Zcash Co-Founder Wants to Shut Off the Community Grants Money Tap

Sean Bowe says the Zcash grants committee already holds more than it can sensibly spend. His draft would stop sending the committee 8% of newly minted ZEC and route that share into a reserve meant to pay future miners. The committee would keep everything it has collected and keep awarding grants from it. There is no activation date, and the change would need an update to Zcash’s network rules. Until then, about 144 ZEC, or roughly $68 million a year, keeps flowing in.

How Big Is the Zcash Treasury?

Bowe values the committee’s assets, after existing grant commitments, at about $125 million, using an illustrative price of $1,300 per ZEC. The dashboard lists 91,453 ZEC plus $8.8 million in cash, with $2.4 million already promised to grantees. The Financial Privacy Foundation reported just over $1.5 million in first quarter program costs, around $6 million a year. Even if ZEC fell to $500, he estimates about five years of coverage at $10 million in annual spending.

ZECsy Outreach Grant Sparks Debate

The proposal landed as a grant to ZECsy drew criticism after its booth at an adult industry convention in Edison, New Jersey. The team sought $550,000, and the committee approved about $461,500 covering startup costs and nine milestones, with member Hanh opposing. Bowe’s draft does not mention it.