Last updated 3 months ago
Mining companies lack an auditable, real-time system to verify the impact of value-chain charitable donations, limiting transparency for communities, stakeholders, and government oversight bodies.
Enable Cardano settlement rails in CoalaPay so enterprises can manage value-chain social-impact grants in ADA or USDM with transparent programmable disbursements and proof-of-funding NFTs.
Please provide your proposal title
GoldGroup + CoalaPay: Donation Impact Verification in Mining
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
580000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
10
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Mining companies lack an auditable, real-time system to verify the impact of value-chain charitable donations, limiting transparency for communities, stakeholders, and government oversight bodies.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
No dependencies
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
No
Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.
The project includes proprietary CoalaPay components and mining-sector models that involve multiple stakeholders. The open-source and licensing approach will be assessed during implementation, balancing stakeholder needs, commercial requirements, and Cardano ecosystem interests. Cardano-specific elements such as metadata standards or generalized impact models may be released openly, while sensitive components remain proprietary.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Financial Services
Describe your established collaborations.
This project is delivered through a coordinated collaboration between three established partners:
GoldGroup Mining Inc.
A publicly traded mining gold company with a market cap of 350M USD and revenues for next year of 120M USD. Goldgroup is the partner providing operational environments, internal IT engagement, and access to real mining value-chain community programs. GoldGroup will pilot the Cardano-enabled donation and impact-verification system across its social and community initiatives.
CoalaPay
A mature, on-chain, multirail humanitarian payment and impact-verification platform used by major international nonprofits. CoalaPay contributes its payment-orchestration tools, wallet-provisioning system, off-ramp service provider network, and the foundational platform work delivered through the CoalaPay v2 migration, which enables the activation of additional settlement rails such as Cardano. These contributions significantly reduce technical risk and support a smooth integration process.
HashPoint
Responsible for project governance, coordination, delivery management, stakeholder communication, milestone alignment, and reporting. HashPoint ensures effective collaboration between GoldGroup, CoalaPay, and the Cardano ecosystem.
Describe funding commitments.
GoldGroup is contributing an estimated 250,000 USD in in-kind resources, including internal staff hours, IT integration support, operational access, and deployment environments. This estimate does not include the charitable funds disbursed during the project, which come from GoldGroup, its shareholders, and business partners.
CoalaPay will also will contribute significant in-kind resources in foundational engineering through its migration to CoalaPay v2 and core orchestration upgrades that enable Cardano compatibility. This contribution does not include Cardano-specific engineering work, but rather the platform enhancements required for multi-rail support.
No external grants or co-funding are secured beyond Catalyst. Catalyst funding is requested to support Cardano integration, enterprise deployment, reporting, monitoring, verification, and ecosystem documentation.
Describe your key performance metrics.
On-Chain Performance
Operational Efficiency
Impact and Verification
Ecosystem Outcomes
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
GoldGroup Mining, Inc. is a publicly traded gold mining company with a market cap of 350 million USD and projected revenues of 120 million USD next year. The company manages substantial charitable and community-impact initiatives across its mining value chain. As part of its broader Web3 and blockchain innovation strategy, GoldGroup is prioritizing transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes across its community programs. Current donation flows and impact reporting rely on fragmented systems that make it difficult to demonstrate, with evidence, how funds are distributed, used, and translated into real improvements for local communities and stakeholders, including oversight bodies and local governments. This need is increasingly important within the mining industry as organizations seek to demonstrate their positive impact on local communities and the environment.
To address this, the project will integrate CoalaPay, a mature multirail payment and impact-verification platform used by major international nonprofits. CoalaPay currently operates on Ethereum and Stellar. This initiative activates Cardano rails within CoalaPay’s platform, allowing GoldGroup to execute grant disbursements directly on Cardano while benefiting from CoalaPay’s platform-level workflow tools. The integration brings best-in-class humanitarian-sector transparency practices into GoldGroup’s mining-community programs.
GoldGroup will be provisioned with a Cardano-compatible, self-custodial organizational wallet within CoalaPay, enabling secure on-ramping from fiat to ADA or USDM and programmable disbursements to local community partners. Community partners onboard through simple profile activation and receive compatible wallets without needing blockchain expertise. Cardano transaction formatting, signing operations, and metadata anchoring are handled by CoalaPay’s orchestration layer, enabling ease of use while maximizing Cardano-native transparency.
Using CoalaPay’s orchestration tools, GoldGroup can design one-off, milestone-based, or performance-linked grant payments. These payments are executed on Cardano rails with transaction-level visibility. Each funded project automatically generates a Cardano-native proof-of-funding NFT containing structured metadata that records funding amounts, intended purpose, and expected outcomes. The use of Cardano-native NFTs ensures full traceability of grant intent, disbursement execution, and verification checkpoints directly on-chain. This approach enhances the visibility of social-impact funding flows within the Cardano ecosystem and provides a reusable model for other industrial and humanitarian deployments.
Recipients can access CoalaPay’s Off-Ramp Service Provider (OSP) network to convert ADA or Cardano based Stablecoins into local fiat via cash, bank transfer, or other payout channels. CoalaPay’s integrated reporting workflows, including the optional Billy App, allow implementers to submit deliverables, while GoldGroup can deploy questionnaires for independent community feedback. Payment flows, milestones, and field reporting surface in near real time through CoalaPay dashboards.
By activating Cardano rails within CoalaPay, GoldGroup and the Cardano ecosystem gain:
This project delivers an end-to-end, auditable donation and impact-verification system aligned with GoldGroup’s CSR strategy and Web3 roadmap. It positions GoldGroup as an early enterprise adopter of Cardano in Mexico’s industrial sector and provides a scalable model for broader LATAM adoption.
By uniting GoldGroup’s scale, CoalaPay’s humanitarian-sector expertise, and Cardano’s secure and affordable on-chain infrastructure, this project sets a new benchmark for transparent, accountable community-impact operations in the mining industry.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
This project creates one of the first Tier-1 enterprise impact-verification systems on Cardano, bringing a mature humanitarian payments platform into real industrial operations through GoldGroup’s community-impact programs. By expanding CoalaPay’s multirail architecture to include Cardano with USDM, the initiative demonstrates the blockchain’s readiness for secure, low-cost, auditable donation flows.
The project will generate substantial on-chain activity, including ADA/USDM/USDA disbursements, programmable payment events, metadata-rich proof-of-funding NFTs, and impact-verification attestations. During the pilot phase alone, the system is expected to support up to 2 million USD equivalent in transaction volume. These flows form a repeatable blueprint for NGOs, UN agencies, government actors, and enterprises seeking transparent and accountable community-impact reporting. The solution will receive high visibility within the mining industry and can expand rapidly to other miners and sectors, driving wider adoption of Cardano across enterprises and government programs.
CoalaPay will activate Cardano as a payment rail, creating opportunities for new organizations to use Cardano in their financial and impact workflows. This aligns with growing interest and collaboration from major organizations such as UNDP, WFP, UNICEF, and others exploring blockchain-based impact systems.
Public outputs, including integration documentation, architecture patterns, and transparent impact reports, will strengthen Cardano’s ability to attract social-impact builders and influence policy-oriented stakeholders. Co-marketing with GoldGroup will further showcase Cardano’s enterprise readiness, expanding adoption across humanitarian, ESG, and industrial sectors.
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?
This project is delivered by a consortium with the capabilities required to execute high accountability, real world blockchain deployments. GoldGroup provides established operational capacity, internal IT infrastructure, and long-standing relationships across its mining value chain. This includes direct relationships with relevant local government stakeholders, community leaders, and partner organizations, creating a credible environment for piloting Cardano based donation and verification systems and ensuring that community programs operate within appropriate regulatory and social frameworks.
CoalaPay contributes a production tested humanitarian payment and impact verification platform, along with foundational engineering work in CoalaPay V2, which enables activation of additional settlement rails, now including Cardano. This significantly reduces the technical risk associated with integrating Cardano rails into a live operational environment.
HashPoint brings Cardano specific delivery capabilities and a proven track record coordinating blockchain initiatives, ensuring that Cardano integration, rail activation, security considerations, and ecosystem alignment are executed to enterprise standards. HashPoint oversees project governance, stakeholder coordination, risk management, and delivery across all phases.
Feasibility will be validated through a phased implementation approach: CoalaPay V2 platform enhancements, activation of Cardano rails, internal workflow testing with GoldGroup teams, and controlled disbursement flows to selected community partners. Real on chain activity, including ADA or USDM disbursements, metadata events, and proof of funding NFTs, will provide measurable evidence of system performance, accountability, and operational readiness. By validating technical, operational, and community facing components under real conditions, the pilot establishes a solid foundation for scale.
Milestone Title
Solution Design and Implementation Planning
Milestone Outputs
(A) An initial impact-verification design outlining the key KPIs, reporting needs, and verification logic for mining-sector charitable contributions.
(B) A consolidated solution architecture describing how CoalaPay, GoldGroup, and Cardano components will interact, including the main transaction, metadata, and wallet flows.
(C) A practical pilot implementation and onboarding plan covering partner selection, internal readiness steps, and the sequence for rolling out the pilot.
(D) A guide for GoldGroup local grantee onboarding, KYC/due diligence, and program logic definition.
Acceptance Criteria
(A) Impact Verification Design must include:
(B) Solution Architecture Document
Will outline:
And will detail:
(C) Pilot Implementation & Onboarding Plan must cover:
(D) Grantee Onboarding and Compliance Guide must include:
Evidence of Completion
(A) pdf of the completed Impact Verification Design Document available on GitHub.
(B) md or pdf of the approved Solution Architecture Document available on GitHub.
(C) pdf of the Pilot Implementation and Onboarding Plan available on GitHub.
(D) pdf of the Grantee Onboarding package available on GitHub.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
75000
Progress
10 %
Milestone Title
Activation of Cardano Settlement Rails within CoalaPay V2 – Development and Testnet Deployment
Milestone Outputs
(A) Activation of Cardano compatible settlement flows within CoalaPay V2 on testnet, enabling basic ADA and USDM transactions and ensuring the Cardano components operate correctly within the updated platform.
(B) Implementation of the proof of funding NFT minting logic on testnet, using the approved metadata structure and demonstrating the ability to create test NFTs aligned with pilot requirements.
Acceptance Criteria
(A) Cardano Rail Activation
(B) NFT Minting Logic
Evidence of Completion
(A + B) -
Delivery Month
4
Cost
160000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Enterprise Integration and Operational Readiness
Milestone Outputs
(A) GoldGroup implementation readiness, including wallet provisioning, internal workflow configuration, and operational testing on testnet.
(B) Definition and documentation of the specific donation initiative to be used as the pilot.
(C) Refined impact-verification design adapted to the selected pilot donation initiative and updated to reflect operational realities.
Acceptance Criteria
(A) GoldGroup Implementation Readiness
(B) Definition of Pilot Donation Initiative
(C) Refined Impact-Verification Design
Evidence of Completion
(A)
(B) Description document for the selected pilot initiative.
(C) Refined impact-verification design document available on GitHub (PDF or MD).
Delivery Month
6
Cost
95000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Community Partner Onboarding and Pilot Execution
Milestone Outputs
(A) Community partner onboarding completed for the selected pilot initiative, including account setup, role definition, onboarding KYC/DD and project proposals.
(B) Execution of pilot disbursements using CoalaPay V2 on Cardano mainnet
(C) Field-level reporting collected from implementing partners, aligned with the refined impact-verification design.
Acceptance Criteria
(A) Community Partner Onboarding
(B) Pilot Execution
(C) Field Reporting Aligned to Verification Design
Evidence of Completion
(A) Records confirming partner onboarding and wallet activation.
(B) On-chain transaction hashes showing pilot disbursements.
(C) -
Delivery Month
8
Cost
75000
Progress
70 %
Milestone Title
Impact Verification, Dashboard Integration, and Pilot Evaluation
Milestone Outputs
(A) Implementation of the impact-verification workflow for the pilot initiative, integrating reporting data, disbursement records, and verification logic.
(B) Deployment of dashboards for GoldGroup to view disbursement activity, partner reporting, and verification results.
(C) Consolidated evaluation of the pilot initiative, summarizing outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for scaling.
Acceptance Criteria
(A) Impact Verification Workflow
(B) Dashboard Deployment
(C) Pilot Evaluation
Evidence of Completion
(A) Verification workflow outputs (e.g., structured data or summary tables).
(B) Screenshots or recordings of dashboard views showing pilot results.
(C) Evaluation document summarizing results and lessons learned.
Delivery Month
9
Cost
50000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Project Close-Out Deliverables and Public Communication
Milestone Outputs
(A) Final Close-Out Report documenting project results, pilot findings, verification outcomes, and lessons learned.
(B) Final Close-Out Video demonstrating the key workflows and results of the pilot in an accessible format.
(C) Public Relations campaign to build visibility for the project, highlighting its outcomes and value for the Cardano ecosystem.
Acceptance Criteria
(A) Final closeout report is publicly available according to the standard required for project catalyst.
(B) Final closeout video is publicly available according to the standard required for project catalyst.
(C) PR activities in place, increasing public awareness through media channels.
Evidence of Completion
(A) Link to final closeout report
(B) Link to final closeout video
(C) Documentation of PR campaign efforts and media coverage.
Delivery Month
10
Cost
90000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Total Budget: 580,000 ADA*
*GoldGroup and CoalaPay will provide significant in kind contributions, including internal IT integration, operational support, platform improvements, and additional personnel resources not included in the budget below. The grants and charitable donations disbursed as part of this project are not funded by Catalyst and will be provided directly by GoldGroup, its shareholders, and partner organizations.
Budget Breakdown by Milestones -
Milestone 1: Solution Design and Planning (6–8 weeks) — 75,000 ADA
Milestone 2: Cardano Rail Activation and Testnet Deployment (8–10 weeks) — 160,000 ADA
Milestone 3: GoldGroup Internal Integration and Pilot Definition (4–6 weeks) — 95,000 ADA
Milestone 4: Community Partner Onboarding and Pilot Execution (6–8 weeks) — 110,000 ADA
Milestone 5: Impact Verification and Dashboard Integration (5–6 weeks) — 50,000 ADA
Milestone 6: Project Close Out, Report, and Public Video (4–6 weeks) — 90,000 ADA
Budget Distribution Summary -
Total: 580,000 ADA (100%)
Budget Management Notes:
The budget structure ensures:
Clear allocation of resources per milestone and partner
This budget has been designed to support the successful delivery of all project objectives while maintaining flexibility for adjustments based on phase learnings and scaling requirements.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
The requested 480,000 ADA represents strong value for money given the technical scope, the enterprise integrations involved, and the expected impact of this pilot. The project brings together a mature humanitarian payments platform (CoalaPay), an established industrial enterprise (GoldGroup), and experienced Cardano development partners to deliver a verifiable, on-chain donation and impact-verification workflow within CoalaPay V2. This project directly strengthens the Cardano ecosystem by establishing a high-visibility, enterprise-scale use case for ADA/USDM/USDA-settled programmable disbursements, metadata-rich reporting, and on-chain traceability.
Catalyst funds are directed toward Cardano-specific development, technical integration work, partner onboarding, operational testing, verification logic, dashboards, and public documentation. GoldGroup contributes substantial in-kind support through operational access, internal IT involvement, and coordination with community stakeholders. CoalaPay contributes foundational platform development that enables the Cardano integration, along with impact-verification capabilities, partner reporting tools, and access to its payment and off-ramp network. HashPoint contributes Cardano-focused project coordination and implementation oversight.
CoalaPay’s Cardano-compatible orchestration model is expected to produce up to 99% faster disbursement times, more than 80% reductions in transactional costs compared to traditional fiat-based rails, and significantly improved funding traceability and accountability for GoldGroup’s community programs.
The pilot establishes an enterprise-grade reference model for transparent, auditable charitable donations in the mining sector, creating reusable architecture, shared learning, and measurable on-chain activity. The combined contributions, enterprise scale, and long-term applicability across similar industrial value chains as well as the humanitarian sector provide high value for Catalyst’s investment.
I confirm that the lead applicant is a verified legal business entity.
Yes
I confirm that the lead org has a ≥2-year track record, and the consortium collectively has ≥$5M in verifiable annual revenue.
Yes
I confirm that evidence of collaboration with a qualified Tier-1 enterprise is provided.
Yes
I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal is for mature R&D or integration, not an early-stage concept or core infrastructure.
Yes
I confirm that evidence of a mature product is provided, with a clear integration plan if not already on Cardano.
Yes
I confirm that all key partners, including the Tier-1 collaborator, are clearly identified.
Yes
I confirm that a clear statement of the partner's in-kind or financial contributions is included.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal provides verifiable references (e.g., LinkedIn, portfolio) for key team members.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes clear KPIs for adoption (e.g., transaction volume, user growth). Forecast for projected on-chain transaction volume is provided with adequate justification.
Yes
I confirm that delivery is ≤ 12 months with clear milestones.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes a co-marketing or community engagement plan to amplify Cardano's visibility.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal budget is for future work only, not for completed tasks. No incentives, giveaways, private treasuries and regranting are included in the budget.
Yes
I Agree
Yes
Elizabeth Jacobi – Project Lead, Operations & IT Integration (GoldGroup)
Coordinates GoldGroup’s internal workflows, community engagement processes, and integration requirements. Serves as the operational bridge between GoldGroup, CoalaPay, and HashPoint. Ensures the pilot aligns with GoldGroup’s community-impact programs and broader Web3 strategy.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-jacobi-26615814b/
Javier Reyes GoldGroup Operations Member – Community Engagement & Field Coordination (GoldGroup)
Supports partner identification, community stakeholder communication, and operational readiness for the pilot initiative. Works closely with Liz and HashPoint to ensure community partners are onboarded and supported throughout the pilot.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/javier-reyes-de-la-campa/
Melyn Mckay– Impact Verification Specialist (CoalaPay)
Leads the modeling, refinement, and implementation of KPIs and impact-verification logic for the pilot initiative. Ensures all reporting and verification flows align with CoalaPay’s humanitarian-sector best practices and the needs of GoldGroup’s community programs.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melyn-mckay-derville/
Alejandro – Platform Integration & Operations (CoalaPay)
Supports implementation of CoalaPay V2 components required for Cardano rail activation, including workflow orchestration, partner onboarding, and data-handling processes. Contributes operational insights from CoalaPay’s global payment deployments.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-j-guzman/
CoalaPay Engineering Team – Backend & Multirail Activation (CoalaPay)
Implements the Cardano transaction layer, supports system testing, and ensures the platform meets reliability and performance expectations for the pilot.
Shay Gammer– Project & Ecosystem Coordinator (HashPoint)
Responsible for structured delivery, multi-partner coordination, Cardano ecosystem alignment, milestone planning, and Catalyst reporting. Ensures coherence across technical, operational, and impact-verification workstreams.