Introducing the Pollen Grants Program (PGP)

We’re very excited to announce the launch of the Pollen Grants Program (“PGP”) — one of the first major steps in our decentralization roadmap.

PGP Need

PGP is being launched to help further unleash the potential of the Pollen community and accelerate the development of the Pollen network.

One of our Core Values is Decentralization — our belief that no single company, organization, or government should control the world’s communications networks.

We also know that the combined insights and talents of the Pollen community will always exceed those of any individual contributor.

Mission Statement

PGP will fund exceptional partners with early stage ideas that promise to increase the quality, scale, and commercial potential of the Pollen network in a manner consistent with the Pollen Core Values.

Target Projects

PGP’s focus will be on projects that produce hardware and software that help accelerate:

1. The deployment of Pollen-native infrastructure, and / or
2. The commercialization / monetization of the Pollen network

An overarching goal will be to increase the ecosystem of builders contributing to the Pollen community.

Initial priorities currently contemplated include:

• Additional / enhanced reporting
• Fleet management
• Private network management

Committee Structure / Governance

For the first year of operation, the PGP Committee (“Committee”) will be chaired by a representative of Pollen Opco (the “Chair”), who will retain veto rights over Committee decisions.

The full Committee will consist of five Members, inclusive of the Chair, which will be composed of the Administrator (selected by Pollen Opco) and three voting Non-Executive Committee Members, also selected by Pollen Opco, but with the input of the Pollen community.

Committee Selection

The three Non-Executive Committee Members will be selected by Pollen Opco from a pool of candidates nominated by the Pollen community.

To become a Non-Executive Committee Member, a Pollen community member must:

1. Be nominated by another, unaffiliated Pollen community member, and
2. Receive the support of at least two additional unaffiliated Pollen community members

Pollen Opco will select the three Non-Executive Committee Members from the pool of candidates who meet the above criteria based upon the merits of the application.

Grant Underwriting Criteria

Specific underwriting criteria will be developed / published by the Committee that will focus on whether the:

1. Concept is differentiated and adds “alpha” to the Pollen network beyond what Pollen Opco is able to contribute in the same time horizon, and
2. Applicant has the potential to add value to the Pollen network long-term / beyond the initial grant

Process and Timing

Pollen Opco is currently in the process of establishing the Pollen Foundation. Grant issuances will commence upon establishment of the Foundation.

Establishment of the Committee, solicitation of proposals, and evaluation will commence next week (week of June 27) following consideration of Pollen community feedback on this proposal.

Following the selection of the Committee, the Committee will develop and publish:

• Detailed grant underwriting processes and criteria
• Guidance for the initial grants
• A budget for the initial grants

Guiding Principles for PGP

1. World Class Developer Experience: We must ensure fast response times (<1 week), be completely transparent, and treat developers with respect. Pollen wants to empower the best builders and keep them in the ecosystem long-term
2. Prudent Capital Deployment: PGP must deliver measurable value to the Pollen ecosystem. We will use the rough heuristic that all grants must show the potential to return 10x the value of the grant
3. Community Ownership: We view PGP as a critical component of decentralizing the Pollen network, building community buy-in, and the long-term success of the network. Once sufficiently established, governance of the program will be fully turned over to the community

Indicative Committee Membership Application / Nomination Form

The application / nomination form can be found here. Once received, applications will be posted on #pollen-grants-program in Discord.