Optimism Retro Funding Round 4: All you need to know
Published: 2024-06-03 13:20:15

Optimism is a Layer 2 scaling solution that transcends being just a simple blockchain protocol. As a Collective, It fosters a collaborative environment, which tackles various technical aspects of a decentralized ecosystem. This Collective is building the foundation for next-generation applications on a network of blockchains called a "[Superchain](https://app.optimism.io/superchain/)." The [OP mainnet](https://optimistic.etherscan.io/), a high-throughput scaling solution for Ethereum, serves as the core of this Superchain. 

Developers can leverage the [OP Stack](https://docs.optimism.io/stack/getting-started), a collaborative knowledge base, to streamline development on the Superchain.  A strong community backs this technical framework and [OP governance](https://community.optimism.io/docs/governance/#) empowers the community to participate in shaping the project's future through a sophisticated voting system. Optimism is a powerful combination of technical infrastructure and a community working together to push the boundaries of the blockchain ecosystem. 

## Optimism Retro funding

![retro funding general pic](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/yz697fsvi6i3xj3dfy4a.png)

Optimism Retro funding, initially called Retroactive Public Goods Funding (RPGF), aims to financially reward those who contribute to the growth of the Superchain ecosystem. Round 4 is currently open for application and it focuses on onchain builders, rewarding those building products, tools, or infrastructure that place a demand on OP blockspace and provide value to the ecosystem

![virtuous cycle for rpgf](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/okww2mpx0fy3pf86fkwx.png)

## Key Dates

1. Sign up: May 23rd - June 6th
2. Application Review Process: June 6th - June 18th
3. Voting: June 23rd - July 8th
4. Results & Grant delivery: July 15th

## What are the Eligibility Criteria?

The Eligibility criteria are a set of standards designed to restrict the influx of low-impact projects while maintaining a balance between broad inclusivity and the conditions required to accept projects with significant impact for the funding round.

Eligible projects should have to;

- Deploy their onchain contracts on one or multiple of the following OP chains: OP Mainnet, Base, Zora, Mode, Frax, and Metal, and meet the following requirements:

Onchain contracts have interactions from 420 unique addresses from Jan 1st - May 1st, 2024

Onchain contracts had their first transaction before April 1st, 2024

Onchain contract had more than 10 days of activity from Jan 1st - May 1st, 2024

Verify their onchain contracts in the Retro Funding sign-up process.

- Make their contract code available in a public GitHub repo, for which ownership has been verified in the Retro Funding sign-up process.

- Confirm that they will comply with Optimism Foundation KYC requirements and do not reside in a sanctioned country.

- Submit a Retro Funding application before June 6th, 2024, and comply with application rules.


## What would you be rewarded for?

The Retro Funding round 4 is focusing on onchain builders who have made a significant impact from October 2023 - June 2024. In no particular order, below are some of the metrics that would be considered.


1. Demand generated for Optimism blockspace.
2. Interactions from new Optimism users.
3. Open source license of contract code.
4. Repeated Interactions from Optimism users.
5. Interactions from Optimism users with high trust scores.

## How do you apply?

For the application process, there is a possibility of making errors or changes after applying so it would be best to make your submission as early as possible to allow you to make changes and corrections later on.

1. Go to [Optimism Retrofunding](https://retrofunding.optimism.io/) and Sign in with [Farcaster](https://www.farcaster.xyz/).

![Optimism Retro funding](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/tusu3d18g77u8bv8qvzb.png)

2. Add a project to your profile.

![Profile retro funding](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/wkloxoo5g3sxwy7548ij.png)

Note the Following while filling in the details for your project;

- Your project’s contract must be deployed on Mode or any other chains in the superchain.
- To verify ownership of the contract you have to sign a message from the deployer wallet of the contract.
- To prove ownership of your project's Github Repository you’ll have to push a generated JSON to your default branch.
- You can add your teammates to the project with their Farcaster profiles.
- Add an email

3. After filling in all your details, do a crosscheck then apply! You should get an email to confirm your application.

## Resources
Below are some extensive resources to check out.

[Retrofunding 4 Round details](https://gov.optimism.io/t/retro-funding-4-onchain-builders-round-details/7988) by Optimism
[Retrofundng 4 Application process](https://gov.optimism.io/t/retro-funding-4-application-process/8013) by Optimism
[A quick guide to Optimism Retro Funding 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=kyNYVSwPav6tSRrW&v=_JAWk2IHNn0&feature=youtu.be) by [Koha](http://@kohawithstuff)

This post was written by Revealer, tech cooperator @ Mode.