Revolutionising the Future of Democratised Funding: Welcome to Quadratic Crowdfunding
By Pawel Szewczyk | 08/07/2025
Empowering Communities. Amplifying Small Voices. Funding the Future - Together.
What Is Quadratic Crowdfunding?
Imagine a world where your donation counts as much as a billionaire's check—not because of the amount, but because of your voice. That's the power of Quadratic Crowdfunding (QF).
Quadratic Crowdfunding is a new way to fund public goods, open-source projects, creative communities, and social causes. It prioritises people over profits by giving more weight to the number of contributors than the size of any single contribution.
Whether you're supporting your favourite open-source tool, local art project, or climate initiative, many small donations make a big difference.
Why Quadratic Crowdfunding?
🔹 Fairness First: Big donations matter, but a broad community of small donations matters more.
🔹 Amplify Impact: The more people who support a project, the more matching funds it receives.
🔹 Build Community: Great ideas thrive when they’re supported by many, not just a few.
🔹 Transparent & Open: Based on cutting-edge mathematical models and often implemented on public blockchains.
How It Works
- You give. Donate any amount to the projects you care about.
- Your voice counts. The system amplifies projects that receive widespread support.
- Matching magic happens. A pool of matching funds boosts projects with the most diverse backers—thanks to the quadratic formula.
- Impact grows. Public goods get funded by the people who truly value them.
Key Principles of Quadratic Crowdfunding:
- Small donations are powerful: Instead of just favouring projects that attract the largest single donors, quadratic funding gives more weight to the number of unique contributors, even if they only give small amounts.
- Matching pool: There is typically a matching pool of funds (usually provided by philanthropists, organisations, or governments) that is distributed to projects based on the square of the sum of the square roots of individual contributions.
- Quadratic formula: The funding a project receives is based on:
This means that many small contributions have a larger impact on funding than one large contribution of the same total amount.
Example:
- Scenario 1: One person donates $100 → effective support:
- Scenario 2: Ten people donate $10 each → effective support:
In this example, even though the total amount raised is the same ($100), the second scenario results in ten times more matching funds because it had broader community support.
The Math Behind the Magic (Simplified)
If a single person donates $100, their voice counts once. But if 100 people each donate $1, the collective support counts far more in the quadratic funding formula.
In other words: many small voices create a louder chorus than one big donor shouting alone.
Real-World Examples of Quadratic Funding
🔧 Gitcoin Grants (Open Source Software)
- Gitcoin, one of the pioneers of quadratic funding, uses it to support open-source developers worldwide.
- Since 2018, Gitcoin Grants has distributed over $60 million to thousands of open-source projects that power the internet, DeFi, and blockchain ecosystems.
- Examples of funded projects include web3 libraries, security tools, and developer education platforms.
- Matching funds have come from major players like Ethereum Foundation, Optimism, and Polygon.
🏛️ Clr.fund (Ethereum & Public Goods)
- Clr.fund is another Ethereum-based platform using quadratic funding to support infrastructure and tooling that benefits the entire Ethereum community.
- Focus areas include wallet improvements, educational content, and Ethereum 2.0 research.
🎨 Downtown Stimulus (Community Aid)
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Boulder, Colorado piloted Downtown Stimulus, using quadratic funding to support local businesses impacted by lockdowns.
- Community members donated small amounts to their favorite local shops and restaurants, and the city provided matching funds based on the diversity of support.
🌱 Public Goods on Optimism
- The Optimism Collective, a blockchain project, is distributing a portion of its network profits to fund public goods using quadratic funding.
- It supports not only crypto infrastructure but also climate action, education, and public health initiatives.
These examples show that quadratic crowdfunding isn't just theoretical—it's helping real communities, developers, and civic projects thrive.
Be Part of the Future of Funding
Together, we can make funding more democratic, more impactful, and more aligned with the world we want to build.
Ready to amplify your voice?
👉 Get Started with Quadratic Crowdfunding Today!
