Preamble
The CoW Grants DAO seeks to onboard up to two additional committee members to strengthen the Grants DAO committee by adding members with expertise in areas such as grant evaluations, milestone verification, governance, operational oversight, community engagement or technical review to enhance decision-making and efficiency.
Per the CIP-63 mandate, the Grants DAO has the discretion to add up to two new committee members through a Grant’s DAO Snapshot vote. Once selected, the new members will be onboarded and added as signers to the Grants DAO multisig.
This RFP serves as a guiding framework rather than a strict requirement list—applicants with relevant experience and a strong understanding of CoW DAO’s mission are encouraged to apply, even if they do not meet every listed qualification.
Goal
The addition of up to two members aims to:
Strengthen the decision-making process by integrating new expertise.
Increase operational efficiency, ensuring timely grant reviews, fund disbursement, and community engagement.
Address technical gaps in grant evaluations and milestone verification.
Deliverables
Selected committee members will play a key role in overseeing grant operations, governance, financial oversight, and technical evaluations, as outlined in CIP-63.
New committee members are expected to take on one of the following roles:
- Grant Steward: Acts as the primary point of contact for assigned grantees, ensuring effective grant management, milestone tracking, and reporting.
- Hybrid Role: Stewards with technical knowledge may also perform technical reviews and milestone verifications. In such cases, they are eligible for additional compensation in line with the reviewer bonuses outlined in CIP-63.
- Technical Lead: Focuses on reviewing technical proposals, verifying milestones, and assessing the feasibility of grants from a technical perspective.
Responsibilities include:
- Liaising with grantees to clarify terms, expectations, and requirements post-approval.
- Monitoring and evaluating grant milestones and deliverables to ensure compliance with agreed terms, providing guidance to keep projects on track, and resolving challenges.
- Facilitating safe and timely execution of payments, including setting up monthly payouts on the Grants DAO Safe.
- Consolidating grantee updates and sharing insights with the Grants DAO and community via forum posts.
- Collaborating with other committee members to discuss project updates, evaluate the efficient use of the budget, and address any disputes or concerns raised by grantees, community members, or committee members.
- Coordinating with the designated Reviewer (internal or external) for technical milestone reviews and addressing major roadblocks.
- Updating Forum, Forum maintenance and keeping publicly available information up to date for the Grantees (that are not reliant on the docs).
- Grant tracker overview
- Conducting technical reviews: Stewards with technical expertise may opt to conduct milestone verifications and technical due diligence while Technical Leads focus primarily on technical feasibility assessments, milestone verifications, and guiding technical execution for grantees.
As part of the Grants DAO, successful applicants will be expected to:
- Participate in governance, including reviewing proposals and attending scheduled meetings:
- Biweekly committee meetings to review grants and governance updates (~45 min)
- Monthly payout meeting to process grant disbursements. (~1h)
- Extraordinary meetings (~1h per quarter)
- Oversee and evaluate grant applications, ensuring they align with CoW DAO’s mission.
- Monitor funded projects, ensuring milestones are met before payouts, maintaining documentation, and guiding community members through the grant process.
- Assist in financial oversight, including reviewing and approving Safe transactions.
- Engage with the CoW community, ensuring transparency and clear communication.
- Conduct technical reviews (if applicable) : Stewards with technical expertise may review milestones while Technical Leads focus on evaluating grant feasibility, milestone verification, and ensuring technical rigor.
Committee members are bound to the CIP-63 mandate, including compensation and responsibilities outlined in the CIP.
Selection Process
The selection process will consist of:
- Application Submission
Interested candidates must submit their application on the CoW Grants Program forum before March 31, 2025. If needed, the application window may be extended.
Applications should follow a structured format to ensure clarity and comparability:
- Name / Handle from the forum or social media (X, Discord, Telegram,…)
- Relevant experience (governance, grant management, technical skills, financial oversight, community engagement, etc.)
- Motivation (why you want to join the Grants Committee and the impact you aim to make)
- Availability and commitment (time commitment and availability for meetings)
- Past Contributions to CoW DAO (if any)
Maximum application length: 500 words.
- Initial Review
The committee will evaluate applications based on predefined selection criteria (outlined below).
- Interviews
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a short interview with existing committee members to discuss their experience, motivation, and vision for CoW Grants DAO.
- Final Selection & Vote
The Grants DAO Committee will select maximum two candidates based on merit and alignment with CoW DAO’s values.
Selected applicants will be required to submit their own proposal for vote on Snapshot using the same address that will be added to the Grants DAO multisig if the vote passes…
Once confirmed, new members will be added to the Grants DAO multisig as signers.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be assessed based on:
- Governance & Grants Experience – Prior experience in DAO governance, grant management, or ecosystem development.
- Operation Expertise – Ability to process Safe transactions and assist in executing grant-related payouts and approvals…
- Technical Knowledge (if applicable) – Familiarity with smart contracts, DeFi protocols, or blockchain development for those interested in the Technical Lead role.
- Commitment & Availability – Capacity to actively participate in grant reviews, meetings, and committee discussions.
- Community Engagement & Communication – Experience in public discussions, responding to grantees, and fostering transparency.
- Alignment with CoW DAO’s Values – Familiarity with CoW Protocol’s mission and previous contributions to the ecosystem.
- Discretion & Room for Creativity – Applicants who bring innovative ideas, unique perspectives, or proactive problem-solving will be valued.
Call for Action
Community members are encouraged to provide feedback on this RFP before the application deadline.
Applicants should submit their proposal on the CoW Grants Program forum by March 31, 2025.
Selection & Next Steps
The Grants DAO Committee will review all applications, conduct interviews, and select up to two new committee members.
The committee will signal which selected applicants should move their application to Snapshot for a vote. The vote will then confirm final selections.
Once approved, the selected members will be onboarded and added to the Grants DAO multisig.
The committee reserves the right to extend the selection process, reopen applications, or reject all applicants if necessary.