Define and Solve Public Problems
Every GCC grant starts with a clear description of the public problem it tackles—never personal gain, and never creating more public waste. Donors can also nominate the problem areas they want us to focus on.
Why GCC?
"The digital space should be a commons shared by all humanity," but it is tightly controlled by minority states and large corporations, increasingly threatening individual freedom and privacy.The development of the digital commons is not centered on the public interest, but rather on the logic of power and profit.
The GCC, "Global Chinese Community of Universal Digital Commons," supports people and projects that are reshaping public goods for the future. Based on the Chinese language, we connect the world and together we move towards a free, open, and sustainable future.
Our Guidelines
Rooted Chinese, Connected Global
Chinese-speaking, yet global in scope. Eligibility is less about the team’s native language and more about whether the work serves this cultural commons—addressing issues in Chinese-speaking regions or universal challenges that ultimately impact them.
Commit to Sustainable Growth
We embrace many models for solving public problems, including healthy monetization (see Vitalik’s post on the revenue–evil curve for reference). Grantees who can commercialize later should reinvest in the commons to keep the ecosystem thriving.
Build for the Future
We fund more than immediate fixes; we seek explorations that signal a new paradigm. GCC prioritizes people and projects using fresh methodologies, technologies, and organizational forms to reinvent public goods.
Donation Data
$1.15M+Donation amount
45+Projects
100+Direct donation & matching donations
100+Individuals
26%Operating expense ratio
Donation Cases
Primus
Primus is a Web3-oriented privacy data infrastructure project that combines zkTLS and fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) to make off-chain data verifiable, computable, and interoperable across parties without revealing the original information. The project focuses on long-term problems such as the difficulty of verifying the authenticity of off-chain data in on-chain systems and users' lack of control over their own data in existing data systems. By funding Primus, GCC hopes to support it in providing open-source FHE learning and onboarding materials for Chinese-speaking developers and learners, while continuously advancing technical and performance optimization and leading FHE development in the Chinese-speaking community.
Details
SnarkExpress
SnarkExpress is an open-source academic aggregation platform focused on cutting-edge zkSNARKs research. It continuously updates important papers in the zero-knowledge field in native LaTeX-PDF form, covering IACR ePrint, special issues of top international conferences, and periodic research compilations. The platform systematically organizes zkSNARKs research progress to form a relatively stable, continuously updated index and reading portal. In terms of functionality, SnarkExpress provides each paper with a structured abstract, a direct link to the original, and reusable .tex/.bib citation files, making it easy for researchers to read, cite, and build on the work. The platform continues and expands ZK Punk's efforts in paper curation, providing a long-term maintained academic reference resource for zero-knowledge researchers and developers.
Details
Vyper
Vyper is the second-largest EVM smart contract programming language after Solidity, securing over USD 4 billion TVL across major DeFi protocols such as Curve, Lido, Aerodrome, and Yearn. Compared with Solidity, it has more built-in security protections and constraints at the language level, such as reentrancy locks, a strict type system, and a simpler syntax, and it is more suitable for Web2 developers transitioning from Python. GCC's donation to Vyper will mainly support the development of the Chinese-speaking community, systematically building a Vyper developer ecosystem through "online co-learning camps + offline roadshow events + community content system."
DetailsFAQ
What does GCC do?
At GCC, we support the creation of digital public goods through donations and connecting resources. We fund future-facing work in censorship resistance and privacy, open-source software, global public talent networks, and governance research, helping more individuals and communities find sustainable paths. As a neutral platform, we bring together resources and talent to help the Chinese-speaking community and the world explore new models for digital public goods.
How is funding allocated?
Donations from the public fund are periodically reviewed and allocated by our Voting Committee and Operations Team. We evaluate applications to ensure all funds go to projects, individuals, and activities that meaningfully address public challenges in the Chinese-speaking community and worldwide.
You can review our application review and fund allocation process on our disclosure page.
Is your definition of the Chinese-speaking community limited to mainland China?
No. Our view of the Chinese-speaking community is global, covering everyone who uses Chinese—mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and communities across Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, and beyond.
We focus less on whether a project team has Chinese-speaking members and more on whether the project can create public value for this community. In other words, we back projects that either directly address issues in the Chinese-speaking world or tackle universal problems with impact that ultimately reaches it.
How can I reach you?
The best way is to join our Telegram group or message our X account. You can also email us at admin@gccofficial.org.
How do I apply for funding?
Any project, event, or individual aligned with GCC's mission can freely submit an application.
All eligible applications are reviewed by the Operations Team and Voting Committee. Once approved and completed with necessary materials, funded projects may be showcased on the GCC website. For more details, please see our application page.
How do you choose Voting Committee members?
We do not want GCC's decision-making influenced by small groups' interests, so we formed a transparent, public, and accountable nine-person Voting Committee responsible for all funding decisions.
The committee is made up of respected public figures who carry the mission and accountability for decisions. We encourage community feedback, dialogue, and constructive criticism. We are committed to ensuring funds go to worthy projects.
Do Voting Committee members profit from donations?
Voting Committee members do not receive compensation for their duties and do not benefit from donations to the foundation. All roles are voluntary. However, we allocate each member at least USD 10,000 per year to donate at their discretion (no single grant above USD 2,000), and all grants are disclosed. You can apply for a Voting Committee member's grant here.
Tell me more about the Voting Committee—how does it work?
We have at least nine Voting Committee members. All decisions use a majority vote with over 50% participation required; funding decisions need approval of votes yes / votes cast >= 2/3. Any new members will be announced publicly.