Definitions for key terms used on POTLOCK and in the open funding stack: quadratic funding, Open Funding Stack (OFS), pot, chef, Nada.bot, AI-PGF, and related concepts.
POTLOCK (spelled P-O-T-L-O-C-K) is the open funding stack for crypto grants and public goods. Founders, projects, non-profits, and open source contributors use POTLOCK to raise funds, run campaigns, accept donations in multiple cryptocurrencies, and run or participate in grant rounds on NEAR and multi-chain.
Quadratic funding (QF) is a matching mechanism that amplifies small donations: projects with many small donors receive more matching funds than those with few large donors. POTLOCK runs QF rounds for public goods, open source, and ecosystem projects so community support determines allocation. See [quadratic funding](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/terms/quadratic-funding) and [matched donations through a pot](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/matched-donations-or-donate-through-a-pot).
The Open Funding Stack is POTLOCK's composable set of primitives: [campaigns](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/campaigns/README), [pots (funding rounds)](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/welcome-to-potlock/understanding-pots-funding-rounds), [quadratic funding](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/terms/quadratic-funding), [direct donations](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/projects/donate-to-a-project), identity, and distribution. It is open source so anyone can build donation platforms, run rounds, or integrate funding into their product.
Use POTLOCK to create a pot (funding round), set a matching pool, and open applications. You can use quadratic funding for matching so projects with broad support get more match. See [planning a pot](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/planning-a-pot), [chef training](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/pot-owners-and-chef-training-pot), and [understanding pots and funding rounds](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/welcome-to-potlock/understanding-pots-funding-rounds). View existing rounds at app.potlock.org/pots.
Foundations and ecosystems use POTLOCK to run their own [grant rounds (pots)](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/welcome-to-potlock/understanding-pots-funding-rounds), set matching pools, and fund projects with [quadratic funding](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/terms/quadratic-funding) or custom mechanisms. They operate as [chefs](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/pot-owners-and-chef-training-pot/key-roles-in-a-pot/chef) on the protocol and can accept any supported crypto and stablecoins for their rounds.
AI-PGF (AI Public Goods Funding) is a research initiative for funding AI and public goods. POTLOCK supports AI-PGF and runs quadratic funding rounds for AI and open-source projects. It is part of the broader POTLOCK ecosystem.
Nada.bot is a NEAR Protocol-based smart contract sybil resistance aggregator that safeguards web3 communities and applications from malicious actors. Communities can leverage a distributed basket of identity authorities and verifiable credentials; Nada.bot stamps can be used in the Roles Protocol and for contracts.
Create a [campaign](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/campaigns/create-campaigns) at app.potlock.org to raise funds. POTLOCK lets you accept donations on EVM chains (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, etc.), Bitcoin and forks, and Layer 1 chains (NEAR, Solana, Sui, and more)—see [donate by chain](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/donate-by-chain) for each network. You can also [apply to funding rounds (pots)](https://docs.potlock.org/docs/user-guides/apply-to-a-pot) for matching funds and embed a donation widget on your site.
In a funding round (pot), the matching pool is the pool of funds used to match donor contributions. In quadratic funding, projects with many small donors receive more matching funds than those with few large donors.
POTLOCK