🌍 This Week in Web3ForGood
Happy Giving Season from Crypto Altruism! 💚
Editors’ note: Web3ForGood is welcoming thought leaders in Web3 to share on our platform as guest posters for the month of December. This week’s newsletter was authored by Drew and Tereza at Crypto Altruism. We hope you enjoy as much as we did! Interested in contributing a future guest post? Reply here.
gm gm,
Giving Season 2024 has started strong! Crypto markets are near all-time highs, and with memecoin euphoria in full swing, investors are seeing a whole lot of green in their portfolios. This is why some believe this year's Giving Season will be much bigger than 2023, with crypto holders well-positioned to support their favorite causes, potentially enjoying tax benefits by offsetting gains with donations. Whether for financial benefits or the joy of giving, Crypto Altruists everywhere are making a difference.
During this exciting time, we at Crypto Altruism are thrilled to step in as guest contributors for this edition of the newsletter. Our platform is dedicated to showcasing how blockchain drives real-world impact, and we’re here to highlight the builders and innovators shaping Web3. Let’s dive in, but first, here is a quick update from us…
We’ve got a new look! 👀
This season also marks a special milestone for us—the 3rd birthday of the Crypto Altruism Podcast, which debuted on the eve of Giving Tuesday. As we grow older, we’ve decided it’s time for a new look that better reflects the vibrant community dedicated to Web3's positive impact. With that, we’re excited to announce our new identity: Crypto Altruists.
Since June 2021, Crypto Altruism has shared nearly 200 podcast episodes and 500 content pieces highlighting how blockchain can create real-world impact. Along the way, one idea has come up again and again: many “came to Web3 for the technology but stayed for the people.” This community-driven vision is at the heart of our journey, and our new name, Crypto Altruists, reflects the importance of the people who make Web3 a force for good.
With enthusiasm for this new chapter, we're busy updating our website to match our renewed focus—stay tuned for the unveiling in the coming weeks!
Teaming up with Web3ForGood for the 2024 Year in Review! 🎙️
We’re thrilled to once again be teaming up with the Web3ForGood team for our 2024 Year in Review episode! We sat down this week and reflected on the most exciting Web3 for good developments of 2024, our personal favorite moments, and some bold predictions for the year ahead. It was an awesome conversation, and we can’t wait to share it with you on Tuesday January 7!
As we wrap up 2024, we want to give a shoutout to all the incredible Crypto Altruists—the builders, innovators, donors, and dreamers—who are co-building the Web3 for Good movement. Your vision and dedication are driving real-world impact and proving the immense potential of Web3 to create a better world. Here’s to an exciting year ahead!
WAGMI (we are going to make an impact!)
What’s Inside
📣 Latest News
🎙️ Top Crypto Altruism Episodes of 2024
📚 What We’re Thinking About
💡 Ah-ha Moments
🔈 Podcasts
🚀 Opportunities & Events
📡 On Our Radar
✨ And one more thing
📣 Latest News
Toledo Museum of Art becomes first major museum to purchase art using cryptocurrency
Celo reaches all time high in onchain stablecoin volume of $6.8B in November, up 89x since January.
Global Policy, Regulation, and Adoption News
Buenos Aires leads urban transit with blockchain payment technologies
Ripple poised for New York approval of stablecoin, set to enter regulated US crypto market
Project Updates
Gitcoin introduces Professional Services for grants management.
Ripple joins pledge 1% to expand commitment to social impact and blockchain innovation
🎙️ Most Popular Crypto Altruism Episodes of 2024
It’s been an incredible year for the Crypto Altruism Podcast, having released 65 podcast episodes so far this year while launching two new podcast series: Impact on Optimism and Trailblazers of Octant.
Here are the top 5 most listened-to episodes of 2024 and some key takeaways:
Episode 171 - Piloting Change: Exploring Web3 Innovations for Real-World Impact, ft. Mercy Corps Ventures, Empowa, and Atlantis 🌱
The true potential of blockchain lies in breaking systemic barriers—like enabling homeownership in Mozambique or securing water access in India—by prioritizing human impact over technical complexity.
Episode 147 - Dimitra - Empowering smallholder farmers with AI & blockchain-based AgTech solutions 🌽
Empowering smallholder farmers is key to solving global food security challenges—by integrating tools like blockchain, AI, and IoT, we can create transparent supply chains, enhance productivity, and support the farmers who are essential to both local economies and the planet's future.
Driving Web3 adoption means meeting organizations where they are—simplifying tools, integrating with familiar systems, and offering support to make decentralized solutions both practical and accessible.
Trailblazers of Octant Episode 1 - Building a Sustainable Web3 Public Goods Funding Ecosystem with Octant 💸
Sustainable public goods funding needs new ideas—Octant’s use of yield instead of principle and community-focused tools shows how to support what matters to us collectively in a simple and impactful way.
Episode 150 - Vechain - Blockchain for a better world ☀️
Web3’s power lies in enabling collective action—by connecting global efforts for sustainability, incentivizing local action, and empowering communities to tackle shared challenges with transparency and accountability.
What an amazing lineup of episodes this year! Which one resonated with you the most? We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for future guests or topics—feel free to reach out. Here’s to even more inspiring conversations ahead! 🙌
📚 What We’re Thinking About
🔴 Optimism’s Retro Funding is moving from annual rounds to continuous rewards. (Optimism)
🐉 Octant releases V2 whitepaper, Degens and Dragons, outlining their vision for new incentive and reward mechanism to fund the growth of Ethereum. (Octant)
🗳️ Gitcoin breaks down the concept of Conviction Voting - a governance mechanism that prioritizes sustained support over momentary hype. (Gitcoin)
🔬 BIO Protocol launches first new BioDAO Auction on launchpad for Quantum Biology DAO. (BIO Protocol)
🌏 Funding The Commons shares recap of FTC Bangkok. (Funding The Commons)
🔐 “What I would love to see in a wallet”; Vitalik advocates for greater L2 compatibility, security, & privacy in Web3 wallets. (Vitalik Buterin)
🤝 Mercy Corps Ventures shares insights from a Ghana pilot leveraging social reputation & stablecoins to expand credit access for unbanked women. (Mercy Corps Ventures)
🤍 The Giving Block begins unveiling the Crypto Impact 100, celebrating the top individuals driving philanthropy and positive change through blockchain. (The Giving Block)
📺 All Devcon talks are now available on YouTube—perfect for catching up over the holidays! (Ethereum Foundation)
💡 Ah-ha Moments
🔈 Podcasts & Spaces
ReFi Podcast - S4E10 - Embedding Culture in Tech, with Constanza Gomez Mont
Crypto Altruism Podcast - Episode 181 - Raiinmaker - How Blockchain is Shaping the Next Generation of Ethical AI Innovation
Upcoming spaces to join:
ReFi Podcast - Community Discussion: S4E10 - Embedding Culture Into Tech - TODAY at 11:00am EST
Ethereum Next Billion Fellowship - Meet the Projects: VoiceDeckDAO & SummitShare - December 17 at 11:00am EST
@civilmonkey’s Curated X Spaces focus on using Web3 for positive impact in the real world (+ recordings). Learn more and join.
🚀 Opportunities & Calls to Act
Apply: Giveth is hiring a QF Round Project Manager to run Quadratic Funding Rounds and shape the future of giving!
Partner: 1,000 Dreams Fund is seeking out partners and supporters for the newly launched Future Fund: NextGen Women in Web3. The program will award 100+ women with fellowships including $1,000 in microgrants to fund their Web3 education, mentorships with industry leaders, and more!
Learn: Kernel Block X applications due December 20th. Rolling applications submitted after the 20th will not be guaranteed a review.
Learn: SheFi is accepting applications for Season 13, with a deadline of January 10th.
Speak: The second round of speaker applications for ETHDenver (February 23–March 2) is open until December 11.
Apply: #MyClimateResearch Contest invites African writers, students, and creators to explore climate change challenges and opportunities and compete for rewards from a $300 prize pool. Deadline: December 12.
Join: Pipe gDAO is seeking out members for the Pipe Associate Network (PAN), which provides fractional work opportunities in early-stage startups to individuals with aligned skill sets in exchange for equity or token rewards.
Contribute: Giveth is seeking out verifiers to join their community of experts and contribute to building trust and transparency in our new decentralized project verification system.
Funding: ENS DAO’s Public Goods Builder Grants support impactful Ethereum and Web3 projects with funding for infrastructure, tools, and education through a milestone-based process.
Funding: The Next Billion Fellowship Program is a search for stories - tangible, human stories that show how Ethereum is helping communities address the challenges they face. Through the six months program, recipients receive project funding, mentorship, access to the Ethereum Foundation network, and opportunities for exposure.
🎪 Events
🆕= New to the roundup this week
Virtual
Build with Celo - Hackathon Wrapped 2024 is happening TODAY December 6 at 4PM UTC
ReFi DAO & Regen Coordination - EOY Reflections & What’s Next? is happening on December 18, 3PM UTC
IRL
India Blockchain Week is happening now until December 8 in Bengaluru.
Taipei Blockchain Week is happening on December 9-14 in Taipei.
Aleph de Verano, a Crecimineto pop-up city, is happening on December 9-20 in Buenos Aires.
✨ And One More Thing
A huge thank you to all those who supported Web3ForGood and Crypto Altruism in 2024! Here’s to an exciting year ahead! 🥂
