Near Digital Collective Grassroots DAOs, projects, individual contributors funding, onboarding and operations guide v1

[Dacha]

Near Digital Collective Grassroots DAOs, projects, individual contributors funding, onboarding and operations guide v1.

The guide can be amended by House of Merit or NDC Voting Body.

Welcome to the Grassroots DAOs, projects, and Individual Contributors Funding Guide. Whether you are part of a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), managing a grassroots project, or an individual contributor, this guide is meant to help clarify how funding works within the Near Digital Collective (NDC) ecosystem.

Guiding Principles

Guiding principles are the foundational pillars underpinning the construction of our actions and decisions. Within the context of Near Digital Collective, our guiding principles assume particular significance as they intricately align with the priorities set forth by the NDC Councils of Advisors.

Near Digital Collective Core Values

1. Empowering the ecosystem (for people by people)
2. Respected by the ecosystem (fair, accountable, transparent, and reliable)
3. Dedicated to ideas of decentralization (antifragile, scalable, with collective decision-making)
4. Efficient operation (don’t be a burden; instead, help the Community to be more efficient)
5. Continuous improvement via weekly iterations (plan, measure results, and adjust continuously)

Near Digital Collective Metrics

Metrics is how we measure things. They ensure that we collectively make meaningful progress. Metrics should be used for both tracking individual initiatives performance, and the whole NDC performance (based on the accumulated metrics from the supported initiatives). All the metrics must be attributable to the relevant project/initiative through on-chain activity + off-chain reporting, ensuring GDPR compliance and preserving privacy:

1. Accounts retention after 1/2/4/8 weeks — the percentage of accounts who continue interacting on the chain over a given time period (higher is better)
2. Account acquisition cost — budget divided by the number of accounts interacting through the funded initiative (lower is better)
3. Median number of dApps used by P95 accounts retained for 1+ week (higher is better)
4. Number of accounts retained for 1+ week using at least three dApps (higher is better)
5. Social engagement score — some compound metric of the number of posts, likes, and followers/views in social media produced by the users.

Near Digital Collective Priorities

P-1: Widening Adoption of NEAR

P-1.1: Outreach to New Audiences

Continuous outreach to new audiences is the source of new community members and ideas. That’s why we believe this priority is a cornerstone for the NDC. There are many initiatives that fall into this category and we intentionally do not want to limit what is possible. However, here are some ideas that can be explored:

1. Referral systems for the ecosystem;

2. Demonstration of NEAR to non-blockchain communities:

a. TradFi apps seeking exposure to DeFi yield;

b. Traditional software companies seeking to offload security and risk to blockchain;

c. AI/ML data provenance;

d. Social apps with data privacy requirements and possible network effects.

3. Education of the local communities, creators, influencers:

a. Local offline and online workshops or lectures in regional languages;

b. Catchy swag;

c. Referral programs;

d. Time-bound events: NEARtober fest, NEAR advent calendar.

4. Activation of the protocol’s daily usage through gamification mechanics (for example, leaderboards).

P-1.2: Onboard Successful Projects

Blockchain is a platform where the users meet products. That’s why it is important to provide a good set of products off the shelf to the users. Successfully operated projects are the shortest path to widespread adoption. Here are some projects that can be onboarded:

• Web3: Metamask, Brave, OpenSea, Etherscan;
• Web2 and social: Medium, Reddit, WordPress (40% of the websites), Discourse

(standard for web3 governance), Discord, TickTok, Telegram — spam protection, anti-fake, user engagement;

• Mass market: supermarket chains, clothes brands, restaurant chains — loyalty programs;

• Entertainment: concerts organizers, sport events organizers, collectibles, Comicon — ticketing and gamification;

• Online services: DuoLingo, AirBnB, Booking.com, Uber, Bolt, E-loop, FinTech - loyalty programs and gamification;

• B2B: logistic companies, real estate, FinTech, TelCom — reduction of the costs and/or risks.

P-2: Public Goods

P-2.1: KYC Solution for Payments

Many projects in the NEAR ecosystem are facing the need to make payouts to third parties (grants, bug bounties, etc). Usually, such payouts are connected with the need of KYC procedures. At least one convenient solution for performing such KYC checks should be present in the NEAR ecosystem.

Deliverables:

1. A legal entity that will serve the KYC solution;

2. Signed KYC Provider (Fractal);

3. Guidelines to use the KYC solution;

4. Integrate NDC tooling with KYC provider.

Metrics:

• Number of KYC’d contributors;
• Projects on-boarded to the KYC solution;

P-2.2: Support Wallets to Become Sustainable

As a public blockchain NEAR must have at least two secure, robust and easy-to-use wallets. Each of those must have: web and mobile versions; own RPC nodes, decent customer support; win-win-win cooperations with other projects, working innovation framework to reach sustainability. However, NDC support must ensure fair competition in the wallet space.

Deliverables:

• Wallet workgroup within NDC;
• Established guidelines and processes for the wallet support program.

P-3: NDC Operations

P-3.1: Streamline NDC Operations

All of the NDC houses would benefit from operationalizing their work. This covers procedures for onboarding new members, charters/descriptions of zones of responsibility, access to the tools, recruitment procedures, comp&ben standards, etc.

Make things easy to transition into the future:

• Conduct a detailed analysis of the current organizational structure, including accounting; to determine which processes can be improved and optimized;

• Update and clarify the rights, risks and responsibilities of NDC councils.

Deliverables:

1. Recruiting and orientation processes;

2. Compensation guidelines based on the level of contribution;

3. Efficient processes and tooling for governance and transparency;

4. Efficient processes and tooling for accounting and funding.

P-3.2: Update the election procedure

The elections of the current cadence of NDC has faced a massive backlash from both the community and participants. The procedure must be updated with the following principles in mind:

1. The voting should be robust/scalable;

2. Voting process should be resistant to manipulation;

3. Manual processes should be minimized;

4. Voting should be open to any ecosystem member;

5. Voting should be private.

Ideas to be considered during the design of the election process:

• Attracting and promoting top candidates;
• Consider not only full re-election, but also alternative models such as “rolling release”.

Deliverables:

1. First milestone: a new election procedure, developed jointly by NDC members with

community participation, approved by CoA and HoM;

2. Second milestone: implementation of the election procedure on the level of smart

contracts; its review and validation;

3. Third milestone: preparation and implementation of the new procedure

within the next NDC elections;

4. Fourth milestone: the proper handover of the NDC to the next cadence.

Congress Roles

There are four governing bodies of the NDC Governance Framework. Each governing body has specific roles and capabilities such that a system of checks and balances can develop. At a high level, these roles and capabilities are summarized as follows:

• House of Merit: Propose and Allocate - 15 seats to start, adding 2 each congress until 31 is reached;
• Council of Advisors: Advise and Block - 7 seats set;
• Transparency Commission: Investigate and Remove - 7 seats set;
• Voting Body: all non-blacklisted human participants in the NEAR Ecosystem. There are no requirements for being a member of the voting body beyond possession of ‘I am Human’ face verification SBT and not being on the blacklist.

The role and powers vested in these different governing bodies provide a robust framework for ensuring governance of the Community Treasury in line with NEAR values and the ecosystem objectives. The balance of powers between these governing bodies can be understood in the following manner:

• CoA: While the Council of Advisors sits in support of the HoM and maintains the ability to block a proposal or removal request, they are beholden to the HoM for the passage of proposals. Meanwhile, they are also beholden to the Transparency Commission insofar as they cannot remove members or investigate them.
• HoM: While the HoM has the ability to propose legislation proactively, they are beholden to the Council of Advisors and ongoing checks if poor leadership is repeated over time. In the same vein, they are also accountable to the Transparency Commission in terms of ethics and transparency of their role.
• TC: While the Transparency Commission commands the sole power of hearing complaints, investigating members of both the HoM and the Co, and to either extend an investigation, retain a member after investigation, or remove that member as a result of the investigation. Co has the ability to allow someone who has been removed from their post to run for future sessions, only after they have been removed.
• Voting body Powers and Responsibilities:

1. Elect members of institutions;
2. Dissolve institutions deemed incompetent.
3. Amend the Governance Framework.
4. Veto Big budget items over a certain threshold.
5. Veto any recurring budget items.
6. Vote on matters related to the Community Treasury, including:
7. Swapping NEAR Consent for NEAR Supermajority Consent.
8. Changes to NEAR Supermajority Consent & Quorum requirements.
9. Overriding powers.
10. Addition & Exclusion of trustees.
11. Amend trust instrument.
12. Make distributions.
13. Ratify Setup packages.

All four institutions can elect speakers and points of contact at the beginning of each NDC Congress. Current list of speakers/ point of contacts:

• House of Merit speaker - Kiskesis;
• House of Merit point of contact - El Mayer (Dacha);
• Council of Advisors speaker - Alex Shevchenko;
• Council of Advisors point of contact - Evangels;
• Transparency Commission speaker - AVB;
• Transparency Commission point of contact - Johanga.

The speaker is responsible for arranging calls, managing discussions, and strategizing. The speaker can delegate some responsibilities to other home members.

Point of Contact manages the movement of proposals, communications between houses (reports, proposals), interactions with grassroots DAOs, applicants, payments, KYC questions, etc., and routine tasks. The Point of Contact can appoint any person to manage specific tasks.

Dismissal of Congress Roles

In the context of addressing concerns related to the competence and activity levels of the NDC Congress, the following formalized criteria are established for the removal of any member:

Criteria for CoA & TC Members:

1. Voting on Proposals: Members should maintain a monthly voting record of at least 70%.

2. Meeting Attendance: Members are expected to attend a minimum of 60% of scheduled meetings per month.

Criteria for HoM:

1. Voting on Proposals: The House of Merit members are required to maintain a voting record of at least 70% per month.

2. Meeting Attendance: The House of Merit members should attend a minimum of 60% of scheduled meetings per month.

3. Proposal Creation: The creation of proposals by the House of Merit members should not fall below 2 per term.

Instruments for Assessment:

1. Monthly tracking will be conducted based on reports from the Points of Contact for the HoM and the CoA.

2. A member of the TC will be designated to create proposals for the dismissal of Congress members based on inactivity.

These formal criteria and instruments aim to uphold standards of engagement and participation among Congress members and ensure the effectiveness of the governing bodies.

Near Digital Collective Code of Conduct

NDC Code Of Conduct by Transparency Commission

[IMG_5209] Introduction The NDC, which stands for Near Digital Collective, is an independent movement led by the NEAR Community. It was originally proposed by NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin. The goal of the NDC is to establish a community treasury and governance model that allows the NEAR ecosystem to collectively make decisions, such as funding initiatives and electing representatives. The NDC’s purpose is to steer NEAR towards becoming a truly decentralized network that can self-organize a…

Proposal types within the Near Digital Collective

• Grassroots DAOs recurring payments;
• Congress member’s remuneration and Congress needs payments.
• Individual project funding requests to the House of Merit;
• NDC operations teams and working groups payments;

Grassroots DAOs onboarding process and recurring payments procedure

Grassroots DAOs onboarding procedure

1. Submission of application - between the 13th and 19th of each month:
   Grassroots DAO initiates the onboarding process by completing the provided form (Appendix 1) and submitting a proposal on the NEAR Government forum
2. Review and evaluation - between the 13th and 19th of each month:
   House of Merit (HoM) conducts a comprehensive review of the submitted proposals and engages in necessary discussions or calls with the Grassroots DAO representatives.
3. On-chain proposal creation - executed on 20th of each month:
   A HoM member (a Sponsor, not affiliated with the DAO), creates an on-chain proposal on behalf of the DAO.
4. On-Chain voting - between the 20th and 26th of each month:
   HoM members participate in on-chain voting to finalize the onboarding decision for the Grassroots DAO.

Formal Procedure for Recurring Payments in Grassroots DAOs

1. Forum Posting:

Applicants initiate the process by submitting proposals through a dedicated post on the NEAR Governance Forum (to be replaced on BOS). Please include NDC budget Subcategory code. This submission window is open between the 1st and 7th of each month. Simultaneously, Grassroots DAO (GDAO) governance members and NDC applicants are expected to share their reports during this timeframe.

2. GDAO Governance Members’ Review:

Between the 8th and 12th of each month, GDAO governance members meticulously assess the proposals posted on the forum (BOS).

3. GDAO Governance Members’ Feedback:

GDAO governance members actively provide feedback and pose questions. The objective is to arrive at a decision confirming support or rejection of the proposal, to be made publicly on the forum (BOS) between the 8th and 12th.

4. Proposal Decision:

The minimum threshold required to pass or reject a proposal may evolve with the size of the Grassroots DAO. However, it must consistently align with 51% of the votes.

• Proposal Approved: A proposal is deemed approved [Approved] if it garners 51% or more positive feedback from GDAO governance members. The post’s title on the Forum will be updated to [Approved].

• Proposal Rejected: Proposals lacking majority support from GDAO governance members will be rejected [Rejected]. In case of rejection, proponents need to revise the proposal and re-submit at a later date.

5. Closing Proposals:

GDAO governance members retain the right to close [Closed] a proposal under certain circumstances, including applicant requests, violations of the Near Digital Collective Community Code of Conduct, or a lack of response from the applicant to council member requests for additional information.

Community Advisory:

It is strongly advised that the community submits proposals well in advance and adheres to the general timelines for proposal evaluation and payout. Funding requests should be made at least 8 weeks before the funds are needed.

6. On 12th-13th:

GDAO governance members compile a final budget for the Near Digital Collective (NDC), including the House of Merit (HOM), Council of Advisors (CoA), and NDC trust. Based on the approved proposals posted on the Near Governance forum (BOS) budget, this budget is submitted as a funding request to the House of Merit through the designated Click Up form. Simultaneously, applicants receiving approvals are invited to undergo KYC/KYB processes.

7. On 13th-20th:

Requests are reviewed by HOM members and voted on-chain. The House of Merit’s point of contact provides necessary feedback to Grassroots DAOs.

8. In Case of Successful Approval by HOM:

HOM forwards the request to CoA for on-chain voting.

9. 20th-21th:

CoA reviews and votes on-chain.

1. If CoA is not creating a proposal to veto within one business day after the approval from HoM, money transfers can be executed;

2. If CoA is creating a proposal to veto, then CoA members have five business days to vote on this, and money transfers are not allowed until the results of the voting or five business days (which would mean expiration and rejection of the veto proposal).

The House of Merit point of contact is in charge of providing information about the approved proposals to COA within one day once they have been approved.

10. Once CoA Gives Approval:

Grassroots DAOs initiate a transfer to NDC Trust (a form provided by the House of Merit point of contact).

11. NDC Trustees Transaction:

NDC Trustees execute the transaction, ensuring expenses align with the Trust’s objectives.

12. Post-Transfer Execution:

Upon execution of the Grassroots DAOs transfer by the NDC Trustees, payments are disbursed to approved applicants who have successfully undergone KYC/KYB. The House of Merit determines the KYC/KYB procedure. Applicants must agree with Terms & Conditions of the NDC Trust visible on the link: https://bafkreib5vyljjqvvqwocdlr4tji2aztw7hr66dvwehhgdjjsshjtkgznky.ipfs.nftstorage.link/ 5
Note:

If CoA is not vetoed in 1 business day and money is transferred to the DAO, the CoA is still able to create a veto within 5 business days from the initial HoM approval to veto the proposal. In case the veto is passed, DAO should return everything that has not yet been spent back to NDC Trust. The House of Merit point of contact is in charge of communications with grantees about returning the funds to NDC Trust.

Important Notes:

• NDC is not liable for losses related to changes in the Near price, slippage, etc.
• Delays may occur due to reasons beyond NDC procedures and force majeure events.

Congress member’s remuneration and Congress needs payments

Formal Structure of NDC Congress Member Compensation Tiers

Congress member’s remuneration and Congress needs payments guide was updated by HoM and CoA MEMO.

Congressional remuneration includes three different levels:

Level 1: Zero Compensation - $0 per Month

Each Congress member holds the prerogative to opt out of remuneration, contingent upon their choice. Non-compliance with the requisites of Levels 2 and 3 results in zero compensation.

Level 2: Base Compensation - $1,500 per Month

This foundational compensation, amounting to $1,500 monthly, is extended to House of Merit, CoA members and TC members. For TC this rate based on 4 working hours a week. It serves to ensure financial stability while aligning with their fundamental responsibilities within the NDC Governance framework. The eligibility criteria include:

1. Achieving 60% meeting attendance during the remuneration month.
2. Achieved 70% and more participation in voting on proposals on-chain during the month (subject to variation if a quorum is reached). It’s required only for House of Merit and TC members.
3. In addition, it’s necessary to provide comprehensive feedback for all rejected and abstained polls. It’s required only for House of Merit and TC members and applies to all polls that have been created since January 1st, 2024.

Level 3: Additional Compensation - Congress roles based (Base Compensation + additional Compensation up to $5,500 per Month)

This level introduces supplemental compensation for Congress members engaged in specific tasks or shouldering additional responsibilities depending on their additional roles. The aim is to promote proactive involvement and incentivize contributors who surpass their standard duties.

The maximum remuneration achievable is $7,000 monthly, determined by requesters based on the completion of the specified roles.

Payment Process and Approval Criteria

1. NDC Congress members are required to submit their reports:

• By creating a post on the Governance forum Congress members transparency activity tracking list and REPORTS
• And fill out the NDC Performance Review Form

between the 1st and 10th of each month for the previous month. Community members are encouraged to provide feedback and pose questions during this period. If Congress members requested additional compensation, the reports must include detailed information about work done according to their roles.

2. On the 11th day, appointed NDC Congress homes members who are in charge of payments:

• House of Merit (Eugeny H.)
• CoA (Evangels)
• TC (Johanga)

must create transfers from NDC Trust to the homes payments DAOs:

• House of Merit (hom-payment-dao.sputnik-dao.near)
• CoA (coa-payment-dao.sputnik-dao.near)
• TC (transparency-commission.sputnik-dao.near)

3. The NDC Trust executes the transactions, contingent upon alignment with the Trust’s objectives and adherence to the specified guide.

4. After receiving funding from NDC Trust appointed NDC Congress homes members and the payments, DAO councils should execute the payments to Congress members’ wallets within three business days.

5. KYC is required. The House of Merit determines the KYC procedure.

6. Applicants must agree with the Terms & Conditions of the NDC Trust visible on the link:https://bafkreib5vyljjqvvqwocdlr4tji2aztw7hr66dvwehhgdjjsshjtkgznky.ipfs.nftstorage.link/ 5

Rate of remuneration

A transfer must be created with the following conversion NEAR/USD:
We use the average Near price (CoinMarketCap) of the reported month.

Individual (direct) project funding requests to the House of Merit

1. Forum Posting:

Applicants commence the process by submitting proposals through dedicated posts on the NEAR Governance Forum (to be replaced on BOS). This submission window is open between the 1st and 7th of each month. Concurrently, the House of Merit is expected to share its reports during this timeframe, utilizing the proposal name: [Proposal to House of Merit] and NDC budget Subcategory code

2. House of Merit Members’ Review:

Between the 8th and 20th of each month, House of Merit Members meticulously review the proposals posted on the forum (BOS).

3. House of Merit Members’ Feedback:

House of Merit Members actively provide feedback and pose questions. The objective is to arrive at a decision confirming support or rejection of the proposal, publicly declared on the forum (BOS) by the House of Merit Point of Contact between the 8th and 20th.

4. Proposal Decision:

The minimum threshold required to pass or reject a proposal may evolve with the size of the House of Merit members. However, it must consistently align with 51% of the votes.

• Proposal Approved: A proposal is deemed approved [Approved] if it garners 51% or more positive votes from House of Merit members. The post’s title on the Forum will be updated to [Approved].

• Proposal Rejected: Proposals lacking majority support from House of Merit members will be rejected [Rejected]. In case of rejection, proponents need to revise the proposal and re-submit at a later date.

5. Closing Proposals:

House of Merit members retain the authority to close [Closed] a proposal under certain circumstances, including applicant requests, violations of the Near Digital Collective Community Code of Conduct, or lack of response to council member requests for additional information.

Community Advisory:

It is strongly advised that the community submits proposals well in advance and adheres to the general timelines for proposal evaluation and payout. Funding requests should be made at least 8 weeks before the funds are needed.

6. On 13th-20th:

House of Merit members vote on-chain and compile a final budget for the Near Digital Collective (NDC) Trust. This budget is based on the list of approved proposals posted on the Near Governance forum (BOS) and is submitted as a funding request to the NDC Trust. Simultaneously, applicants receiving approvals are invited to undergo KYC/KYB process…

7. On 20th-21th Requests are reviewed by CoA members and voted on-chain.

8. If CoA is not creating a proposal to veto within one business day after the approval from HoM, money transfers can be executed;

9. If CoA is creating a proposal to veto, then members have 5 business days to vote on this, and money transfers are not allowed until the results of the voting or 5 business days (which would mean expiration and rejection of the veto proposal).

The House of Merit point of contact is in charge of providing information about the approved proposals to COA within one day once they have been approved.

8. Once CoA Gives Approval:

House of Merit point of contact initiates a transfer from NDC Trust.

9. NDC Trustees Transaction:

NDC Trustees execute the transaction, ensuring expenses align with the Trust’s objectives and delivering funds to applicants’ wallets. KYC is required. The House of Merit determines the KYC procedure. Applicants must agree with Terms & Conditions of the NDC Trust visible on the link: https://bafkreib5vyljjqvvqwocdlr4tji2aztw7hr66dvwehhgdjjsshjtkgznky.ipfs.nftstorage.link/

10. Note: If the CoA is not vetoed in 1 business day and money is transferred to the DAO, the CoA is still able to create a veto within five business days from the initial HoM approval to veto the proposal. In case the veto is cast, DAO should return everything that has not yet been spent back to NDC Trust. The House of Merit point of contact is in charge of communications with grantees about returning the funds to NDC Trust.

Important Notes:

• NDC bears no responsibility for losses related to changes in the Near price, slippage, etc.
• Delays may occur due to reasons beyond NDC procedures and force majeure events.

NDC operations teams and working groups payments

Given the pivotal role that operations and working groups play in achieving CoA priorities, it is imperative to safeguard these teams from potential disruptions in funding. Individuals, teams, or DAOs appointed or hired have the authority to request funding directly from the NDC Trust, in accordance with the parameters outlined in the approved VB budget package (accessible at Astra++ by astraplusplus.ndctools.near on BOS).

It is important to note, however, that the House of Merit retains the ability to dismiss individuals, teams, or DAOs appointed or hired through on-chain voting at any time and subsequently appoint or hire new entities.

The current list of individuals, teams, or DAOs appointed by the House of Merit, eligible to make funding requests, includes

1. NDC external BD program lead (NDC Budget Subcategory code HOM-003P-1-2) - pending hiring;

2. Near Digital Collective KYC Solution for Payments lead (Subcategory budget code HOM-003P-2-1 KYC Solution for Payments and NDC) - pending hiring;

3. Near Digital Collective operations lead (Subcategory budget code HOM-003P-3-1 Streamline NDC Operations, HOM-003P-3-2 Update the election procedure) - pending hiring;

4. Wallet Support Program working group leader (Subcategory budget code HOM-003P-2-2 Support Wallets to Become Sustainable) - Jonathan (Meteor Wallet);

5. Near Digital Collective media ops leader (Subcategory budget code HOM-003-4 Media and NDC operations) - El Mayer , wallet whendacha.near (House of Merit member).

Initiating the funding request process, are required to submit proposals through dedicated posts on the NEAR Governance Forum (to be subsequently replaced on BOS). This submission window is active between the 1st and 7th of each month. Simultaneously, the House of Merit is expected to see the applicants’ reports during this timeframe, using the proposal name: [Proposal to NDC Trust]. Community members are encouraged to provide feedback and pose questions during this period.

On the 7th day of the submission window, individuals appointed or hired by House of Merit members (as outlined in the current list) must formally request the funding required to execute tasks at the NDC Trust by initiating a transfer from the NDC Trust to Near wallet. The execution of this transaction is contingent upon alignment with the Trust’s objectives and strict adherence to the specified guide by the NDC Trustees. KYC can be required. The House of Merit determines the KYC procedure. Applicants must agree with Terms & Conditions of the NDC Trust visible on the link: https://bafkreib5vyljjqvvqwocdlr4tji2aztw7hr66dvwehhgdjjsshjtkgznky.ipfs.nftstorage.link/

Dispute Resolution Process

1. Denial Notification:

In the event of a denial, the House of Merit (HoM) point of contact is obligated to provide a detailed written explanation stating the reasons behind the denial. This ensures transparency and clarity in the decision-making process.

2. Reapplication Rights:

Applicants possess the right to reapply in the subsequent month. The reapplication process allows individuals to address any concerns raised during the initial evaluation and provides an opportunity for improvement. The House of Merit encourages applicants to consider the feedback provided and make necessary adjustments when reapplying.

This dispute resolution process aims to maintain fairness, open communication, and a structured approach to handling denials, empowering applicants to understand the rationale behind decisions and seek improvement for subsequent applications.

Conflicts of Interest

Disclosure: All members of the NDC Governance and individuals participating in decision-making processes within the organization are required to disclose any existing or potential conflicts of interest.

Identification of Conflicts: When a conflict of interest arises or is disclosed, the involved individual must comprehensively describe the conflict. This should include details of any pertinent financial or personal interests, relationships, or affiliations that might influence, or appear to influence, their decision-making or actions within the organization.

Recusal: Any individual with a conflict of interest in a specific matter must refrain from participating in its discussion, deliberation, or voting process. To maintain impartiality, they are obliged to excuse themselves from relevant meetings or portions thereof, mitigating the risk of perceived bias. Proposers should be be able to answer questions and respond to potential misunderstandings and misinformation.

House of Merit declaration:

House of Merit decided to admit that most of the guidelines (Notion – The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.) , NDC V1 Framework (V3.2 Updated) are contradicting the NDC principles and goals. House of Merit can adhere to these documents but, in its activities, be guided by its own guidelines.

There are no inclusive performance rights in some activities, like events, marketing, community efforts, etc., for specific DAOs / Near Ecosystem entities. Each individual/project must be free to choose a suitable DAO, but Management/Councils of the specific DAO must decide which DAO/Eco entity is most suitable for request according to the “What the DAO / Near Eco entity should I apply guide Appendix 4”.

[Dacha]

Appendix 1: “Near Digital Collective application form”

Section 1 - DAO/Project Information

• Organization Name (e.g. DAO, project, initiative name)
• Proposal Title
• When was your DAO / Project established? If it is new, use today’s date.
• DAO’s Category (Ecosystem/Gaming/NFT/Regional Development/Marketing)
• Project’s Category (Community Led, Gaming/NFT/Defi etc)

Section 2. Previous Funding

• Have you received funding for this project from any source?
• Any source of funding. This may include NEAR Foundation Grants, and existing GDAOs, among others.

Section 3. DAO URLs

• DAO / Project Website
• Social Media Distribution Channels (Telegram (Group), Discord (Community), Twitter, Near.Social, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Medium, and others;
• Is Your DAO/Project Targeting a Specific Country?
• Which region will your DAO/ Project support? Usually, regions can be defined by their language. North American Central, South America & Caribbean (Spanish), South America (Portuguese), Europe, Asia, Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East, or international by fact

Section 4. Applicant Information

• Name of Point of Contact (The pseudonymous name the community knows you is acceptable. However, note that you will have to complete KYC to be able to receive funding from NDC)
• Link to Governance Forum/near.social Profile
• NEAR Wallet ID
• Wallet ID that will be receiving funds
• Country of Residence
• Twitter, Telegram
• LinkedIn
• Additional Relevant Links (add any other links to resources that highlight your work or involvement with NEAR ecosystem. This may include your portfolio, GitHub, etc.)

Section 5. Team Members

• Please provide information about Team Members. Information should include (name, roles, near.social profile handles)

Section 6. Experience

What related qualifications, experience, or track record does your team bring to this initiative?

• Short Summary of Your and Team’s Professional Experience
• List Web3 Projects You Have Completed
• Live Links to Examples of Relevant Work
• Relevant Data Points Showing Your Competencies

Section 7. DAO/Project Charter/White or Litepaper and Goals

• Project Overview: Presentation with a short High-Level 6 bullet points summary:

(Mission, Vision, Core programs and how they align with NDC’s NDC CoA Vision, team, and requested budget for the next three months)

• What Problem Are You Aiming to Solve?
• DAO/Project Charter;
• How can your DAO / Project achieve NDC priorities, goals, and KPIs?
• Roadmap of your DAO/project, Milestones, and achievements

Section 8. Budget

• Projected Budget for the next three months (In USD for each Task/Milestone)
• Links to Similar Proposals from Near Foundation, existing GDAOs, Near ECO (if applicable)
• What is the length of Commitment to Delivering Your Project? Will your team be working on this project full-time?
• Will your team be fully renumerated from this budget?

Section 9. Project/DAO longevity

• Does your project/DAO require one-time or continuous funding?
• Will your DAO/Project device way of sustaining itself after this round of funding?
• What are the possible roadblocks to the success of your project/DAO?

Appendix 2: NDC budget Category and subcategory codes

Main Category	Subcategory code	Subcategory description
NDC Congress funding	HOM-001A	HOM renumeration (15)
NDC Congress funding	HOM-001B	COA renumeration (7)
NDC Congress funding	HOM-001C	TC renumeration (7)
NDC Congress funding	HOM-001D	HOM, COA, TC remuneration October (retro)
NDC Congress tools	HOM-002A	Tools for TC
NDC Congress tools	HOM-002B	Tools for Congress
Widening Adoption of NEAR	HOM-003P-1-2	Onboard Successful Projects
		Web3: Metamask, Brave, OpenSea, Etherscan
		Web2 and social: Medium, Reddit, WordPress (40% of the websites), Discourse (standard for web3 governance), Discord, TickTok, Telegram — spam protection, anti- fake, user engagement
		Mass market: supermarket chains, clothes brands, restaurant chains — loyalty programs
		Entertainment: concerts organisers, sport events organisers, collectibles, Comicon — ticketing and gamification
		Online services: DuoLingo, AirBnB, Booking.com, Uber, Bolt, E-loop, FinTech - loyalty programs and gamification
		B2B: logistic companies, real estate, FinTech, TelCom — reduction of the costs and/or risks
Public Goods	HOM-003P-2-1	KYC Solution for Payments and NDC
		A legal entity that will serve the KYC solution
		Signed KYC Provider
		Guidelines to use the KYC solution
		Integrate NDC tooling with KYC provider
		Legal councils
Public Goods	HOM-003P-2-2	Support Wallets to Become Sustainable
		Wallet workgroup within NDC
		Established guidelines and processes for the wallet support program
NDC Operations	HOM-003P-3-1	Streamline NDC Operations
		Recruiting and orientation processes
		Compensation guidelines based on the level of contribution
		Efficient processes and tooling for governance and transparency
		Efficient processes and tooling for accounting and funding
		Streamline NDC Operations audits
NDC Operations	HOM-003P-3-2	Update the election procedure
		First milestone: a new election procedure, developed jointly by NDC members with community participation, approved by CoA and HoM
		Second milestone: implementation of the election procedure on the level of smart contracts; it’s review and validation
		Third milestone: preparation and implementation of the new procedure within the next NDC elections
		Fourth milestone: proper handover of the NDC to the next cadence
NDC Operations	HOM-003-4	Media and NDC operatons
Widening Adoption of NEAR	HOM-004P-1-1-1	Ecosystem
Widening Adoption of NEAR	HOM-004P-1-1-2	Gaming
Widening Adoption of NEAR	HOM-004P-1-1-3	Marketing
Widening Adoption of NEAR	HOM-004P-1-1-4	NFT
Widening Adoption of NEAR	HOM-004P-1-1-5	Regional Development

Appendix 3: KYC form and process (pending)

Appendix 4: What the DAO should I apply guide (pending)

[blaze]

@Dacha

Attain 100% meeting attendance during the remuneration month.

100% meeting attendance will be very difficult for Congress members due to timezones, events/travel, meeting conflicts

@Dacha

House of Merit decided to admit that most of the guidelines (Notion – The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases. ) , NDC V1 Framework (V3.2 Updated) are contradicting the NDC principles and goals. House of Merit can adhere to these documents but, in its activities, be guided by its own guidelines.

A lot of new rules/legislation were created that affect multiple houses. Was it open to feedback and put to a vote onchain in HoM? CoA and VB have the option to veto new legislation.

The statement that HoM does not need to follow the Governance Framework and does not align with NDC’s Vision and Priorities needs more clarification.

[Dacha]

@blaze

100% meeting attendance will be very difficult for Congress members due to timezones, events/travel, meeting conflicts

It was updated by HoM amendment

Astra++ by astraplusplus.ndctools.near on BOS

[Dacha]

Near Digital Collective Grassroots DAOs, projects, individual contributors funding, onboarding, and operations guide v1 was updated by HoM and CoA amendment

[Dacha]

Congress member’s remuneration and Congress needs payments guide was updated by HoM and CoA MEMO.

[ssplash_near]

@Dacha

Near Digital Collective application form

Hi, what’s the NDC application form for individual contributors funding, please? . Also, what would be the difference between a grassroots DAO and any other type of DAO? Cheers

[Dacha]

@ssplash_near

Hi, what’s the NDC application form for individual contributors funding, please? . Also, what would be the difference between a grassroots DAO and any other type of DAO? Cheers

Hello!! Calendly - El Mayer