Quadratic Funding Rules: Fairness and Round Guidelines

We aim to maintain fairness and effectiveness in pots. Quadratic funding amplifies community donations to projects people care about. See project guidelines and project tips for success at docs.potlock.org.

Rules

• A "majority" founder can participate in only one project as a key team member within the ecosystem.
• A project cannot get more than 25% of the pot (or set threshold) to prevent carteling; excess may be redistributed.
• Obvious botting attempts risk disqualification from the matching pool.
• Falsely reporting others for botting results in penalties.
• Paying to donate to a particular project is not allowed. Onboarding work does not translate into payments or grant entitlements.

Not allowed vs allowed

Not allowed: personalized rewards (e.g. airdrops) or services (consulting, coaching) in exchange for donations to a particular project. Allowed: gas fee reimbursements for donating; incentives for round-specific (not single-project) donations; general acknowledgments to all donors; open invitations to community events with focus on the whole round; community badges for round participation. Airdrop whitelists are acceptable if not publicly advertised as an incentive. See potlock.org/conduct and potlock.org/report.

Round manager / chef responsibility

The round manager is responsible for adhering to payout rules. Some rounds have a compliance period; projects that don't complete KYC by the claim period may not receive funding. QF often serves as a weight alongside judge allocation. The estimated amount displayed is not final. Pot v2: see potlock.org/better-pots; includes Sybil rules, different mechanisms, and measures to prevent money washing.