ETHSafari 2026

# Open Grant Proposal: `Supporting Decentralized Infrastructure Education at ETHSafari 2026`

**Project Name: ETHSafari 2026**

**Proposal Category:** `Developer and data tooling`

**Individual or Entity Name:** `SafariDAO`

**Proposer:** `replace with your GitHub username`

**Project Repo(s)** https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DxmQWf8CZ7LZgnRxCuJN5wUhyaL0E4bUWqG90WuQKpA/edit?slide=id.g33d60497f2e_0_0#slide=id.g33d60497f2e_0_0

**Filecoin ecosystem affiliations:** `ETHSafari previously collaborated with the Filecoin ecosystem during the 2022 Encode Club x ETHSafari Hackathon. As part of that collaboration, the Filecoin Foundation supported an introductory workshop on IPFS and Filecoin, delivered by Jenks Guo, to educate hackathon participants on decentralized storage, content addressing, and Filecoin's role in the Web3 stack. The workshop introduced developers to the tooling and concepts needed to incorporate IPFS and Filecoin into their hackathon projects.
Beyond this event-specific collaboration, ETHSafari and Safari DAO have no ongoing contractual, financial, or organizational affiliation with Protocol Labs, the Filecoin Foundation, the Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web, or other organizations within the Protocol Labs Network.`

**Do you agree to open source all work you do on behalf of this RFP under the MIT/Apache-2 dual-license?:** "Yes".

# Project Summary

ETHSafari 2026 is Africa's premier Ethereum hackathon, conference, and community experience, bringing together approximately 1,000 developers, founders, researchers, students, and ecosystem leaders from across Africa and beyond. Organized by Safari DAO, ETHSafari provides an ecosystem-neutral platform where participants learn, build, and collaborate with leading blockchain infrastructure projects. The event combines a technical hackathon, educational workshops, and a two-day conference to accelerate developer adoption and real-world innovation across the decentralized technology ecosystem.

Through this proposal, we invite the Filecoin Foundation to support decentralized storage education and developer engagement at ETHSafari 2026. Grant funding would enable Filecoin to establish a strong presence through technical workshops, ecosystem talks, and educational content that introduce African developers to decentralized storage and its role in building resilient Web3 applications. We also welcome the opportunity to collaborate on a dedicated hackathon bounty, allowing participants to explore Filecoin-powered use cases and gain hands-on experience integrating decentralized storage into their projects.

By supporting ETHSafari 2026, the Filecoin Foundation will engage one of Africa's fastest-growing communities of Web3 builders at the point where they are actively learning, experimenting, and choosing the technologies they will use in future projects.

## Impact

The primary outcome of this project is meaningful developer engagement with the Filecoin ecosystem through ETHSafari 2026. Grant funding will support the delivery of Filecoin-focused educational programming, including a technical workshop, ecosystem presentation, and opportunities for developers to engage directly with Filecoin contributors. Subject to the Filecoin Foundation's interest, we will also facilitate a Filecoin-sponsored hackathon bounty that encourages participants to build decentralized applications leveraging Filecoin and IPFS.

Key deliverables include:
- A Filecoin technical workshop delivered during ETHSafari 2026.
- Filecoin ecosystem visibility throughout the event as a supporting partner.
- A dedicated opportunity for Filecoin to engage developers through technical discussions, mentorship, and networking.
- A Filecoin-sponsored hackathon bounty (optional), including judging support and project showcases.
- Post-event reporting summarizing participation, engagement, and outcomes.

Success will be measured using quantitative and qualitative metrics, including:
- Approximately 1,000 attendees reached across the ETHSafari experience.
- Attendance at Filecoin-led technical sessions.
- Number of hackathon participants engaging with Filecoin technologies.
- Number of projects submitted for a Filecoin-sponsored bounty (if implemented).
- Developer feedback collected through post-event surveys.
- Post-event report documenting ecosystem engagement, developer participation, and opportunities for continued collaboration.

## Adoption, Reach, and Growth Strategies

ETHSafari's primary audience consists of software developers, university students, startup founders, researchers, and Web3 community builders across Africa. The 2026 edition is expected to bring together approximately 1,000 in-person participants from more than 30 countries, supported by a growing online community that engages year-round through Safari DAO initiatives, developer meetups, technical workshops, hackathons, and social media. This audience represents developers who are actively exploring blockchain infrastructure and making technology decisions for new projects, making ETHSafari an effective platform for introducing decentralized storage technologies such as Filecoin and IPFS.

We engage this audience through a combination of community partnerships, university outreach, ecosystem collaborations, developer-focused content, hackathons, ambassador programs, newsletters, and online campaigns. Leading up to ETHSafari 2026, Filecoin's participation would be integrated into our event communications, helping generate awareness before the event while encouraging developers to learn about the ecosystem and prepare for technical workshops and hackathon opportunities.

Our onboarding strategy follows the developer journey from discovery to implementation. Developers are first introduced to Filecoin through event marketing and educational content, followed by hands-on technical workshops and direct engagement with ecosystem contributors during the event. Following the event, participants remain connected through Safari DAO's community channels to enable continued engagement with the Filecoin ecosystem, access to future learning opportunities, and connections to the broader decentralized infrastructure community. Success will be reflected not only in attendance and participation metrics, but also in sustained developer engagement beyond ETHSafari itself.

## Total Budget Requested

Total Budget Requested: USD 7,500

The requested grant covers Filecoin's sponsorship and ecosystem activation at ETHSafari 2026. A dedicated Filecoin hackathon bounty is not included in this budget and would be an optional, separate collaboration should the Filecoin Foundation wish to further incentivize developers to build with Filecoin and IPFS during the hackathon.

# Team

## Team Members

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-kagondu/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kokebsolomon/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eng-joan-jerop-810106133/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfred-opon-490017ab/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgia-makunga/

## Team Website

https://ethsafari.xyz/

## Relevant Experience

Safari DAO is the team behind ETHSafari, one of Africa's leading Ethereum ecosystem events. Since its inception, ETHSafari has established a strong track record of convening developers, founders, researchers, investors, and protocol teams through high-quality technical programming, hackathons, conferences, and community experiences. The event has successfully attracted participants from across Africa and around the world while maintaining its reputation as an ecosystem-neutral platform that enables meaningful collaboration across the broader Web3 industry.

Our team has extensive experience designing and delivering developer-focused initiatives that connect protocol ecosystems with builders. Previous editions of ETHSafari have featured technical workshops, hackathon bounties, educational sessions, and ecosystem activations from leading blockchain organizations, providing developers with direct access to the tools, mentorship, and resources needed to build innovative decentralized applications. In 2022, ETHSafari also collaborated with the Filecoin Foundation to introduce developers to IPFS and Filecoin through a dedicated technical workshop during the Encode Club x ETHSafari Hackathon, demonstrating our ability to successfully engage the Filecoin ecosystem and deliver value to participating developers.

Beyond ETHSafari, Safari DAO continues to support Africa's Web3 ecosystem through year-round community initiatives, educational programs, and partnerships that foster developer growth and ecosystem collaboration. Our experience managing large-scale, multi-stakeholder events and our deep connections within Africa's developer community uniquely position us to deliver a high-impact engagement for the Filecoin Foundation while creating lasting value for developers and the broader decentralized infrastructure ecosystem.

# Additional Information

We learned about the Filecoin Foundation Open Grants Program through the broader Filecoin ecosystem and our previous engagement with the Filecoin Foundation during the 2022 Encode Club x ETHSafari Hackathon. Having previously collaborated on developer education around IPFS and Filecoin, we have continued to follow the Foundation's initiatives to support projects that strengthen the decentralized web.

contact@ethsafari.xyz

ETHSafari has always been built around a simple principle: bringing the world's leading Web3 infrastructure projects together with Africa's rapidly growing developer ecosystem. We believe the Filecoin Foundation has an opportunity to engage developers at a pivotal stage, when they are actively learning, experimenting, and making decisions about the technologies they will use in future applications and startups. Beyond supporting ETHSafari 2026, we are excited to explore future opportunities to expand decentralized storage education, developer engagement, and ecosystem collaboration across Africa. Should the Filecoin Foundation wish to further encourage hands-on experimentation during the hackathon, we would also welcome discussions around a separate, optional Filecoin-sponsored bounty program.

Review the proposal body and the linked ETHSafari 2026 presentation first; no repository files, tests, or implementation entry points are identified. Done would mean evaluating the requested USD 7,500 sponsorship, proposed Filecoin and IPFS educational activities, deliverables, metrics, and team information.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.