Bounties

TL;DR:

Bounties offer funding for discrete pieces of work with clear deliverables. A funder defines a task, sets a reward, and contributors claim the bounty by completing the work. It’s a “you do this → you get that” model—straightforward, fast, and low-friction.

Bounties are ideal for execution-heavy tasks where:

The scope is clearly defined
Outcomes are verifiable
Contributors can work independently

They can be posted in forums, on bounty boards, or managed through onchain contracts. Bounties can be open to anyone or assigned to a specific contributor. Some ecosystems use smart contract escrow to guarantee payment once the task is completed and accepted.

Common in open-source and DAO ecosystems, bounties also serve as onboarding pathways for new contributors, giving them low-risk, low-commitment ways to engage.

Best For

Scoped, outcome-based tasks
Design, dev, research, or content microgrants
Fast-paced, low-governance funding
Contributor onboarding

Good At

Reducing friction for both funders and contributors
Creating execution-focused incentives
Attracting new talent through small commitments
Scaling work across a decentralized network

Dependencies / Requirements

Clear scope and deliverables
Reward amount and review criteria
Trusted reviewers or auto-verification
Optional: smart contract or bounty platform (e.g. Dework, Gitcoin)

Not Good At

Complex or collaborative projects
Long-term contributor relationships
Ambiguous or evolving scopes
High-trust coordination with shared context

Who Should Use It?

DAOs and teams managing a public task board
Ecosystems incentivizing open-source development
Communities coordinating design, marketing, or research work
Protocols testing new contributors before larger grants

Example Use Cases

A DAO issues a bounty for an infographic explaining their new protocol upgrade
A community lab funds translation of key resources into multiple languages through bounties
A public goods network uses bounties to fix bugs, write documentation, or conduct UX research