Hey there, builders and creators! Ready for an opportunity that not only celebrates your groundbreaking work but also fills your project’s treasury? Unlock Protocol is rolling out the red carpet for builders and creators with a grant round that's all about recognizing and rewarding your hard work.
And guess what? There's a massive pool of 7,000 ARB in matching funds up for grabs! 
Past grants rounds from the Unlock DAO have granted thousands of dollars to builders! See the results from past rounds at the end of this post.
What is this?
Unlock Protocol is running a matching-grants round using the Gitcoin Grants Stack. Unlock will use quadratic funding mechanisms to help retroactively fund projects that the community deems valuable to the growth and adoption of Unlock Protocol.
If you have seen or been a part of a Gitcoin round, this is the exact same process, with a particular focus on the Unlock Protocol Ecosystem.
First, your community supports you: Gather support for your project from your community. As this grants process uses quadratic funding to determine matching from the matching pool, the breadth of committed support from your community drives the opportunity for your project to secure matching funds.
Matching funds: A staggering 7,000 ARB is waiting to boost your project with matching funds from the pool.
Matching cap: We want to spread the wealth! Projects are capped at 20% of the pool.
Here’s a timely tip: If you’re doing a side event for EthCC, or other upcoming conferences, your project may be eligible for a grant if it meets the criteria noted below — jump on it!
What's the timeline for this grants round?
Application period opens: June 25, 2024.
Application period closes: Don't miss out! Apply by July 20th to have your grant live for when the round opens, although we will accept applications until Aug 2nd.
Donation round period: Mark your calendars for July 21 - Aug 5th 2024 — this is the period where your community can donate and vote for your project!
Grants distribution date: End of August 2024 following a sybil analysis.
Where to apply?
The grant application is on the Gitcoin site at:
https://builder.gitcoin.co/#/chains/42161/rounds/367
Make sure your project meets the criteria outlined in the eligibility section below at the time you complete your grant application. Grant applications can not be edited after submission, so make sure your project meets the criteria at the time of grant submission.
Why should you care? Because grants!
This isn't just any grant round; it's a golden opportunity to get a significant boost for your project. Imagine what you could do with your share of 7,000 ARB:
Expand Your Project: More funds mean more resources to grow and scale your work.
Increase Visibility: Leverage the funds to market your project and reach new audiences.
Enhance Your Offerings: Improve existing features or add new ones to make your project even more appealing.
Looking for a creative spark? Here's are things you can build with Unlock Protocol:
Subscriptions & Memberships: From exclusive content to unique community access, show us how you've built memberships or recurring subscriptions into your project using Unlock Protocol.
Event Ticketing: If you've used Unlock for event access, ticketing, attendance NFTs or similar use cases, we're looking at you.
Certifications: Do you have a course or workshop? Certify your participants for learning and completion onchain.
Gaming and beyond: Whether educating, entertaining, or engaging, your innovative use of Unlock could score you a substantial matching grant.
Are you eligible for a grant? Let's check:
Your project deployed at least 50+ NFTs (Keys) on Arbitrum using Unlock Protocol: Show us your impact with verifiable NFTs minted via Unlock Protocol on Arbitrum. (Some past projects have deployed thousands — or tens-of-thousands — of memberships.)
Make some noise: Show us your tweet about joining the #UnlockRetroQF grant round. The more people know about your project and the round, the better!
Arbitrum deployment: Your Unlock Protocol project needs to be deployed on Arbitrum to qualify.
Community connection: Join our Discord, share your journey, and get support from peers!
You were in our last Retro Grant round: If you participated in our last round, as long as you have 50+ new keys issued on Arbitrum using Unlock Protocol since the last round, you can participate again in this round.
Ready to dive in?
If you're wondering how to weave Unlock Protocol into your project, we've got you covered. Check out the project website for all the guidance you need. And remember, with 7,000 ARB on the line, every detail in your application counts. Make it shine, and let us help you take your project to the next level.
Questions? Join our Telegram chat for real-time support from our community and team. Or jump into the Discord and ask the entire Unlock Locksmith community.
This is your moment to shine and get the recognition and momentum your project deserves. Dive into the Unlock Protocol RetroQF Grant Round and let's unlock a brighter, more prosperous future together. Your slice of 7,000 ARB is waiting. 
Note: This is the second in a series of Arbitrum grants round that the Unlock DAO has run. A prior round was run in Q1 2024.
Past Round Results
Round 1 Results
