and innovative projectseven if these projects may require more financial support, especially in areas where traditional marketing strategies are no longer suitable. At the same time, the plan also recognizes that some projects may require relatively small amounts of capital, tens of thousands of dollars, to get off the ground. This broad approach helps inspire people's creativity and makes a variety of possibilities a reality, although it also means application processing times may be longer.

In order to increase the likelihood of a successful application, the following points are crucial:

• Detailed planning for project sustainability: Project applications require detailed planning and description of their sustainability beyond 2024 strong>. While requesting funding from an ecosystem is relatively easy, convincing customers or the community to understand the value behind such a financial investment is more challenging.

• Detailed breakdown of how funds will be used: Applicants are encouraged to providea detailed breakdown of how the requested funds will be used. Decompose in detail, and as the application amount increases, the granularity of decomposition should also increase accordingly. This meticulous approach ensures transparency and accountability in resource allocation.

• More inclined to receive long-term DOT value: Demonstrate a greater willingness to accept long-term DOT value Funding with a large portion of the token valuerather than the immediate fiat valueis more aligned with the goals of the entire ecosystem.

Decentralized Future Plan hopes to attract those who are not onlyforward-thinking, Individuals and teams who are better prepared to work toward long-term goals while promoting thehealth and continued growthof the decentralized ecosystem.

Find inspiration

The following list of questions is for reference only. There is an overview of projects in the Web 3.0 technology stack, as well as a broad range of project ideas.

Can be found here:https://wiki.polkadot.network/docs/build-open-source

Technology

Developer Experience: How can we make it easier for developers to build, deploy, or integrate on Polkadot? What reusable components are needed to speed development?

Growth: How do we attract new developers, products, and ultimately users to the ecosystem? What new account models, wallet improvements, and data visualization tools are needed to onboard more users?

Interoperability: How can we improve the usability and integration of the XCM protocol (e.g., through encapsulation and APIs)?

Ecosystem Development

Development Services: How do we support teams who want to join the ecosystem but lack the technical knowledge or resources?

High-value partners: How we support high-value collaborations in the ecosystem like early-stage investors, incubators, and startup studios partner?

Enterprise: What is the best way to support web2 companies that want to leverage the Polkadot technology stack?

Community

On-chain governance: What tools and collectives need to be established in order to effectively manage Polkadot’s on-chain treasury and establish thoughtful, long-term, and sustainable financial support?

Decentralized Marketing: Polkadot’s social media channels, website, branding and design, and marketing campaigns targeting developers and decision-makers , how should organizations effectively engage the global community?

Events: How are Polkadot’s flagship events like Decoded and sub0 organized, as well as smaller local events? How can you build a Polkadot Ambassador program to attract capable developers and further grow the community?

Conclusion

The launch of the decentralized future planis not only anew starting point for the ecological development of Polkadot,but also the Web3 Foundation Determined steps towardsa decentralized future. The program is open to all individuals and organizations who are passionate about innovation, collaboration, and empowerment tojointly explore and shape the future of the Polkadot network. Let us move forward hand in hand and create a more open, fairer and more dynamic digital world under the banner of decentralization.