A DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) is a blockchain-based entity where decisions are made collectively by its members, rather than being controlled by a central authority. Members of the DAO hold tokens that represent voting power, allowing them to participate in governance decisions like fund allocation, project proposals, and more. Everything is managed through smart contracts, which ensure transparency and automation. In the initial stages of the DAO it is normal to pass through a period of bootstrapping where extra guardrails are in place and some decision making is supported by a Foundation.
RootstockCollective stands out by directly aligning with the Bitcoin ecosystem through Rootstock, the first and longest-lasting Bitcoin sidechain. It uses a new ERC20 token wrapped around RIF for governance, ensuring that value is captured not just by miners and holders, but by builders and contributors to the Rootstock ecosystem.
Additionally, its treasury is organized into sub-treasuries for Grants, Growth, and General purposes, with the goal of fostering sustainable development on the Bitcoin network.
While the initial focus will be on decentralizing the allocation of grants, the DAO will also enable the realization of value capture for Bitcoin builders. And with the launch of Collective Rewards, both builders and backers can start earning token rewards paid in Bitcoin and RIF for driving innovation within the Rootstock ecosystem. This is part of our efforts to supercharge efforts to scale Bitcoin using Rootstock, the leading and longest-running Bitcoin L2.
The Collective Rewards program is a bi-weekly cycle of incentives designed to:
This program represents Phase II of the RootstockCollective’s roadmap approved by the community, which focuses on value capture and long-term ecosystem growth. Builders and backers collaborate to drive innovation, with rewards allocated transparently through decentralized mechanisms.
First, you have to get and stake RIF.
Builders:
Developers or teams actively building on the Rootstock ecosystem. Builders can earn rewards based on the support they receive from RIF stakers in the program. This incentivizes innovative projects and provides funding opportunities.
Backers (RIF staker that support builders):
Individuals or entities who stake RIF tokens to mint stRIF and support builders. Backers earn rewards by backing promising projects and helping shape the ecosystem.
To join RootstockCollective, you will need to have RIF tokens, and then stake them into stRIF governance tokens. These stRIF tokens give you voting rights and participation in the DAO’s governance and decision-making process.
You can get involved by joining the RootstockCollective discussion forums, staking RIF tokens to acquire stRIF governance tokens, and participating in proposal discussions and voting. The community encourages active participation in decision-making and grant allocation processes.
You can also join the communities within the DAO dApp. Each community can be either open or closed, depending on the purpose. In the future communities can be extended to also be event-specific with membership serving as a reward for participation in early stages, testing, events, campaigns, or based on the fields of expertise, activity and other eligibility criterias.
Moreover, as a RIF staker, you can become a backer by allocating your backing power (stRIF tokens) to support specific builders. By becoming a backer, you can start supporting impactful projects and earning a share of rewards for driving the network’s growth.
You can join the RootstockCollective community through Discourse and social media channels, such as X and Telegram group. These platforms allow you to engage with other members and share ideas. The dApp simplifying the access to the DAO smart contracts is designed for proposals and governance decisions.
Contributions to RootstockCollective can be made by proposing new ideas, engaging in discussions, voting on proposals, or directly contributing to the development of applications, security, and growth initiatives within the Rootstock ecosystem. You can also assist by providing services like software development, audits, and moderation.
Developers can start building on the Rootstock blockchain by leveraging its EVM compatibility and familiar development tools. Rootstock enables the creation of decentralized applications using Bitcoin as the native currency. No matter if you’re new to web3 or Bitcoin/EVM space, the documentation, tutorials, and support from the community are available to help developers of any level to get started.
Check out the Rootstock Developer Portal for more on this.
Moreover, as a developer, or team of developers, you can join the Collective Rewards program as a “Builder” and earn builder rewards.
Decisions are made through a voting process where stRIF token holders vote directly or delegate their voting power. Community proposals are discussed and voted on, determining actions such as grants or governance changes. Quorum computations take both YES and ABSTAIN votes into account, for measurement of participation. Once the quorum requirement is satisfied, the ultimate outcome of a vote is based on whether the YES votes surpass a support threshold. For example, to implement a simple majority rule, the proposal threshold of 50 percent will mean ABSTAIN votes are disregarded and do not matter when determining whether a proposal succeeds or not.
Voting occurs whenever a proposal is introduced. There is no fixed schedule for voting; instead, proposals are created by the community as needed. Voting windows (epoch) can range from a few hours to several days or weeks, depending on the importance of the proposal.
The governance token of RootstockCollective is called stRIF, a token created by staking RIF tokens. stRIF tokens represent voting power within the DAO, enabling token holders to participate in governance decisions like grant allocations and changes to the system.
RBTC, native Rootstock token, is used as a gas token.
stRIF tokens are distributed to RIF token holders who stake their RIF tokens in the governance contract. This staking process mints stRIF tokens, which are used for voting and other governance functions within the DAO.
To acquire stRIF tokens, you need to stake RIF tokens in the governance system dApp. RIF tokens can be purchased through various exchanges, and once staked, an equivalent amount of stRIF is issued for governance participation. Here’s a comprehensive list of ways to get RIF, and a step-by-step guide to stake your RIF.
The RootstockCollective Foundation is planning several campaigns. Follow RootstockCollective Galxe Space for updates.
For further information on campaigns please follow RootstockCollective on X.
There are also plans to incentivize community members and builders through grants and other rewards for contributions to the ecosystem. This will be decided through the governance process.
Voting is the mechanism through which RIF stakers (backers) allocate their support to specific builders. By voting, backers indicate which projects they believe deserve to be rewarded, effectively shaping the distribution of rewards in the program.
Builder Rewards are incentives distributed to builders who receive votes (backing) from RIF stakers. These rewards are funded by the Collective Rewards program and are calculated based on the level of support (backing) a builder has received during each reward cycle.
Builders can earn rewards in the form of:
Here’s an example:
Note that: Once builders are whitelisted for the first time, they are included in all reward waves going forward.
Backers (those who hold stRIF) can vote for builders they want to support.
Having a meaningful project, engaging with RIF stakers to explain the value of their work, and offering an incentivizing backer-reward percentage may provide you with better chances of votes.
You can try the following:
Marketing communication:
Backer Rewards allocation:
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You can claim your rewards through the Collective dApp as following:
Backers Rewards are incentives earned by RIF stakers (backers) who allocate their backing power to support builders in the ecosystem. These rewards are derived from the builder rewards and are distributed based on the backing (votes) provided to successful builders.
To earn Backers Rewards:
There is no limit to the number of builders you can back. However, your backing power is finite, so you will need to decide how to allocate it among the builders you wish to support. However, you can get more backing power by staking more RIF.
Yes, you can remove or reallocate your backing at any time. If you decide to change your votes:
Yes, you retain the same backing power in Collective Rewards even if you have delegated your voting power.
This depends on whether the Builder you backed has earned their rewards and started distributing it.
If yes, then you (the backer) will immediately have claimable rewards. If not, then you will start having claimable rewards after the rewards have been distributed to the builder you’re backing.
You can claim your rewards through the Collective dApp as following:
RootstockCollective Grants are designed for builders who can demonstrate a clear path to deploying on the Rootstock mainnet. This means you already have a prototype, testnet deployment, or working example of your idea. Grants are not intended for very early-stage concepts without a practical demonstration. We welcome teams and projects focused on delivering measurable value; from dApps and protocols to developer tools and infrastructure that bring real Bitcoin utility to life.
We support:
The common thread: all funded projects must aim to create measurable mainnet value, such as driving transactions, TVL, or adoption.
No, but you do need to show a clear, realistic path to deploying on Rootstock. We expect applicants to provide a working prototype, demo, or testnet deployment as part of their proposal. The grant’s purpose is to help you reach and grow your mainnet presence, not to fund unproven ideas.
Mandatory information ensures that you provide the right amount of information to provide delegates and the foundation with a real idea of your project:
Funding is milestone-based and disbursed in tranches as you meet agreed deliverables. For example:
Payments are made in $RIF, $rBTC, or $USDRIF.
After you have achieved your milestone, you can unlock your next tranche!
Still have questions? Contact us via Discord or visit our Governance Forum.