Announcing the Q3, 2024 Btrust Grant Recipients to Drive Open-Source Bitcoin Development
GLOBAL, Aug 16, 2024 — We are proud to announce the recipients of its Q3 Starter Grants and new members of the Btrust Open-Source Cohort. These grants highlight our dedication to expanding the pool of skilled contributors to Bitcoin's open-source ecosystem from the Global South.
The Btrust Starter Grant
The Btrust Starter Grant provides full-time funding to qualified Bitcoin software engineers to start contributing to open-source Bitcoin projects, with the goal of identifying a focus/niche for long-term contribution. Each recipient receives six months of support, including a monthly stipend payable in bitcoin, technical guidance, and assistance in developing proposals to join the Btrust Open-Source Cohort for long-term funding.
The Q3 2024 Btrust Starter Grant Recipients
With over two years of experience in backend engineering and extensive work on Bitcoin projects, including Galoy's Stablesats and Easepay's PSP, Enigbe will focus on contributing to the Lightning Development Kit’s rust-lightning through this grant. She also aims to improve the onboarding process for new contributors to the Bitcoin open-source ecosystem.
A seasoned backend developer with a background in data analysis, Tobechi has been instrumental in enhancing BTCPay Server’s functionality, particularly in its multisig capabilities and plugin development. He is using the Starter Grant to continue further advancements to BTCPay's store functionality and improve the platform's modularity.
Currently contributing to Bitcoin open-source projects like Polar and LND, Kelvin's focus under the Starter Grant will be optimizing local development environments for Bitcoin Lightning applications. His work will streamline testing and development processes for engineers building on the Lightning Network.
The Btrust Open-Source Cohort
Recognizing the unique challenges faced by developers in the Global South, we have introduced the Btrust Open-Source Cohort, a program designed to provide structured long-term support to individual contributors working on Bitcoin projects. The cohort model fosters a collaborative environment where developers receive mentorship, professional development, and peer support while contributing to significant open-source initiatives.
Abubakar Nur Khalil, Btrust’s interim CEO and board member, states regarding the decision for this structure, "The intention is to make grantees' Bitcoin open-source careers sustainable, and in addition to the long-term financial support we provide, create a supportive environment for them to thrive and feel a larger sense of community."
The Q3 2024 Btrust Open-Source Cohort Members
Sadiq Ismail is a Nigerian Bitcoin Core contributor who is actively involved in optimizing the Bitcoin protocol. He works on critical areas of Bitcoin Core such as improving fee estimation accuracy on Bitcoin Core, reviewing and testing PR's.
Sadiq Ismail’s work on Mempool fee estimation analysis showcases his technical abilities, which helps to reduce overpaid fee estimates, and node users sovereignty. While a part of the cohort, he will continue this work, as he refines his abilities to contribute to the Bitcoin ecosystem.
A Lightning contributor from South Africa, Duncan is deeply involved in Lightning Network development, particularly focusing on the highly modular Bitcoin Lightning library, Rust-lightning.
Duncan's work is further enriched by his active participation in other projects like ldk-review-club and lndk, where he has contributed to improving continuous integration (CI) actions and maintaining the robustness of the codebase. Through the cohort, Duncan aims to strengthen his contributions to the Bitcoin and Lightning open-source ecosystem.
A talented engineer based in Nigeria, Oghenovo has been actively contributing to Bitcoin Core and other Bitcoin projects since completing the Btrust Builders 2023 cohort. His recent work under the Btrust Starter Grant focused on advancing Silent Payments functionality in Bitcoin Core.
As part of the Btrust Open-Source Cohort, he will be working on introducing new key formats and descriptors for Silent Payments in Bitcoin Core, continuing his critical work in enhancing the scalability and privacy features of the Bitcoin protocol.
The Importance of Btrust Grants
Btrust grants are crucial for empowering developers from the Global South to contribute meaningfully to Bitcoin's open-source ecosystem. The grants provide financial stability, allowing talented developers to focus on their work without financial strain while offering mentorship and community support to foster long-term, sustainable careers in Bitcoin development.
Moreover, the Starter Grants serve as a pathway to the Btrust Open-Source Cohort. For example, successful grantees like Abubakar Sadiq Ismail and Oghenovo Usiwoma have transitioned from the Starter Grant to the more structured Btrust Open-Source Cohort. This progression underscores the importance of continuous development and long-term engagement in Bitcoin open-source projects.
Nur Khalil added, "Through these grants, we can tangibly contribute to decentralizing Bitcoin open-source development by introducing these developers with diverse perspectives to strengthen the resilience of the Bitcoin network."
Btrust Grant Eligibility
Btrust grants are open to developers across Africa, the MENA region, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Although these regions are the primary focus, developers from other areas in the Global South may also be considered on a case-by-case basis, contingent on their Proof of Work. The priority is to ensure that talented developers from these diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to contribute to the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Applications for Btrust Starter Grants are open all year round, but reviews will be conducted on a quarterly basis. Apply via this link.
Looking Forward
The Starter Grants and Btrust Open-Source Cohort are central to our mission of increasing the number of developers contributing to Bitcoin open-source projects. By offering financial, technical, and social support, we ensure that developers from the Global South can play a crucial role in shaping the future of Bitcoin.
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About Us
Btrust is a non-profit organization dedicated to decentralizing the development of Bitcoin software. It focuses on fostering developer talent and supporting the free and open-source Bitcoin ecosystem by locating, educating, and remunerating Bitcoin open-source engineers from the Global South.
