# MetaDAO Hanson Research Grant (META-036)

**Type:** Research funding decision  
**Proposal ID:** META-036  
**Date:** Currently active (as of 2026-03-30)  
**Amount:** $80,000 (MetaDAO contribution)  
**Total project cost:** ~$112,000 (including GMU overhead and unfunded positions)  
**Recipient:** Robin Hanson / George Mason University  
**Status:** Active  
**Domain:** internet-finance

## Overview

MetaDAO's $80K grant to Robin Hanson (the inventor of futarchy) to conduct the first controlled experiments testing whether the futarchy mechanism actually works as theorized.

## Grant Structure

- **MetaDAO contribution:** $80,000
- **GMU overhead absorption:** ~$32,000
- **Unfunded GRA position:** Additional institutional contribution
- **Total real cost:** ~$112,000

## Strategic Significance

This represents MetaDAO funding academic validation of its core mechanism by the mechanism's original inventor. The grant is notable for:

1. **Academic legitimacy:** First controlled experiments on futarchy effectiveness
2. **Asymmetric payoff:** If positive, provides validation "money can't normally buy." If negative, $80K to find a flaw "before it matters at scale is cheap."
3. **Institutional buy-in:** GMU's willingness to absorb overhead and provide unfunded positions signals academic confidence in the research value

## Timeline

- **[Date unknown]** — META-036 proposal submitted
- **[Date unknown]** — Proposal passed through futarchy governance
- **2026-03-30** — Grant confirmed as currently active