Funding the Commons: Driving RealFi + Catalyst Submissions

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Funding the Commons: Driving RealFi + Catalyst Submissions

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

60000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

3

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Cardano lacks visibility in professional events in the broader web3 space to showcase progress, connect projects with partners, and ensure treasury-funded outcomes create clear value for Cardano.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Fg6zBg734HOBqmL3w65mc0abA9qzUwrrMoUJ7UsMPKs
,
• https://www.canva.com/design/DAGbu1HUz9I/f7rE0igDIawmFO0vs3AIjw/view?utm_content=DAGbu1HUz9I&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h529da098c3
,
• https://www.youtube.com/@Funding-the-Commons
,
• https://gap.karmahq.xyz/project/funding-the-commons/impact
,
• https://fundingthecommons.io/events

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

all conference content and presentations that are recorded will be made freely available under Creative Commons license for global public benefit.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Events

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.

We're targeting 400+ RealFi builders, fintech professionals, government officials, and public goods advocates across Latin America and globally. We'll reach them through our established network of 16k+ community members, our local network of partners, and local Cardano ambassadors. This matters for Cardano because it positions the platform as the leader for real-world blockchain applications in Latin America's $25B+ fintech market, driving actual adoption over speculation, and a fresh funnel of Catalyst applicants.

Provide a list of key activities of your project?

• RealFi conference with 50+ speakers

• Content on financial access, identity systems, payment rails, privacy tech, civic infrastructure

• Project showcase from FtC Hackathon and Builder Residency

• Professional livestreaming for global reach

• Networking sessions and partnership facilitation

• Government and fintech industry engagement

• Comprehensive video documentation and content creation

• Post-conference ongoing collaboration amongst stakeholders

What are your success metrics?

• 400+ participants with 75% attendance rate

• 300+ virtual participants via livestream

• 10+ confirmed speakers working on real-world blockchain deployment

• 2+ new partnerships relevant to Cardano ecosystem formed formed

• 5+ projects securing funding or deployment partnerships post-conference

• Media coverage reaching 50k+ additional audience

• 20+ new submissions to Catalyst through FtC community, events & media exposure

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

The Funding the Commons Buenos Aires Conference addresses the critical gap in high-profile conferences showcasing RealFi (Real-World Finance Infrastructure) and practical blockchain applications that drive actual usage and adoption in Latin America's emerging markets. Through Foundation-level benefits (see Funding the Commons Buenos Aires Deck,) the conference will demonstrate Cardano's capabilities for addressing everyday challenges in identity, payments, financial access, humanitarian aid, and public goods coordination while linking Cardano to efforts by international institutions such as UN bodies to provide basic essential services to the global population.

Our solution brings together 400+ participants from diverse backgrounds including web3 builders, blockchain protocols, fintech professionals, representatives from the public sector and international institutions, NGO leaders, and academic researchers. This cross-sector approach ensures that technical innovation connects with real-world implementation needs and deployment pathways necessary for meaningful impact at scale.

The conference will be structured around two main focal areas that reflect Funding the Commons' strategic priorities and Argentina's unique position as a testing ground for real-world blockchain applications. The first focal area explores the evolution of RealFi—usable crypto infrastructure that enables public goods funding, basic financial access, and compliant blockchain applications across Latin America. The second focal area examines new models for digital public goods, including privacy-preserving technologies, civic infrastructure, and governance experiments rooted in local and regional contexts.

The RealFi theme allows us to showcase practical applications that translate the programmability of DeFi into tools for collective funding, access, and coordination. Main stage talks, workshops, office hours will cover essential financial access including identity systems, wallet infrastructure, payment rails, micro-credit platforms, remittance solutions, and on/off ramps that serve real users in emerging market contexts. We will also explore inflation-resistant savings mechanisms, coordination tools for payroll and aid distribution, community-building platforms, and democratic ownership models for digital public goods.

The Digital Public Goods track will highlight infrastructure projects, knowledge commons, and collaborative platforms that benefit entire communities. This includes privacy-preserving technologies that enable selective disclosure, civic infrastructure that improves government service delivery, and governance experiments that demonstrate new models for community coordination and resource allocation.

Each track will combine technical presentations with practical workshops, panel discussions featuring diverse stakeholders, and networking sessions. The program will balance showcasing existing successful projects with exploring emerging opportunities and challenges in the real-world blockchain deployment space.

The conference will leverage and build on top of the work of Cardano community ambassadors to facilitate relationship-building between the Cardano ecosystem and various regional and international ecosystems within and beyond web3.

Local community integration will be facilitated through collaborations with established Cardano ambassadors Mauro Andreoli and Lucas Macchiavelli, who will serve as Subject Matter experts, helping to connect international speakers with local stakeholders and ensure that important connections are made. The local and regional entrepreneur community will bring perspectives from companies actively deploying blockchain solutions in Latin American markets.

The conference will emphasize Cardano's unique advantages for real-world applications, its Catalyst grant program and other opportunities for builders to gain support from the Cardano ecosystem to build impactful applications. Real-world case studies and prototypes recently built by Cardano ecosystem builders at the Funding the Commons Builder residency (the month prior) will demonstrate the possibilities and ongoing successes in the Cardano ecosystem.

International speaker recruitment will leverage Funding the Commons' established network of public goods builders, funders and grantmakers, academics, web2 professionals, and public sector stakeholders. Emphasis will be on speakers with deep understanding and knowledge of local and regional political economies, regulatory and innovation landscapes.

The conference will integrate virtual participation via live streaming to maximize global reach while enabling remote engagement with content and networking opportunities. All main stage sessions will be recorded and made freely available for future reference and education.

A showcase component will feature top projects emerging from the FtC Hackathon and Builder Residency, providing a platform for builders to demonstrate practical applications and connect with potential partners and funders. This showcase will emphasize projects - including from the Cardano ecosystem - that demonstrate real-world utility and potential for driving blockchain adoption in Latin American contexts.

Professional video production will capture presentations and panel discussions, while dedicated documentation teams will create detailed summaries and resource lists. All content will be published under open licenses and distributed through multiple channels. Catalyst Fund logos will be displayed across physical and digital conference spaces including physical banner displays inside the conference and at the entrance, main stage intermission slides, and the conference recap video. If this proposal is approved in time before print deadlines, Catalyst Fund will also have a logo presence on physical printed gear such as official conference swag, and conference registration wristbands. Cardano will also receive 5 invitations to the conference’s speaker-sponsor dinner, and enjoy other benefits of a Foundation level sponsor.

What makes this conference unique is its focus on practical deployment and real-world usage, bringing together blockchain professionals with practitioners who are actively implementing solutions in emerging market contexts. The Latin American setting provides opportunities to explore blockchain applications where traditional infrastructure is limited and innovation is driven by necessity rather than speculation.

The conference will benefit multiple stakeholder groups within the Cardano ecosystem. Developers will gain exposure to real-world use cases and connect with potential users and deployment partners. The local Cardano community will benefit from international visibility and knowledge transfer focused on practical applications. The broader Cardano community will benefit from enhanced reputation as a platform that enables real-world impact and drives actual blockchain usage, and association with high-signal organizations across sectors.

The conference will generate significant media coverage and community engagement that can enhance Cardano's reputation as a platform for real-world impact, potentially attracting new developers, users, and institutional partners who prioritize practical utility.

The timing is optimal given growing recognition of blockchain's potential for addressing real-world challenges in emerging markets, Argentina's position as a testing ground for financial innovation, and the momentum around DevConnect and Protocol Labs’ Lab Week bringing global blockchain communities to Buenos Aires. The conference will capitalize on these trends while establishing lasting relationships and partnerships that continue generating value and driving adoption long after the event concludes.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

The Funding the Commons Buenos Aires Conference will create significant positive impact for the Cardano community by supporting the visibility and credibility of the blockchain platform as a viable choice for real-world blockchain applications and RealFi infrastructure, while building strategic relationships.

The primary impact will be enhanced positioning for Cardano as a platform for practical blockchain applications that solve real problems, and as an ecosystem that open source developers can seek grant funding through. The conference will showcase real-world use cases that demonstrate how Cardano's blockchain ecosystem enables innovative solutions for financial access, identity systems, payment rails, and public goods coordination.

Community building and ecosystem expansion represent critical impact dimensions. The conference will bring together 400+ participants across sectors, creating new connections between Cardano developers and practitioners actively deploying solutions in emerging markets. These relationships can generate ongoing collaboration opportunities that extend beyond the conference itself, potentially leading to new projects, partnerships, and real-world deployment pathways for Cardano-based solutions.

The conference can enhance Cardano's presence and reputation in Latin America, a region with enormous potential for blockchain adoption driven by financial inclusion needs, infrastructure challenges, and economic volatility. By partnering with local stakeholders and showcasing relevant use cases, the conference will showcase Cardano as a platform of choice for addressing regional priorities while building relationships with key decision-makers and implementation partners.

Real-world adoption acceleration will be a key impact focus. Unlike conferences focused on theoretical applications or speculative use cases, Funding the Commons emphasizes practical deployment and real usage. The showcase of Cardano projects from the FtC Builder Residency will demonstrate working prototypes ready for either deployment or external collaboration and funding.

Knowledge creation and dissemination focused on RealFi use cases will provide lasting value to the global Cardano community. Conference presentations will be professionally recorded and made freely available under open licenses. This creates a comprehensive educational resource that future builders can use to understand real-world applications and learn from successful implementations in emerging market contexts.

The conference will generate significant media and social content creation that amplifies impact beyond the immediate participants. Professional video production, social media engagement, and press coverage will reach thousands of additional community members and potential adopters. The content created will serve as marketing and educational material that continues generating value and driving adoption for months and years after the conference.

We will measure impact through quantitative and qualitative metrics that capture the conference's multifaceted outcomes. Quantitative measures will include attendance numbers, geographic distribution of participants, social media engagement metrics, video view counts, and most importantly, tracking of real-world deployments and partnerships that emerge from conference connections.

Qualitative impact measurement will focus on the depth and quality of connections made, the practical applicability of content presented, and evidence of real-world implementation following the conference. We will conduct interviews with key participants including speakers, project showcases, and potential implementation partners to understand how the conference influenced their deployment plans and partnership strategies.

We will follow up with showcased projects and partnership discussions to track real-world deployments, user acquisition, and transaction volume growth that can be attributed to connections and insights gained at the conference. This focus on practical outcomes distinguishes our impact measurement from events that only track engagement metrics.

The outputs and opportunities resulting from this conference will be shared through multiple partner distribution channels to maximize reach. All presentation videos and materials will be published on Funding the Commons YouTube channel.

Partnership facilitation will be an output, with dedicated follow-up to connect projects with potential collaborators and implementation partners. This matchmaking approach ensures that the conference generates concrete outcomes rather than just networking opportunities.

The success of this conference can bring value to the Cardano community by demonstrating concrete use cases, facilitating meaningful new partnerships, increasing quality submissions for Catalyst Fund from outside traditional channels, and enhancing Cardano’s reputation within and beyond web3.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

FundOGng the Commons possesses exceptional capability to deliver this RealFi-focused conference with high levels of trust and accountability, demonstrated through our extensive track record of organizing successful international events that bring together diverse stakeholders around practical blockchain applications and public goods innovation.

Our organization has successfully organized thirteen conferences globally, including major events with 400+ participants that consistently deliver high-quality programming focused on real-world blockchain deployment and meaningful outcomes. Our flagship events have featured prominent speakers from leading blockchain projects, fintech companies, government agencies, universities, multilateral institutions, and NGOs actively implementing blockchain solutions, demonstrating our ability to attract and coordinate diverse, high-caliber participants focused on practical applications.

The leadership team brings deep expertise in both event management and real-world blockchain deployment. Our founder has been organizing large-scale international events for 14 years, and brokering collaborations with organizations actively deploying blockchain solutions in emerging markets including fintechs & climate finance companies, telcos, identity + privacy + DeFi protocols, humanitarian aid NGO’s, multilateral institutions, and regional and municipal government bodies. This experience provides crucial insights into the logistical, technical, and community challenges involved in organizing conferences that drive actual adoption rather than just awareness.

Our established network in the RealFi space includes builders, funders, and practitioners who are actively deploying blockchain solutions for financial inclusion, identity systems, payment infrastructure, and public goods coordination.

Our financial management capabilities are demonstrated through successful stewardship of significant event budgets from multiple funding sources, including Protocol Labs, Stellar Foundation, NEAR Foundation, Optimism Foundation, Human.Tech, Brave, and Springer Nature. We have consistently delivered events on time and within budget while maintaining transparent reporting and accountability to funders, sponsors, and communities.

The feasibility of our approach is validated through multiple factors that reduce risk and increase probability of success. Our planned collaborations with local Cardano ambassadors provide easy ability to cross-pollinate networks.

The three-month timeline is optimal for conference organization focused on practical applications, providing sufficient time for comprehensive planning while maintaining momentum and urgency. Our experience organizing similar events confirms that this timeframe enables thorough preparation including venue securing, speaker coordination focused on real-world applications, marketing campaigns, and logistical arrangements.

100% of our team speaks Spanish, and half of us live in Latin America. Our founder has led the production of large-scale events in Latin America that have seen a combined 15,000+ participants and 1000+ international presenters, and required intensive coordination with municipal government bodies, police and fire departments, Interpol, complex leadership structures within autonomous tribal regions outside central government control, elite private security teams composed of former special forces operatives, public hospitals and medical teams, air and ground transport logistics teams, and local NGO networks. This practical experience will facilitate smooth logistics operations and cultural sensitivity.

We will validate our approach through continuous stakeholder engagement and iterative planning throughout the preparation period, with particular focus on ensuring content relevance for real-world deployment. Monthly check-ins with key stakeholders including local ambassadors will ensure alignment and early identification of any issues. Regular communication with confirmed speakers will maintain engagement and ensure content focuses on practical applications and real-world case studies.

Our commitment to transparency and accountability includes detailed financial reporting, the publishing of an impact report post-event, and video documentation of all conference presentations.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

RealFi Conference Planning and Partnership Development

Milestone Outputs

• Confirmed collaboration agreements with local Cardano ambassadors
• Finalized conference program with confirmed speaker lineup
• Established relationships with local fintech organizations and public sector representatives
• Completed marketing strategy targeting RealFi practitioners and real-world deployment focus
• Catalyst Fund logo placement in public-facing event copy, including Funding the Commons website, Luma event page, social media channels, newsletter

Acceptance Criteria

• Confirmed collaborations with local Cardano ambassadors
• 10+ confirmed speakers representing RealFi applications and real-world deployment expertise
• Complete marketing strategy with promotional timeline targeting practitioners and implementation partners

Evidence of Completion

• Evidence of Completion
• Signed venue and collaboration agreements
• Speaker confirmation emails
• Public-facing material (website, socials, Luma) reflecting the above partnerships + relationships

Delivery Month

1

Cost

18000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

Conference Execution and Documentation

Milestone Outputs

• Conference with 400 registered participants across sectors
• Two track programming covering RealFi infrastructure and digital public goods
• Professional livestreaming and virtual participation capabilities
• Comprehensive video documentation of all main stage sessions
• Real-time social media coverage
• Media assets including videography, photography and interviews
• Provision of catering to keep participants energized and encourage networking
• Distribution of swag to build community identity and promote the event
• Catalyst Fund brand presence on physical and digital collateral at conference
• Cardano community participation in speaker & sponsor dinner and networking opportunities

Acceptance Criteria

• Minimum 300 registered participants
• Both tracks delivered with minimum 4 sessions each focused on practical applications, integrating Cardano and Catalyst Fund into both tracks
• Professional livestream
• All main stage sessions professionally recorded with high-quality audio and video

Evidence of Completion

• Registration and attendance records
• Complete video library of all conference sessions focused on RealFi applications
• Livestream analytics and virtual participation data
• Social media engagement metrics
• Participant feedback surveys and testimonials highlighting practical value
• Presence of Catalyst Fund logo inside conference across physical and digital mediums

Delivery Month

2

Cost

18000

Progress

70 %

Milestone Title

Final Milestone: Impact Assessment and Partnership Benefits Delivered

Milestone Outputs

• Comprehensive conference impact report with focus on benefits to Cardano ecosystem and Catalyst Fund
• Edited video content featuring Cardano & Catalyst Fund, and highlight reels emphasizing practical applications
• Publication of all recorded conference materials
• Catalyst or Cardano Foundation presentation highlighting Catalyst Fund and how it functions, or real-world adoption outcomes of Cardano ecosystem projects

Acceptance Criteria

• Published impact report
• Professional video conference recap of 3-5 minutes, and Catalyst Fund branding in sponsor section of main conference video
• All conference materials published under Creative Commons license with implementation focus
• Catalyst community & Cardano Foundation/ecosystem presentations delivered and recorded, emphasizing adoption outcomes

Evidence of Completion

• Published impact report
• Video content uploaded to YouTube and published on Funding the Commons channel
• Catalyst community presentation video highlighting real-world adoption & use cases
• Professional Cardano x Catalyst Fund 3-5 minute film

Delivery Month

3

Cost

24000

Progress

70 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Venue and Technical Infrastructure (18,000 ADA - 30%)

• Venue rental and setup costs : 8,000 ADA

• Audio-visual equipment and technical production for RealFi demonstrations: 6,000 ADA

• Livestreaming and virtual participation platform for global reach: 3,000 ADA

• Internet connectivity and technical support for real-world application showcases: 1,000 ADA

Speaker Support and RealFi Programming (15,000 ADA - 25%)

• International speaker travel and accommodation for RealFi practitioners: 10,000 ADA

• Local speaker fees and coordination for implementation experts: 2,000 ADA

• Content development and program coordination focused on practical applications: 2,000 ADA

• Translation services for multilingual accessibility and global reach: 1,000 ADA

Catering and Networking (12,000 ADA - 20%)

• Breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks for 2 days facilitating implementation discussions: 8,000 ADA

• Welcome reception and networking events focused on partnership building: 3,000 ADA

• VIP speaker dinner for deep collaboration discussions: 1,000 ADA

Marketing and Documentation (9,000 ADA - 15%)

• Professional video production emphasizing real-world applications and implementation guides: 4,000 ADA

• Marketing materials and promotional campaigns targeting practitioners: 2,500 ADA

• Photography and social media content creation highlighting practical outcomes: 1,500 ADA

• Conference website and registration platform with implementation focus: 1,000 ADA

Operations and Implementation Tracking (6,000 ADA - 10%)

• Event management and coordination staff with RealFi expertise: 3,000 ADA

• Registration management and participant support focused on partnership facilitation: 1,500 ADA

• Impact reporting and community engagement emphasizing real-world outcomes: 1500 ADA

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

This conference represents exceptional value for money for the Cardano ecosystem through multiple dimensions that deliver both immediate and long-term benefits significantly exceeding the 60,000 ADA investment, with particular emphasis on driving actual blockchain usage and adoption, and increasing quality applications to future Catalyst Fund rounds.

The cost per participant of 150 ADA (approximately $105) covered by this proposal for an international conference focused on real-world applications is highly competitive compared to comparative events globally. Major fintech conferences typically cost $800-3,000 per participant, making our conference exceptionally cost-effective while providing comprehensive programming focused on practical implementation rather than speculation. Furthermore

The leverage effect of our partnerships, high-value stakeholders, a world-class speaker lineup, and an ecosystem of high-signal organizations amplifies the value significantly beyond typical conference investments. Local ambassador and community partnerships provide community connections and implementation expertise that would be difficult to purchase at any price. These partnerships effectively triple the conference's resource availability while maintaining the proposed budget.

The focus on real-world applications and infrastructure, and grant possibilities for builders create value that brings awareness to Cardano from key communities. Each implementation partnership or deployment that emerges from the conference can generate countless transactions and new users for the Cardano ecosystem.

The geographic arbitrage of operating in Buenos Aires provides excellent value compared to similar conferences in North American or European markets, while positioning Cardano in a region with high demand for financial inclusion and alternative infrastructure solutions. Venue, catering, and operational costs in Buenos Aires are 50-70% lower than comparable cities while maintaining international standards and accessing a market with significant growth potential.

The multiplier effect of knowledge sharing focused on practical implementation creates value that extends far beyond the immediate conference participants. Each of the 250+ participants will return to their organizations and communities with concrete implementation knowledge and partnership connections that can influence real-world deployment decisions. Conference content focused on practical applications will be freely available online, potentially reaching tens of thousands of practitioners globally.

The strategic positioning value for Cardano in Latin America represents significant long-term return on investment. Latin America's fintech market is projected to grow 25% annually over the next five years, and the Cardano ecosystem has the opportunity to capture significant transaction volume and user growth in this expansion.

The media coverage and content creation focused on real-world applications will generate significant promotional value that would cost much more if purchased through traditional marketing channels. Professional video content showcasing practical implementations, social media engagement highlighting real-world use cases, and coverage emphasizing actual adoption will reach global audiences and enhance Cardano's reputation as a platform for practical utility.

Our cost structure prioritizes direct value creation and real-world impact over administrative overhead, with 75% of the budget allocated to venue, speakers, and content production focused on practical applications. Only 15% is allocated to marketing and documentation, ensuring maximum impact per ADA spent on driving actual adoption rather than just awareness.

This investment will generate measurable returns through increased Cardano adoption in Latin America's growing fintech market, enhanced reputation for supporting real-world innovation that drives actual usage, and creation of valuable implementation resources and partnership networks that benefit the entire ecosystem for years to come.

The conference has the potential to establish lasting relationships and deployment partnerships that continue generating transaction volume and user growth long after the event concludes, driving quality Catalyst applications from builders across and beyond web3, and positioning Catalyst Fund as a key opportunity for top tier builders from across and beyond web3 through visibility in the premier web3 public goods funding community, making it one of the most cost-effective adoption-driving investments available to the Cardano ecosystem.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes