How do crypto grant recipients report on their work?

Check-ins during the work

Many programmes stay in touch while you work. At ESP, each grantee is "paired with a Grant Evaluator for regular check-ins, milestone reviews, and support".¹

Programmes report to their funders too. The Arbitrum DAO's grant programme said its manager would post a report on the DAO's forum every month.⁶ Its active phase closed in March 2026. By its report for May–June 2026, it had received 1,262 proposals, approved 190 and seen 76 completed.⁶

A public report at the end

Many programmes ask for a public write-up.^1,2

• ESP: "Once the scope of work is completed, you will share the results publicly in a report or post."¹
• Arbitrum DAO (Season 3): a final report on the Arbitrum forum when the work is done. Three months later, a survey and an update to that report.²

Gitcoin's tips for returning grantees say to be "very specific" about what was done with past funds, to show impact in its own section, and to share failures as part of how the project has changed.⁷

On-chain trackers

Some programmes use shared trackers. Karma's Grantee Accountability Protocol (GAP) says grant updates were often "scattered across forums and external links".³ With GAP, grantees "can post milestones and progress updates onchain", where anyone can read them.³

Karma says one aim is to spot what it calls grant farming: teams that "simply try to get grants" and then don't fully deliver.³

When work stalls

Not every grant ends well. In November 2024, the Arbitrum DAO's grant programme published results for its first season. Of 67 projects approved, 49 were completed, or 73%. It paid out $852,781, 86% of the money approved.⁸

Programmes set out what happens next.^2,5,4

• Arbitrum DAO (Season 3): six months to finish after identity checks. If the work isn't done by then, unpaid funds stay with the programme, to be given to other projects or returned to the DAO.²
• Optimism (policies last edited May 2025): failing "critical milestones" triggers a clawback of the tokens that are still locked.⁵
• In general: Gitcoin says later payments "may be withheld, renegotiated, or cancelled" if agreed work isn't delivered.⁴

If your plan changes

Plans change, and programmes say how to handle it. Optimism's policies say a recipient who wants to use a grant differently must submit a new proposal and get approval. If the change is not approved, they must do the original work or return the part of the grant affected.⁵ Gitcoin notes that milestones fixed in advance can stop fitting a project as conditions change.⁴

Keep your own records

A grant leaves a paper trail: a grant letter, milestone approvals and payments.^1,2 Records of each payment's date, amount and dollar value on the day it arrived can matter later.⁹

Grants can have tax and accounting effects. In the US, federal tax returns ask whether you received digital assets "as a reward, award or payment for property or services".⁹ The IRS tells US taxpayers to keep records of the fair market value, in US dollars, of digital assets received as income.⁹ Rules differ by country; a qualified adviser can say how they apply to a grant.