---
type: entity
entity_type: decision_market
name: "Drift: Initialize the Drift Foundation Grant Program"
domain: internet-finance
status: passed
parent_entity: "[[drift]]"
platform: "futardio"
proposer: "HfFi634cyurmVVDr9frwu4MjGLJzz9XbAJz981HdVaNz"
proposal_url: "https://www.futard.io/proposal/xU6tQoDh3Py4MfAY3YPwKnNLt7zYDiNHv8nA1qKnxVM"
proposal_date: 2024-07-09
resolution_date: 2024-07-13
category: "grants"
summary: "Request for 100,000 DRIFT to launch initial two-month grants program with Decision Council governance for small grants and futarchy markets for larger proposals"
tracked_by: rio
created: 2026-03-11
---

# Drift: Initialize the Drift Foundation Grant Program

## Summary
Proposal to allocate 100,000 DRIFT (~$40,000) for a two-month pilot grants program (July 1 - August 31, 2024) to support community initiatives and ecosystem development. The program uses a hybrid governance structure: a 3-person Decision Council approves grants under 10,000 DRIFT, while larger grants go through futarchy markets. The proposal aims to test demand for small grants, evaluate sourcing needs, and establish best practices for a more substantial future program.

## Market Data
- **Outcome:** Passed
- **Proposer:** HfFi634cyurmVVDr9frwu4MjGLJzz9XbAJz981HdVaNz
- **Proposal Number:** 3
- **DAO Account:** 5vVCYQHPd8o3pGejYWzKZtnUSdLjXzDZcjZQxiFumXXx
- **Completed:** 2024-07-13

## Program Structure
- **Decision Council:** 3 members (Spidey, Maskara, James) voting on grants <10,000 DRIFT
- **Analyst Role:** Squid (Drift ecosystem team) managing inbound, supporting proposals, creating reports
- **Governance Split:** Small grants via council vote, large grants (>10,000 DRIFT) via futarchy markets
- **Treasury Management:** 2/3 multisig controlled by Decision Council
- **Compensation:** None for initial pilot (testing workload requirements)

## Objectives
1. Increase community engagement through accessible funding for community-led initiatives
2. Support ecosystem development and integrations building on Drift
3. Test demand for small grant sizes unsuitable for futarchy markets
4. Evaluate whether passive/supporting model generates sufficient quality inbound or if active sourcing is needed
5. Establish framework for more substantial future grants program

## Significance
This proposal represents an early experiment in hybrid governance for grants programs, combining human judgment (Decision Council) for operational efficiency on small grants with futarchy markets for larger capital allocation decisions. The two-month pilot structure with explicit evaluation criteria demonstrates a learning-oriented approach to grants program design. The proposal explicitly questions whether futarchy markets are appropriate for all decision types, acknowledging that small grants may require different mechanisms than large capital allocations.

## Relationship to KB
- [[drift]] - governance decision establishing grants program
- [[futardio]] - platform hosting the proposal
- [[optimal governance requires mixing mechanisms because different decisions have different manipulation risk profiles]] - implements hybrid council/futarchy structure
- [[MetaDAOs futarchy implementation shows limited trading volume in uncontested decisions]] - acknowledges futarchy may not suit all grant sizes