How to Donate to Gitcoin Grants: Round 7

by | Sep 24, 2020 | Crypto, DeFi Guides, Guides

If you’re Canadian and new to the crypto world, you’re likely looking for the easiest way to learn how to navigate the space. Here is a simplified step-by-step guide on how to donate to Gitcoin Grants:

  1. Download Shakepay on your phone
  2. In the Shakepay app, shake your phone daily to earn free Bitcoin (yes, free!)
  3. Click the Blue arrows in Shakepay to swap Bitcoin to fiat, and again from fiat to Ethereum
  4. Download Status
  5. Create your Status account
  6. Send funds from your Shakepay address to your Status wallet
  7. Visit Gitcoin Grants in the Status browser
  8. Sign into your Github account on Gitcoin Grants
  9. Connect your Status wallet to Gitcoin Grants
  10. Explore grants that you want to contribute to or search a specific grant such as the Marma J Foundation Gitcoin Grant
  11. When you’ve found a grant you want to contribute to, click on “add to cart” and follow the prompted steps to contribute!

Cryptocurrency is not that frightening

 

I’ve known Chloe since we were 9 years old. And even though we message regularly, every time we talk on the phone or get to see each other in person I’m always struck by the number of new projects or passions she’s acquired since our last meeting. A few years ago, when conversations around the lucrativeness of Bitcoin were at their height, Chloe mentioned this other currency she was exploring. Soon after, when Chloe started trading and then joining the wider development conversations about Ethereum (ETH), I realized I needed to start paying more attention beyond thinking the currency sounded cool. (I still think ‘Ethereum’ is such a gorgeous sounding name in general let alone for a cryptocurrency, but I digress.)

I am not very technical on my best days so there was a lot about the cryptocurrency world that seemed so daunting, and to be honest, in a lot of ways still does. The process felt overwhelming with a dizzying number of steps through endless apps and accounts, let alone how the exchange rates work, and ultimately how much is anything worth, and what is a ‘DAI,’ and, and….then Chloe stepped in to calm me down and provide me with some very clear, manageable steps to allow me to dip my toes into the water and start to get my bearings.

And all it took to start was shaking my phone.

Yes, every day, I open my new Shakepay app, click on ‘Bitcoin’ and give my phone a little shake until a cute flame and a raccoon appear before carrying on with the rest of my day. After doing this for a couple of weeks though, the question became: what do I do with this currency I’ve “earned”?

Once more, Chloe knew what I needed to hear before I did. Starting up the Marma J Foundation had been a dream of Chloe’s for years and I’m proud to see the foundation, with its mission to build strong communities that support underrepresented and/or disadvantaged individuals, flourishing. To aid its mission, the Foundation runs Gitcoin grants to grow community projects and businesses, with a focus on social and economic prosperity. There are great resources online already that explains how Gitcoin grants work and how to donate to them (see video below) but, in essence, these grants fund open source projects with funding matching (referred to as ‘quadratic funding’ or QF), all for the public good.

Back in June, the Marma J Foundation had opened a Gitcoin Grant in order to open an art gallery space and I had Chloe coach me through the process so I could contribute to this exciting artistic mission intended for the general benefit of artists.

How to Contribute to Gitcoin Grants:

If you’re like me and like a simple, written step-by-step approach, here is what I did:

  1. Download Shakepay on your phone
  2. In the Shakepay app, shake your phone daily to earn free Bitcoin (yes, free!)
  3. Click the Blue arrows in Shakepay to swap Bitcoin to fiat, and again from fiat to ETH (Ethereum)
  4. Download Status
  5. Create your Status account
  6. Send funds from your Shakepay address to your Status wallet
  7. Visit Gitcoin Grants in the Status browser
  8. Sign into your Github account on Gitcoin Grants
  9. Connect your Status wallet to Gitcoin Grants
  10. Explore grants that you want to contribute to or search a specific grant such as the Marma J Foundation Gitcoin Grant
  11. When you’ve found a grant you want to contribute to, click on “add to cart” and follow the prompted steps to contribute!

What’s Next?

I did not have much to contribute, but thanks to quadratic funding I was able to have a much larger impact than if I gave to another grant that wouldn’t have its funding matched, and whose reach is not supported by “breadth” instead of “depth“. And now I’m ready to find more ways to help and contribute to organizations with great missions.

Chloe has been such an excellent help to me, follow her on Twitter and YouTube so she can be a crypto-currency guide to you!

If you are interested in learning more about the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, also be sure to check out the Marma J Foundation Blockchain resources page. It’s jam-packed with relevant sources to help you learn how to navigate and understand the space, and is constantly being updated with new content!

About The Author

Rebecca Hallquist is an arts administrator, event marketer, and MBA candidate living in Toronto, ON.

She is better suited to give Canadian fiction recommendations than information about cryptocurrency and Gitcoin Grants, but never question the power of friendship. To rant/share/connect with her, you can find her on LinkedIn.

Other Helpful Resources

 

$Whale Community “Whitepaper V2” for Cryptoartists