Overview
The Regen Coordination Global GG23 round represented an ambitious regenerative funding experiment with a $96,000 matching pool supporting 50 projects at the intersection of ReFi, Ethereum, and local ecological and social regeneration.
Key Results:
- 579 unique donors
- $10,817 in contributions
- $90,000 in matching funds distributed, plus $6,000 allocated through DeepGov partnerships
- $159,732 allocated across related programs in 2025
This global round ran parallel to regional initiatives in the Mediterranean and Rio de Janeiro, with an additional Digital Public Goods Round distributing $30,000 to supporting infrastructure.
Case Study: AI ImpactQF
The round combined three innovations:
1) Common Approach to Impact Measurement
The CIDS (Common Impact Data Standard) enabled structured, semantic, and machine-readable impact data through Karma GAP integration. This supported flexible representation of impact models while maintaining interoperability with standards like SDGs and IRIS+.
Regen Coordination developed templates, graphics, and guidance materials, with translations into Spanish and Portuguese.
2) AI-Augmented Evaluation
A hybrid AI + human evaluation process analyzed data from 50 projects using GPT-4o and Claude 3.7 to generate independent reports. This dual-model approach reduced model-specific bias.
Evaluations assessed projects across five criteria:
- Increase ReFi Web3 awareness and adoption
- Increase adoption on Celo, Ethereum, and aligned ecosystems
- Create local ecological, social, and economic impact
- Resources, maturity, and past funding relative to impact delivered
- Active goals, plans, milestones, and objectives
Each project received at least three independent human reviews from a Coordination Council representing ReFi DAO, Celo Public Goods, and Greenpill Network.
3) ImpactQF (Impact-Weighted Quadratic Funding)
This first completed ImpactQF implementation used a hybrid model:
- 50% COCM Score: Based on Gitcoin's default QF results reflecting donor numbers, clusters, and contributions
- 50% Impact Score: Derived from AI evaluations and human reviewer assessments
This balanced crowdfunding signal with evidence-based evaluation, addressing the tendency of traditional QF to favor projects with strong marketing and large donor networks rather than demonstrated impact.
Results & Analysis
Key Trends:
Strong community backing combined with high impact scores produced significant matching allocations. Several projects with lower donor counts but high impact ratings received substantial matching boosts, while some projects with strong QF support but lower impact scores saw allocations reduced accordingly.
Distribution Characteristics:
- No extreme outliers (highest-matched project received under $4,000)
- Substantial allocation in the $2,000–$3,500 range
- Lower-end projects received meaningful funding (mostly over $1,000)
- Funding spread broadly across ecosystem rather than concentrated
Key Learnings
1. Flattened Distribution and Equity Trade-offs
The hybrid model created fairness and broad inclusion but produced relatively flat distribution with less differentiation. Future iterations may shift toward Impact-Embedded QF where impact scores directly influence match sizes within the formula for greater reward variance.
2. Differentiated Evaluation Tracks
Single rubric struggled equally serving local community projects and digital public goods teams. Future rounds should consider separate evaluation tracks with tailored metrics appropriate to each project type.
3. Impact Reporting Infrastructure Maturity
Karma GAP's CIDS system showed promise but encountered early-stage challenges around usability, data consistency, and reporting quality. Improvements needed in ease of use, integrations with ReFi applications, and process automation.
4. AI-Enhanced Evaluation Readiness
The hybrid AI + human model produced consistent, high-quality reports. However, current implementation was manual and time-consuming. Future work involves agent-based workflows, prompt optimization, and automation through partnerships with KarmaGAP and DeepGov.
5. Ecosystem Cross-Pollination Potential
Evaluations revealed complementary strengths: some projects demonstrated strong local impact but limited ReFi integration, while others excelled in Web3 tooling but lacked community grounding. Future rounds should optimize for collaboration and cross-pollination as core principles.
Next Steps & Future Vision
1) Strengthening Governance and Community Participation
Transitioning toward transparent, participatory governance frameworks through evolving the Greenpill forum into a Regen Coordination Hub with regular coordination calls, workshops, and co-created documentation.
2) Automating and Productizing the ImpactQF Stack
Building modular, interoperable systems combining:
- Karma GAP as core data layer with CIDS standardization
- DeepGov for AI agent workflows and evaluation interfaces
- Self.xyz for sybil-resistant identity verification
- Allo Protocol as underlying smart contracts
- Mainstream payment integrations for fiat onboarding
- Prosperity Pass and Divvi.xyz for tracking ReFi tool adoption
3) Expanding a Global Network of Local Funding Rounds
Scaling the cosmo-local model through bioregional and community-driven rounds as part of Gitcoin 3.0's Dedicated Domain Allocation structure. Exploring Grantship structures to support local rounds while creating pathways to matching funds.
4) Cosmo-Local Capital Flows
Pursuing "matching-on-matching" dynamics beyond crypto-native sources to blend global Web3 infrastructure with local governance, public institutions, and place-based finance. The Zazelenimo partnership demonstrates potential for municipal matches alongside Web3 funding.
Early discussions with UNDP explore alignment with global sustainability frameworks and institutional capital flows.
Vision
At maximum success, regenerative communities globally would access infrastructure and capital through open-source, transparent, community-governed mechanisms. Billions in Total Value Flowed toward regenerative outcomes would circulate through local economies on Web3 rails, with bioregional capital networks flourishing through public-DAO collaboration and AI-augmented allocation toward climate resilience, economic justice, and ecological repair.
Authored by: Monty Merlin Bryant, Afolabi Aiyeloja, and the Regen Coordination Council on behalf of ReFi DAO, Greenpill Network, and Regen Coordination
