Appreciate the thought-provoking perspective! While decentralization is the ultimate goal, it’s important to recognize that Web3 is still in a transitional phase. Grants from blockchain foundations aren’t meant to be a long-term funding model but rather a catalyst to kickstart projects that will eventually be self-sustaining through decentralized governance and token-driven ecosystems.

Take Polkadot’s governance model as an example—every treasury proposal is voted on by the community, ensuring funding aligns with collective priorities rather than centralized decision-making. Similarly, grants in the Web3 space serve to initiate and accelerate decentralization rather than replacing one financial gatekeeper with another.

We’re building toward a future where decentralized ecosystems sustain themselves, but achieving that vision requires bootstrapping innovation first. The key question isn’t just whether Web3 can be permissionless but how we effectively transition to a state where projects no longer rely on centralized funding at all. 🚀

Would love to hear more thoughts about —what do you think is the best approach to funding early-stage Web3 innovation while staying true to decentralization?