🤩Code For Us
This is a working draft. Nothing here should be treated as final until formally approved. Formal OSC approval to follow.
Executive Summary
Code for Us Program operates as a bounty-based funding mechanism enabling approved projects to request funding for specific feature development. It incentivizes developers by compensating them directly upon successful delivery, enhancing ecosystem tooling and innovation.
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria are structured into two categories: projects requesting features, and developers fulfilling bounties.
Projects Requesting Feature Funding:
Must be an open-source repository within the Cardano ecosystem.
Clearly aligned with ecosystem priorities and demonstrating active usage.
The proposed feature must be well-defined, practical, and provide evident value to Cardano developers or end-users.
Requires explicit approval from both the Technical Steering Committee (TSC) and the Open Source Committee (OSC) to ensure strategic alignment and technical feasibility.
Projects do not need to be Intersect-incubated but gain additional advantages if they are.
Developers Fulfilling Bounties:
Must be verified contributors within the Cardano ecosystem, having a demonstrable contribution history.
Required to have relevant technical expertise to successfully deliver the requested feature.
Commit to completing the feature within clearly defined timeframes and meeting established acceptance criteria.
Adhere strictly to open-source contribution best practices, including clear documentation, rigorous testing, and community engagement.
Project Qualification Criteria
For a project to qualify for Code for Us funding, it must satisfy:
Open-Source Repository Status: Publicly accessible repository, licensed under a recognized open-source license.
Feature Development Justification: Clearly articulated feature requests must include a defined problem statement, expected outcome, and measurable success criteria demonstrating direct ecosystem benefit.
Project Lifecycle & Activity Level: Projects must fall within Incubation, Growth, or Maturity stages according to the Project Lifecycle Framework. Repositories with extended inactivity (over six months) require additional justification for inclusion. Not mandatory.
Commitment to Feature Implementation & Maintenance: Project maintainers must guarantee integration and ongoing maintenance of funded features. Removal or abandonment of funded features requires explicit approval from TSC & OSC.
Approval from TSC & OSC: All feature requests are rigorously reviewed by both committees, evaluating their technical viability, strategic fit, sustainability, and potential ecosystem impact.
Funding Structure & Resource Allocation
Funding through Code for Us operates through a bounty-driven workflow:
Project Approval: Projects are vetted and approved for participation based on alignment with ecosystem needs and project qualification criteria.
Feature Bounty Creation: Approved projects propose specific features. The TSC & OSC evaluate, prioritize, and allocate funding pools to these features.
Developer Selection & Work Fulfillment: Developers submit bids for open bounties, outlining their qualifications and timelines. Accepted developers then implement features following clearly defined specifications.
Payment Upon Feature Acceptance: Once submitted features pass rigorous technical and functional evaluations, developers receive their allocated bounty payment.
Oversight & Governance:
TSC: Ensures alignment with Cardano’s technical roadmap, prevents redundant or unnecessary developments.
OSC: Validates open-source governance compliance, code quality, and security standards.
Review & Evaluation Process
Evaluation follows a structured, feature-driven cycle:
Feature Request Approval: Project feature requests undergo review by TSC & OSC, prioritizing feasibility and strategic ecosystem alignment.
Developer Selection & Implementation: Approved features listed publicly as open bounties. Developers selected based on technical skill, experience, and bid proposal quality.
Feature Submission & Testing: Developers submit completed features for thorough technical and functional reviews, including security audits and usability tests.
Post-Integration Quality Check: A subsequent 30-day evaluation allows community testing and feedback. Critical issues must be resolved promptly by the developer for final acceptance.
Ensuring Quality & Compliance:
Features undergo rigorous security audits, ensuring no vulnerabilities.
Extensive usability and integration testing verify functionality and user satisfaction.
Code must strictly adhere to Cardano’s coding standards, open-source best practices, and comprehensive documentation requirements.
Performance Metrics & Responsibilities
Developers completing Code for Us bounties must meet explicit benchmarks:
Feature Completeness: Must fully and accurately deliver the requested feature within agreed scope and timeframe.
Security Compliance: Delivered features must not introduce vulnerabilities. Security audits must pass without unresolved findings.
Code Quality & Adherence to Best Practices: Code quality assessments via linting and maintainability reviews are mandatory. Strict adherence to established ecosystem coding standards is required.
Testing & Stability: Features must pass thorough unit tests, integration tests, and real-user testing scenarios before acceptance.
Documentation & Developer Support: Comprehensive documentation for installation, usage, and developer instructions must accompany feature submissions.
Failure to meet these expectations results in revision requests or potential reassignment of the bounty.
Appeals & Reapplication Process
The program includes structured mechanisms for fairness and continuous improvement:
Appeals for Rejected Feature Submissions: Developers can appeal within 7 days of rejection. They must clearly address required corrections, documentation improvements, or justify implementation choices.
Developer Reapplication After Multiple Rejections: Developers facing repeated rejections must wait three months before reapplying. During this period, they should engage with non-funded contributions or undertake mentorship programs to demonstrate improvement.
Persistent inability to meet quality standards may result in permanent exclusion from bounty participation.
Governance & Decision-Making
Code for Us governance is collaborative:
Technical Steering Committee (TSC): Reviews technical viability, prioritizes feature alignment with Cardano’s roadmap, and validates technical quality.
Open Source Committee (OSC): Ensures compliance with open-source governance, code licensing standards, community engagement, and sustainability criteria.
Joint Decision-Making Process: Both committees collaborate closely to achieve consensus on approvals, funding allocations, performance reviews, appeals, and reapplication processes.
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