Karma GAP: Beyond Traditional Grants
Karma is expanding beyond grant progress reporting to support a variety of funding programs. Our mission is to help builders showcase their work, build onchain reputation and unlock economic opportunities. Whether you're running a hackathon, incubator, accelerator, or any other initiative, Karma GAP (Grant Accountability Protocol) provides essential accountability and reputation building tools. These tools help program managers and participating projects receive the support needed to ship and grow successfully.
After a huge success in Season 1... WE'RE BACK! With more fun, community, AI Agents, and prizes!
01.03. - 28.03.2025 5.000 cUSDLearn how to apply here
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Introducing Proof of Ship
The Celo Developer Community has launched an innovative funding program called "Proof of Ship". This contest runs every month with a prize pool of 5,000 cUSD (Celo's stablecoin). The program aims to encourage developers of all experience levels to build and ship projects on the Celo blockchain, including:
Mini applications
DeFi and stablecoin solutions
AI agents
Infrastructure and developer tools
As the name suggests, "Proof of Ship" emphasizes delivering working solutions rather than just concepts. Participants create projects, deploy code, and share updates on Karma GAP and Farcaster. An AI evaluator tracks each project's progress throughout the competition and rewards projects on different criteria.
The program also rewards reputation—as your on-chain reputation grows, so does your earning potential, with returning builders unlocking bigger rewards over time.
Karma GAP Features: Bridging Contribution and Reward
Powering the Proof of Ship program are several Karma GAP features that when combined create a dynamic system to track, evaluate, and reward contributions with fairness and transparency:
1. Easy process to enroll in the program
Projects create their onchain project profile on Celo blockchain and enroll in the program with just a few clicks.
2. Progress and metrics Tracking
Projects submit their github and onchain addresses during the submission process. Karma tracks their Github and onchain activity through our integration with Github and Dune analytics. Builders regularly share the milestone updates on GAP as well. All these projects are grouped into rounds, providing a high-level view of all projects and their metrics in a round.
3. Evaluation using Karma AI and other AI Agents
The new Karma AI analysis tool provides rapid insights into all projects within a specific round. Milestones, updates, Github activity and onchain activity are the primary metrics used to evaluate projects. Celo DevRel is building multiple AI agents all of which consumes data from Karma.
4. Community Participation and On-Chain Reputation
Creating a project on Karma also boosts a builder's chances for potential retroactive funding in the future, connecting karma directly to long-term recognition and financial rewards. This feedback loop fosters accountability and highlights standout contributions. Projects can also receive endorsements from friends, fans, collaborators and colleagues enhancing the reputation.
Why Karma GAP Matters
Karma GAP transforms Proof of Ship from a simple contest into a thriving ecosystem of recognition and collaboration. By rewarding both major achievements and incremental progress, it ensures that developers of all levels can participate and succeed. It also means that grant operators and fund allocators have the information they need to effectively distribute capital and run ecosystem growth initiatives.
Looking Ahead
As Proof of Ship—Season 2—runs until March 28, 2025, the program and its Karma GAP features are redefining collaboration and innovation within Celo's developer community.
With a prize pool of 5,000 cUSD and the promise of on-chain recognition, builders have the opportunity to ship impactful solutions while earning tangible rewards. The integration with Karma suggests a scalable model that could inspire similar initiatives across other blockchain ecosystems.
Whether you're a coder, designer, or AI enthusiast, Proof of Ship offers a chance to contribute to Celo's mission—and Karma GAP ensures your efforts won't go unnoticed.
Ready to ship your next big idea? Join the program, create your project on Karma, and help build the future of open finance together!
