Ethereum Foundation public sector home
All case studies

UNICEF × Gitcoin quadratic funding

UNICEF and Gitcoin tested a model in which individual contributions on Ethereum helped inform how additional funding for digital public goods was allocated. A separate matching pool gave broader community support a role in determining how those funds were distributed.

67.52 ETH + US$14,788 in DAI donated to ten projects, alongside a separate 50 ETH matching pool

Public-goods funding · Global

Institutional context

Open-source projects serving public needs require sustained funding, but institutions also face a question about allocation: how can community preferences help inform which work receives additional support? UNICEF’s Office of Innovation partnered with Gitcoin to test a more participatory approach with ten UNICEF Venture Fund investees recognized as digital public goods.

The aim was to attract additional resources and introduce the projects to a wider community. Participants worked on needs including financial inclusion, public health, communications, learning, and environmental monitoring.

System design

UNICEF selected the eligible projects, and the UNICEF CryptoFund contributed 50 ETH to a matching pool. Members of the public donated separately to the projects they wanted to support.

Gitcoin used quadratic funding to help allocate the matching pool: a method that considers both donation amounts and the number of contributors. For example, ten people giving $1 each can attract more funding from the matching pool than one person giving $10, even though the total donated is the same. The formula reduces the influence of large individual donations and increases the weight of support from many contributors.

Ethereum’s role

The funding round used Ethereum’s public network to process contributions and maintain a shared transaction record that organizers, recipients, and others could independently review.

UNICEF remained responsible for selecting eligible projects, Gitcoin provided the grants platform and matching mechanism, and recipient teams remained responsible for their work.

Status and milestones

  1. 23 February 2023

    A preliminary Gitcoin analysis identified both returning contributors and contributors not previously seen on its older platform. Some of the latter also participated in subsequent Gitcoin grants rounds.

  2. 2023

    UNICEF reported public contributions of 67.52 ETH and US$14,788 in DAI, a stablecoin designed to maintain a value close to the US dollar. These contributions were separate from the 50 ETH matching pool.

  3. 9 December 2022

    The funding round opened with ten projects selected by UNICEF, testing community-informed allocation on Gitcoin’s grants software.

Implementation considerations

Institutions considering a similar approach need clear eligibility rules, accessible ways to participate, secure handling of funds, and a process for reviewing matching allocations.

Outreach and participant support matter alongside the funding formula: Gitcoin’s retrospective describes interactive events and exchanges among grantees as part of the program.

Sources