“Code acts, Hardware protects, Stories awaken.” (Code takes action. Hardware stands guard. Stories wake us up.)
As the digital world drifts toward ever deeper centralization, we need—more than ever—independent tools, neutral data, and voices that stay awake.
GCC (Global Chinese Community of Universal Digital Commons) is committed to supporting digital public goods built by and for Chinese-speaking communities worldwide. With Cohort 1 successfully concluded, we’re officially opening applications for Cohort 2.
This round, we’re not only looking for people who write code—we’re looking for defenders of physical hardware, maintainers of foundational infrastructure, and recorders of social truth.
🏆 Cohort 1 Recap: Connection and Growth
GCC Public Goods Grant Cohort 1 wrapped up last week. As the first cohort after GCC’s grant mechanism upgrade, both the volume and the quality of applications exceeded expectations.
After initial screening, Demo Day, and a rigorous committee review, five projects stood out:
- SnarkExpress — An open-source research aggregation platform tracking frontier zkSNARK papers.
- Vyper — A security-first smart contract language and its Chinese-language ecosystem building.
- Herstory — A community for incubating and co-learning with women Web3 builders.
- Primus — Next-gen privacy data infrastructure based on zkTLS and FHE.
- Agora Citizen Network — An open-source civic deliberation platform powered by AI + ZK.
To every applicant: thank you. Your work turns “public goods” from a slogan into something tangible—something built, maintained, and alive.
🚀 What We Fund in Cohort 2
In Cohort 2, we go sharper and deeper.
We’re looking for projects that produce outputs that are open, non-exclusive, and reusable. Whether you’re a hardcore engineer, a researcher, or a humanist creator—if your work fits one of the four tracks below, GCC wants to back you.
1) Privacy & Digital Sovereignty: From Defense Tools to Public Awareness
Core belief: full-stack sovereignty. We don’t just need software shields—we need hardware defenses and awakened consciousness.
- Usability-first privacy tools Privacy tech often fails not because it’s weak—but because it’s unusable. We support application-layer tools that package complex cryptography into invisible infrastructure: middleware, front-end kits, and integrations that let everyday users regain control over data ownership, identity sovereignty, and censorship resistance—without needing to understand the underlying machinery.
- Physical privacy & open-source hardware Software cannot prove trust on compromised hardware. We support open hardware designs and solutions that reduce physical attack surfaces, verify supply-chain integrity, or enable physically isolated interactions.
- Humanities & social reality documentation Beyond technology, we need something that hits the heart. We support works that explore the deep tension between technology and humanity, data and ethics, the individual and the digital environment. Format is open: film, documentary, interactive art, investigative reporting, social experiments—anything that turns abstract privacy risks into felt, visible social issues.
2) Core Open-Source Software & Protocol Maintenance
Core belief: maintain the foundation, lower the barrier.
- Maintaining critical components Sustain and harden the cryptographic libraries, SDKs, and public middleware that ecosystems depend on—yet rarely receive commercial funding. This includes bug fixes, security reinforcement, and long-term upkeep.
- Client diversity Support light clients or alternative clients that reduce hardware requirements for running nodes and prevent fragile networks built around single points of failure.
- Developer experience & ecosystem integration AI can translate docs—but it can’t solve “integration pain.” We fund work that makes protocols truly adoptable: practical SDKs, debugging tools, and scenario-driven integration guides and best practices.
3) Neutral Benchmarks & Monitoring Platforms
Core belief: cut through marketing noise; restore real data.
- Decentralization “health dashboards” Build objective risk assessment platforms for exchanges, L2s, bridges, DeFi protocols—showing their real decentralization status and risk exposure.
- Performance benchmarking Create neutral, reproducible automated test frameworks to compare public chains, ZK provers, and DA layers—on performance and cost—against pure narrative warfare.
- On-chain transparency tools Track MEV, censorship behavior, treasury flows, governance attacks—make the “dark forest” more observable.
4) Public Talent & Knowledge Networks
Core belief: cultivate builders with independent backbone.
- Cypherpunk heritage & education Systematic courses and educational programs that integrate cryptographic history, privacy ethos, and decentralized governance principles into real technical learning.
- Independent research & criticism Support researchers and media creators who don’t shill tokens—and dare to think critically.
- Builder communities Communities that consistently connect technical talent, enable mentorship, and organize high-quality technical hackathons.
🗓️ Application Timeline
This round follows a centralized intake + unified review process:
- Application submission: Dec 8 – Jan 9 Fill the online form; describe vision and plan. GCC will conduct compliance and eligibility screening.
- Eligibility confirmation: Jan 9 – Jan 23 Initial scoring; shortlisted teams notified by email with Demo Day arrangements.
- Demo Day: Jan 26 – Jan 30 Shortlisted teams pitch and engage directly with the committee and the community.
- Review & results: Jan 30 – Feb 6 Committee votes based on holistic evaluation; results publicly announced.
- Contract & disbursement: Starting Feb 6 Agreements signed; funding released by milestones.
👉 Apply here: https://gccofficial.org/application/public
Note: If you have urgent micro-funding needs (e.g., university events, flight support), please apply to GCC’s Special Fund, which is open year-round.
🌟 Referral Rewards
We know great projects are often found through the community’s sharp eyes.
If you refer a project and it successfully advances to Demo Day, the referrer will receive:
- 100 U referral incentive
- A GCC referral certificate or NFT
(Please remind the applicant team to accurately fill in referrer information in the application form.)
About GCC
GCC (Global Chinese Community of Universal Digital Commons) is a donation fund rooted in Chinese-speaking communities and connected globally, supporting those who rebuild public goods in future-native ways.
Over the past two years, GCC has directly supported 50+ public goods projects and 100+ builders, with cumulative donations exceeding USD 1.1 million.
We believe open-source code, strong privacy, and free thought are not optional—they are the only path to a digital future worth living in.
Join us. Build with us.
Twitter/X: @GCCofCommons Website: gccofficial.org
