Proposal Framework Tool - AIM

[IMPACT]

Why is it important?

Time is scarce and people are generally short of time and resources. SMART ideas and solutions are needed to solve global and local problems. Help for entrepreneurial Catalyst proposers and voters is needed.

Funds are scarce and global finance flows must be unlocked and redirected to help entrepreneurs and change agents solve global and local problems by implementing solutions at scale for maximum impact. A lack of experience and knowledge should not be an insurmountable obstacle to solving wicked problems.

Existing Catalyst funded projects tend to lack explicitly clear, measurable targets that connect with existing established goals and frameworks. Proposals seeking to solve wicked problems that may be external to Catalyst or the Cardano ecosystem can use these goals and frameworks to empower and work towards solutions. The AIM Proposal Tool is already functionally live in the proposal form, enabling proposers to integrate UN Sustainable Development Goals into their proposals and projects. We are currently working on integrating the UN Human Rights index into the tool. This proposal seeks to integrate the UN planetary pressures adjusted Human Rights Index. This will facilitate the means for proposers to integrate the relevant goals and KPIs, assisting the measurement and tracking of impact that the proposal seeks to achieve. 

Our proposal is made up of two components:

Tool expansion: to include an additional framework to the Proposer Tool (planetary pressures adjusted UN Human Development Index) to assist proposers in creating proposals ready for submission in Project Catalyst and other finance/grant sources. The Proposer Tool can help with planning projects that integrate connections to common global frameworks, as part of their Monitoring and Evaluation of KPIs, as well as impact measurement and communication.

Research: seeks to analyze Fund 9 funded proposals, the use of the Proposer Tool and present comparative analyses in an accessible database format.

It will be open access, providing stakeholders with insights into how Project Catalyst is financing projects, the type of projects, and their impact according to UN SDGs, UN Human Rights, and UN HDI (adjusted to planetary pressures).

This open access data and information can help inform decision making within the Cardano ecosystem, and across the different open source communities and sectors to facilitate multi stakeholder decision making, problem sensing and solving, using common global frameworks and languages as used in the UN.

Guiding questions:

• How can we ensure future efforts benefit from the work that is funded today?

• The funding of the AIM Proposer Tool will enable additional globally used frameworks to become more readily available and facilitate future proposers’ efforts to connect their work with impact frameworks, goals and metrics that are globally recognized. 

• How do we align between different open source community efforts?

• The Tool is open access and can be used for free, by anyone globally. 
• We include a quote from SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals:

"17.18 By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts"

• Essentially, open source data is KEY to achieving all sustainable development goals: https://blogs.worldbank.org/digital-development/sustainable-development-goals-and-open-data

• "We must undertake a concerted global effort to encourage and invest in the creation of digital public goods: open source software, open data, open AI models, open standards and open content." (United Nations, 2020)

• "Even when the relevant digital public good or open source solution is found, support and additional investment are still required to scale them up and successfully implement them" (2020, p. 9). Hence here we are, in this decentralized innovation fund experiment that is Project Catalyst! *- https://www.un.org/en/content/digital-cooperation-roadmap/*

• What are the next steps to fuse IOG development with the community?

• The AIM Proposer Tool has already been integrated into the proposal process and this was a key step in collaboration. 

• How can we encourage experts to collaborate and share their knowledge and work?

• The AIM Proposer Tool is and open access tool, offered by a multidisciplinary team, and with efforts to promote the tool across networks, this can feed into multi sectoral work streams and knowledge building that is concerned with integrating impact goals and metrics into project design and implementation in communities potentially unfamiliar with UN Global Frameworks, inspiring cross fertilization and collective intelligence growth.

• How can we develop a sustainable ecosystem while sharing knowledge and efforts?

• We as a community have been embodying this with efforts to organize decentrally, with regular meetups, channels and forums for open access knowledge exchange, and co-promotion as exists with Cardano AIM, Cardano 4 Climate, Sustainable ADA and Cardano Impact Network, that is growing. Our collective efforts will be greatly accelerated and enhanced with the support of the voting community, enabling projects and tools that AIM to accelerate our common vision and mission. What brought us together in this Cardano community, our hope and drive to change the world for the better, for all, is the glue that binds us together. Together stronger. We are the ones we have been waiting for.

As we move forwards the ADA/USD price can fluctuate, we will take a snapshot of the exchange rate price at the moment of arrival in the project wallet.

We have a diverse multidisciplinary experienced team, as such, if any unforeseen circumstances is to afflict any of our team members, we have the capacity to adapt and continue to deliver on our agreed proposed commitments

[FEASIBILITY]

Our AIM team has a strong track record of delivering on our proposals and commitments, as demonstrated in our funded proposals across Fund 4,5,6 and 7. 

Roadmap:

Tool Development: Go live for public testing in Fund 9 proposal submission phase

Research: $4000 (May - August 2022)

• Research carried out during public testing of Proposer Tool during Fund 9 to investigate the impacts of having such a tool accessible to a proposer.
• Tracking all proposals that use the tool in Fund 9 and those that go on to be successfully funded ( May 2022 - August 2022):
• Using mixed research methods (qualitative and quantitative). Analyzing the application of frameworks and datasets (Sustainable Development Goals in the first instance), interviews with Catalyst proposers connecting them to the Sustainable Development Goals Framework, UN Human Rights and Human Development Index, surveys, tracking their proposal journey and project progress until Fund 9 Winners' announcement.

• Deliverables:
• Collating all into an article/slideshow for public benefit ready for publication in August 2022.
• Proposer tool available for live use in Fund 9 proposal submission phase

Budget 

Total request = $9400

Proposer Tool MVP Integration Development :

Frontend update development: $1500 (~ 30 hours)

API update development: $750 (~ 15 hours)

Backend update development: $750 (~15 hours)

Total: $3000

Research: $4000 (May - August 2022)

Project management/general admin and social media promotion: $1250

How to guide for using the tool (video): $150

AIM Development: $1000

The Cardano AIM (Assembly of Inspired Masses) is a community guild of builders, creators and doers. Our goal is to develop community tools that progress the Catalyst Experiment and add value to the Cardano ecosystem. The Cardano Development fund is an addition to AIM proposals and is designed to assist with the development and management of the Cardano AIM guild. It is an experiment in generating a side treasury operated and managed by AIM. The side treasury will over time go towards the future development of AIM projects on Cardano working towards sustainability.

Cardano AIM (Assembly Inspiring Masses) include Lucio, Victor, Phil, Razali, Yoram, Cole and a number of supporters. We are all active Catalyst Community members and currently design and build tools that support the community. These include the popular voter-tool (https://cardanocataly.st/voter-tool/#/), the Community Advisor Tools (CA and vCA-tools) (https://cardanocataly.st/ca-tool/#/ & https://cardanocataly.st/vca-tool/#)) as well as the community landing page (https://cardanocataly.st/), Proposer Tool (https://cardanocataly.st/proposer-tool-sdg/#/) and SDG Search Tool (https://cardanocataly.st/sdg-search-tool/#/)

Razali is an Educator, Editor, Digital Economy, Blockchain & Sustainability Researcher, Social Entrepreneur, Catalyst Proposal Mentor, Wada UN SDG and Education Coordinator, Co-Founder of Sustainable ADA, Contributor at Positive Blockchain & Catalyst School Core Member https://www.linkedin.com/in/razali-samsudin

Victor is an active Catalyst Member, Community Advisor and Proposal Mentor, member of the 1st Catalyst Circle, leader of the Catalyst School, core member of the Catalyst Swarm, and has a strong professional and academic background in Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science and Machine Learning.

Lucio is a developer with 9+ years of experience (mainly focused on web/mobile. Languages and frameworks: PHP, Javascript, Typescript, Python, Ruby - Laravel, Ruby on Rails, Wordpress, Angular.js, Vue.js, Node.js). CA and vCA, co-creator of the Community Tools (Proposer/CA/vCA/Voter Tools).

Phil has experience as an accountant, UI/UX frontend and graphic design and business advisor amongst numerous other pursuits. He currently has a lead position in the development and direction of Cardano AIM and is co-creator of the Community Tools.

Yoram has 20+ years of business experience working with technology companies (strategy, partnerships, investors). In the last years, Yoram is focused on combining impact and business. 4 years ago he left his comfort zone and worked for 2 years for an NGO Earthworm.org focusing on sustainable business models across agriculture supply chains. Yoram also constantly works with startups as an advisor and mentor i.e. GivingWay.com.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoram-ben-zvi-446836

Cole is UNITE 2030 Youth Delegate (https://www.unite2030.com/), a recent graduate in Economics & Sustainability, Founder of Sustainable ADA, Blockchain & Sustainability Researcher, & Social Entrepreneur, Ecoquest Education Foundation - Sustainability Research, B Impact Clinic part of UNH's Changemaker Collaborative - Kikori, Sustainability Splash Program Organizer, Bronze UNH Sustainability Award Winner https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-bartlett

[AUDITABILITY]

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

*Number of users, using the framework tool - using social media metrics, downloads, feedback forms

*Number of users of the tool who successfully share that they secure funds in Catalyst and other sources (social media metrics with hashtags, and research of the fund results and proposals using the tool)

Reaching the KPIs will be a key success indicator. In addition, a key element of success will be the education and inspiration provided to community members who use the proposer tool, and those who go on to successfully receive funding in Catalyst and other sources. It can prove to be a useful, open source open access tool and educational resource, inspiring impactful and collaborative efforts.

As a team we aim to learn during and from the process, and will promote the tool to ecosystems currently outside of Project Catalyst and Cardano. In relation is an affiliated proposal that seeks to onboard business into the Cardano ecosystem:

Decentralized Impact Lead Generator - https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/397339

This is a continuation of previously and related proposals:

Fund 7

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/383692

Fund 6

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/367569

https://cardano.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Research-in-Applying-Frameworks-AIM/369294-48088

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/369300

SDG Rating

SDG goals:

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

SDG sub-goals:

12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

17.16 Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

17.18 By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

17.19 By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

#proposertoolsdg