Dev Fund Poll (2025)

public referendum created by Elise Hamdon

In November 2025, the current Dev Fund established under ZIP 1015 will expire, and 100% of block rewards will be allocated to miners. This poll is intended to assess whether there is community consensus to create a new Dev Fund and corresponding funding model and, if so, which proposal is preferred.

Last year, the community decided to eliminate direct funding to ECC and ZF. ZIP 1015 was introduced to allocate 8% of block rewards to Zcash Community Grants and 12% to a lockbox for one year, pending the creation of a new non-direct funding mechanism. Without a new mechanism, resources for grants will be limited, which could pose serious risks for the continued progress of Zcash development.

If a new Dev Fund is not in place by the time ZIP 1015 expires in November 2025, 100% of block rewards will go to miners. At the same time, implementing a new Dev Fund and funding model may lead to additional delays to NU7 and the activation of ZSAs. The extent of any delay will depend on the proposal selected, as each has different implications for timeline and feasibility.

Below is a summary of the five proposals:

• Community and Coinholder Funding Model (C&C): Allocates 8% of block rewards to ZCG and 12% to a Coinholder-Controlled Fund, active until the third halving in November 2028. ZCG and coinholders have distinct decision-making roles, and grants from the coinholder fund require 420,000 ZEC to be approved.
  View the proposal
• Community-Governed Funding Model: Allocates 8% to ZCG and 12% to a ZCAP-Controlled Fund managed by the Zcash Foundation. It prioritizes community consensus with a 50% participation threshold for ZCAP voting, and secures funds in a multisig wallet.
  View the proposal
• Pure Coinholder Funding Model: Allocates 20% of block rewards to a Coinholder-Controlled Fund, active until the third halving. Grants require 420,000 ZEC for approval and are managed exclusively by coinholder voting.
  View the proposal
• Pure ZCAP Funding Model: Allocates 20% of block rewards to a ZCAP-Controlled Fund managed by the Zcash Foundation. All funding decisions are made by ZCAP, with a 50% participation threshold, and funds are held in a multisig wallet.
  View the proposal
• Zcash Governance Bloc (zBloc): Allocates 20% of block rewards to a Community Fund split into Large and Minor Grant pools. Governance is shared across constituencies like Coinholders, ECC, and ZF, each with adjustable voting power and thresholds.
  View the proposal

Poll Questions

Q1: Which of the following funding proposals do you support? You can select more than one proposal.

• Community and Coinholder Funding Model (C&C)
• Community-Governed Funding Model
• Pure Coinholder Funding Model
• Pure ZCAP Funding Model
• Zcash Governance Bloc (zBloc)
• The Dev Fund should end and 100% of the block reward should go to miners.

Q2: Do you support prioritizing the extension of the Dev Fund and the implementation of a new funding model, even if it requires postponing NU7?

• Yes
• No
• Abstain