Standard Grant: Community Tech Hub

Grants Rejected
1

Project Name: Community Hub

Name of the organization or individual submitting the proposal: Blockchain Gazette Consulting LTD

Describe your project.

This project involves the establishment of a community hub that serves as a focal point for decentralized storage network activities, education, and collaboration.

Who benefits from your project?

The hub’s main goal would be to promote awareness, adoption, and engagement within the local Sia community in Nigeria while providing practical resources and support for users and enthusiasts of decentralized storage technologies.

How does the project serve the Foundation’s mission of user-owned data?

There is limited information about the fascinating use cases the Sia Network provides for emerging technological economies like Africa. By funding a physical community hub where active education, engagement, and collaboration occurs, this project provides a high degree of opportunity to engage with:

  • developers in the region,
  • local media outlets,
  • institutions, and
  • community organizations

Grant Specifics

Amount of money requested and justification with a reasonable breakdown of expenses: $100,000

Milestone 1 (By End of May 2024):

  • Community Hub Space Lease, and basic office interior setup cost
    : $55,000

This involves the lease of a physical space that serves as the community hub having a suitable location and amenities conducive to hosting workshops, meetups, and educational events in the capital city, Abuja, Nigeria.

  • Project Lead coordination cost for 3 months: $20,000

Milestones 2 (By End of August, 2024):

  • Kickstart community outreach programs for 3 months: $15,000

Liaise with local media outlets, institutions, and community organizations to raise awareness in the form of hosting workshops, meetups, and educational events detailing the benefits and opportunities associated with the Sia decentralized storage network.

  • Project Lead coordination cost for 3 months: $10,000

Potential risks that will affect the outcome of the project:

  • Budget Overruns: Unforeseen expenses or cost escalation in procurement may lead to budget overruns, limiting this project’s ability to achieve its objectives within the allocated funds.

Mitigation approach: Effective budget monitoring has been put in place. Reallocating resources and also possibly seeking additional support funding may be made to mitigate these risks.

Development Information

Will all of your project’s code be open-source? Yes

[Projects can use closed-source components, but can’t develop closed-source code. If any of your project’s code is closed-source, please describe what code and why.]

Leave a link where code will be accessible for review. TBD

Do you agree to submit monthly progress reports? Yes

[Progress reports must be submitted monthly here in the forum.]

Contact info

Email: techflare4real@gmail.com

Any other preferred contact methods: NIL

2

Excuse me, are you serious? You are asking for a $100K funding without even explaining where that money is going to go and where you took that figure from.

3

Thanks for sharing your thoughts @mike76

A deep dive into the entire project shows where the funding is going. However, could we do more by sharing more specifics about the cost? The answer: Yes

So we will provide an additional breakdown to attempt to clarify things for you sir.

4

Further cost breakdown:

Milestone 1 (By End of May 2024):

  • Community Hub Space Lease, and basic office interior setup cost
    : $55,000

Here’s an itemized list of estimated procurements that fall under the $55,000 budget for the Community Hub Space Lease and basic office interior setup:

Basic office interior setup cost: ($30,000)

  • Interior Design and Furnishings: $10,000
    • Office furniture including desks, chairs, tables, and cabinets.
    • Decorative items such as plants, artwork, and rugs to enhance the aesthetics of the space.
    • Lighting fixtures and lamps to illuminate the workspace effectively.
  • Office Equipment and Supplies: $15, 000
    • 2 Desktop Computers,
    • 2 laptops, and peripherals (keyboards, mouse, projector, etc.) for office use.
    • Printers, scanners, and copiers for document management and administrative tasks.
    • Stationery supplies including pens, paper, notebooks, and folders.

Communication and Networking Infrastructure:$1,000

  • Internet service provider (ISP) subscription for high-speed internet access.

  • Networking equipment such as routers, switches, and cables to establish a reliable internet connection.

  • Utilities and Maintenance: $1,000

    • Utility bills including electricity, and water.
    • Cleaning services to ensure the cleanliness and hygiene of the space.

  • Security Systems: $2,500

    • Installation of security cameras, alarm systems, and access control mechanisms to safeguard the premises and protect valuable assets.
    • Subscription fees for security monitoring services and software solutions

  • Legal and Administrative Fees: $500

    • Legal fees associated with lease agreements, permits, licenses, and regulatory compliance.
    • Administrative costs for processing paperwork, maintaining records, and managing day-to-day operations.

  • Community Hub Space Lease Charge: $25,000 (for 12 months)

@mike76

5

Milestones 2 (By End of August, 2024):

  • Kickstart community outreach programs for 3 months: $15,000
  • Project Lead coordination cost for 3 months: $10,000

Here’s an itemized list of estimated procurements that fall under the $25,000 budget for milestone 2:

  • Compensation and travel cost reimbursements for facilitators leading community workshops and presentations.
  • Catering services for providing refreshments and snacks during scheduled community hub events.
  • Printing costs for flyers, brochures, and banners.

@mike76

6

If I am allowed to throw in my two cents here. If Sia even spends one second thinking whether this grant should be approved, we are in deep, deep trouble…

7

Hi @magicmalta

Here’s a picture of the typical Hub we envision with this proposal.

MultiversX Hub
MultiversX Hub2048×1153 378 KB

Source: https://twitter.com/i/bookmarks?post_id=1762218494131568820

I hope this picture from a recent tweet helps to clarify things for you.

Thanks for taking the time to review our proposal!

8

Thanks for your submission to the Sia Foundation Grants Program. Due to the extreme logistics involved and a myriad of other factors, the committee is not interested in funding grants for physical locations.

1 Like
9

Hi @steve,

Thanks for your response. The points highlighted are well noted!

We may explore other ways to contribute to the network in the future!