metadata: {"signature": "0xe03007ecae2dd4c69153f850ab801b7c6603753fc4569bb5f30cf188b23f4d1330151fa063412b9c31648475644bb6dd77541d0b01a070f5b984e4fa44ead2721b", "application": {"round": "0x57d6265c66981a6ead0a071cf17b504372930710", "answers": [{"type": "email", "hidden": true, "question": "Email Address", "questionId": 0, "encryptedAnswer": {"ciphertext": "qNTJhPEZqqVze3YfYwlyTY8wEE8N8kRMfHaP59OBZx4M1UWYKNAhVWuemu/UcQLz", "encryptedSymmetricKey": "79397b85356f1c6c6c2962bbcf4998c99a3b7f6b16640c10ebfaa0e25ff46b7ff216166349b58c8464811029da01160bde5edfc18be283bded1f52f91e5d06d519c2e469bd95f3c286588950de8c8943a00644af94d9a74c731531ae30c997b895596370511952e99b7ea0d6eddc821797bd2c962b47d109b870b75da2f92f7900000000000000204be955e0373e267316acb42494202d5dec096faaa54a5c21f756b73b8b3cf62e9aeb9207bad1063b088d85976edfd786"}}, {"type": "short-answer", "answer": "1. Grants from Columbia University, Microsoft Research India, Hedgey 2. Gitcoin QF rounds 3. Hackathon winnings 4. Next Billion fellowship (ethereum foundation) stipend & product development support 5. Customers for the hypercerts", "hidden": false, "question": "Funding Sources", "questionId": 1}, {"type": "number", "answer": "5", "hidden": false, "question": "Team Size", "questionId": 2}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "Our goal is researching a specific question: are impact certificates tax deductible?\n\nThe IRS rules are no quid pro quo contribution - so donating to wikipedia is fine, but purchasing their mug or any merch bears tax\n\nIf donors get impact certificates in exchange for their contributions, is it quid pro quo? \n\nTax deductions are table stakes for ensuring foundations can support your project, so if impact certificates do not qualify for those our TAM becomes smaller.\n\nWith  $1000, we can formulate the research question and get quotations from lawyers on researching tax deductible impact certificates.\n\nFor $3000-$6000 we will get a formal legal opinion that can be shared with the community on structuring a retroactive funding system based on impact certificates that can be tax deductible.", "hidden": false, "question": "What is the desired impact you seek to create through your research, (ie what becomes possible for communities as the result of the research you conduct?)", "questionId": 3}, {"type": "multiple-choice", "answer": "Google Docs & Sheets", "hidden": false, "question": "Collaborative Governance Mechanism", "questionId": 4}, {"type": "dropdown", "hidden": true, "question": "Do you agree to collaborate and coordinate with other grantees to collate and share your research, including group digital / print publishing and online dialogue, and to license this research under CC BY-SA 4.0?", "questionId": 5, "encryptedAnswer": {"ciphertext": "f01quCIilW4Dbq+PlwufvYblaIjsKUinxO4yfjBOwmc=", "encryptedSymmetricKey": "601b5bdedaa6e7b75834aae1b148564ffb8b790de295eafffed46fd549314b5cc521ddebd552a940ea4440fd3a606e162ed895655fa64acabb77e14c179d05c0973b136aa1486eaf1a5b10601167bbad44ae679dc38014851bc46482c7aa3f9352910af7e00b53eee2f7e07063d09169976bdfaef478444f73f2addbdc0edb4a00000000000000207975a6f9596e5ae652fb606c9c558568ba16449adb2899072247c13256564b95a9d1f61370db777b45c8f4c503d7c0b0"}}, {"type": "dropdown", "hidden": true, "question": "Do you agree to report milestones from your research?", "questionId": 6, "encryptedAnswer": {"ciphertext": "+tE8qMbh53l4YMQQIDfHaQlC2aht7uc3tTn4u6gAiGs=", "encryptedSymmetricKey": "46700ae0b5e0f780e1f12fdee1ffa9978e89d19cacd9c3d1daa18118a375d8247ea8ccdc0a0bbd6d7c282cc3a3dff6152051f36352edc034ab7672ab1f603e0d3589ca6758377a05eae2d738df6ff940612fc9537e0f215084ef84c50daee6a82b20705c8aefd4f72dd09d481b9189abd4e58deba0a367a6ed2a678acf354d2b00000000000000209f8d141ea02bb1164f6578b055ce1c4415c5342846fdffbc7068f690350d0e94f6dda679534927e5a17afcab9d2bc492"}}, {"type": "paragraph", "answer": "I have just completed a major research output with financial support from the last round of opencivics funding - acceptance of our litepaper at ACM CSCW, due for being published in November this year.\n\nhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1xPzQnK1bullhLc2VwYbWFdhaqR9a-NQF\n\nI have also obtained legal opinions from lawyers in the past for questions around fair use.\n\nhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1mvv_9giyhbBJkNnD_P_P1O5EQVIJCECs", "hidden": false, "question": "Please describe your past history conducting research of this nature or the relevant skills that will support your work.", "questionId": 7}], "project": {"id": "0xb30e9a03fe9391b289331bc8d4f3ad6aa31db301447025f92b8275bc88d447f9", "title": "VoiceDeck: A Marketplace for Journalism Impact Certificates", "logoImg": "bafkreics46nauy525ejy577fryy4oujqbch3jaubon2jjqtopjvljf7yza", "metaPtr": {"pointer": "bafkreiaop6pg3n63eh56mwiucgdt7gcwkh3522ytcxly4criyutzbeczym", "protocol": "undefined"}, "website": "https://app.voicedeck.org", "bannerImg": "bafkreif75qmjy4geqm2cmfszka3ghkeyfbmrjzsctzs5rrdbyamj2f4dvm", "createdAt": 1682104154322, "userGithub": "devansh76", "credentials": {"github": {"type": ["VerifiableCredential"], "proof": {"jws": "eyJhbGciOiJFZERTQSIsImNyaXQiOlsiYjY0Il0sImI2NCI6ZmFsc2V9..f8TA6amRekb2Mlomat0YtMTdIuMGhvj7doRv5Jj9UtTZfVRBT3VRfUrT9lBTV1FjviaTNa0Cm5l4o_NG9w1zAw", "type": "Ed25519Signature2018", "created": "2024-04-13T11:45:40.685Z", "proofPurpose": "assertionMethod", "verificationMethod": "did:key:z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC#z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC"}, "issuer": "did:key:z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC", "@context": ["https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1"], "issuanceDate": "2024-04-13T11:45:40.685Z", "expirationDate": "2024-07-12T11:45:40.685Z", "credentialSubject": {"id": "did:pkh:eip155:1:0x3FFD0C300fa4a021364Ae7e85a7b0d3a02133f99", "hash": "v0.0.0:Yw2uYbDsF41ZtRcCHXoyRvuln/aOSMEJV5UjeuZhpMI=", "@context": [{"hash": "https://schema.org/Text", "provider": "https://schema.org/Text"}], "provider": "ClearTextGithubOrg#VoiceDeck#34304865"}}, "twitter": {"type": ["VerifiableCredential"], "proof": {"jws": "eyJhbGciOiJFZERTQSIsImNyaXQiOlsiYjY0Il0sImI2NCI6ZmFsc2V9..IvUL9yMCG6v_P8-Qt8ztkhxyLd5d0jEdHNErBE8uAu--vSOOL7nBj9mmjkYVvbDsUMJhG1h0B7CA_WTsb6kUCA", "type": "Ed25519Signature2018", "created": "2024-04-13T11:46:37.790Z", "proofPurpose": "assertionMethod", "verificationMethod": "did:key:z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC#z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC"}, "issuer": "did:key:z6MkghvGHLobLEdj1bgRLhS4LPGJAvbMA1tn2zcRyqmYU5LC", "@context": ["https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1"], "issuanceDate": "2024-04-13T11:46:37.790Z", "expirationDate": "2024-07-12T11:46:37.790Z", "credentialSubject": {"id": "did:pkh:eip155:1:0x3FFD0C300fa4a021364Ae7e85a7b0d3a02133f99", "hash": "v0.0.0:vovQcOkDEVmY0d9fl2LRGqofT3//kj1SWTX18JlDyGc=", "@context": [{"hash": "https://schema.org/Text", "provider": "https://schema.org/Text"}], "provider": "ClearTextTwitter#VoiceDeckDAO"}}}, "description": "Outcome funding for journalists after their stories create tangible impact\n\n**Problem**\n\nProducing global investigations like the Panama Papers or local stories on community grievances are not sustainable via ad based revenue models. At the same time, such stories uncover new information and often lead to tangible progress on the issue they highlight. Which led us to ask a simple question - instead of having journalists write grant applications for every new story they want to pursue, can we just pay them after their past stories create impact?\n\n**History**\n\nVoiceDeck\u2019s founder Devansh Mehta is a journalist with personal experience of the funding challenges in the media industry. In 2017, he did his master\u2019s in investigative journalism at the Columbia Journalism School, where he worked with newsrooms like the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) that handled the Eurasia region for the Panama Papers. Despite OCCRPs massive impact (over $10 billion in asset seizures, 650+ indictments or arrests and over 1000 investigations or actions) they are unable to capture the value of the impact they create, outside of what is raised through grants.\n\nPost graduation, Devansh worked for 5 years with CGNet Swara, a citizen journalism platform operating in the Maoist affected regions of Central India. Local residents would dial in to a toll-free number and report longstanding community issues, which the organization would forward to government officials for their resolution. CGNet has solved over 1500 issues reported by the community but is unable to successfully raise grants without English speakers on the team.\n\n**Solution**\n\nIn the case of both OCCRP and CGNet, the root of the problem is same: the optimal strategy for nonprofit newsrooms is to sell the past impact from their stories multiple times, to as many funders as they can get an audience with, making impact marketing more important than its creation for fundraising.\n\nAt app.voicedeck.org, we record each impact from a journalist story as Hypercerts on Optimism (these are a web3 protocol for impact certificates). After the Hypercert is fully bought out by funders, newsrooms cannot raise any more money until they create their next impact.\n\nWe think this solution is superior to existing grant funding models for 3 reasons\n\n1. Moves past reputation or brand based giving. If you like the impact described in a Hypercert, buy it! Doesn't matter whether or not you have heard of the newsroom.\n\n2. Even with stellar marketing teams, newsrooms cannot raise more money than impact they have created. Each impact has a price and when fully bought out, cannot be sold again.\n\n3. Newsrooms have to account for their impact and have an incentive to stay with their past stories instead of moving on to the next one. Recording their past impact onchain adds discipline and history to their operations.\n\n**Traction**\n\n- After first starting work on this idea in August 2021, we finally launched on Sepolia testnet!  Our pilot tokenized the impact reports of 3 citizen journalism outlets in India. \n\nIf we are maximally successful, newsrooms will regularly mint hypercerts of all outcomes arising from their stories and media funders will purchase them. Our North Star is getting the Panama Papers onchain, a pivotal moment for our industry and the world.\n\n- Our litepaper passed peer review and is due for publication this November in ACM CSCW! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xPzQnK1bullhLc2VwYbWFdhaqR9a-NQF", "lastUpdated": 0, "projectGithub": "VoiceDeck", "projectTwitter": "VoiceDeckDAO"}, "recipient": "0x4a0eACAbb0387Cb4c4fEC0775f4D8d02bAB67D4a"}}