The results of RAF1 were published on February 21st in the Obol Collective blog, marking the completion of our first iteration of this process. In this inaugural round, 46 projects were selected to receive funding, with 1M OBOL Tokens distributed through a quadratic funding mechanism. This post provides insights into how results were calculated, key feedback takeaways, and next steps.
Results Calculation
Delegates in RAF1 had the option to share their reasoning for vote allocations in the forum, fostering participation and discussion around their choices.
Voting was conducted in the RAF1 App, Delegates signed a message in EAS while casting their votes. These votes were securely stored in the app’s database. Post-voting, the Association extracted these results and verified adherence to the Rules of Engagement, accounting for any reported violations and correcting allocation errors.
For transparency and to encourage the community to analyze the data, individual votes have been shared in the RAF1 results spreadsheet, enabling the community to conduct in-depth analyses or find any break in the RAF1 rules.
Feedback & Key Learnings
Gathering feedback was pivotal in refining our processes. However, only 17.4% of projects and 29.3% of delegates provided input, indicating a need to simplify our feedback mechanisms and educate the community on their importance. Delegates praised the smooth user interface, comprehensive guides, and robust support from the Obol team. Nonetheless, challenges were noted, including technical issues (e.g., multi-tab errors and permission inconsistencies), confusion surrounding quadratic voting mechanics, and insufficient project information for informed voting. Some participants raised concerns about whether the funding model effectively supports Ethereum’s decentralization goals, suggesting a need for further discussion and refinement.
Applicants highlighted the clarity and stability of the application process but pointed out areas for improvement. The financial reporting section was confusing, especially for projects with unique funding structures, suggesting a need for more flexible options. Additionally, the early closure of the application period, particularly over weekends, posed challenges for those seeking support or making last-minute adjustments.
Recommendations for future rounds include extending deadlines to weekdays, organizing events like Twitter Spaces for direct project pitches to delegates, and refining the scope and categories to provide clearer guidelines for applicants.
OBOL Token Delivery
The KYC process has started! If you need assistance, reach out via Discord or email eliza@obol.org. After KYC approval and address confirmation, tokens will be streamed to recipients following the Obol Association schedule.
When RAF2?
Over the coming months, the Obol Collective will take time to reflect and improve the next iteration. Gitcoin’s upcoming app release will address many of the challenges faced in RAF1, improving the process for future rounds.
We invite the whole community to share ideas on how to improve this process.