DAO Masons extends sincere thanks to Plurality Labs for their unwavering commitment and impactful work. Our involvement in the Grant Ships initiative has given us firsthand insight into the positive changes they bring, and we wholeheartedly support the proposed approach for Milestone 2.

Looking back at Milestone 1, it's evident how the grants have bolstered projects, not just in funding but in streamlining operational processes. This efficiency is a beacon for our future endeavors. The proposed increase in funding goes beyond mere numbers; it's an avenue to deepen our ecosystem's reach and impact, encouraging a broader spectrum of robust, innovative contributions.

At DAO Masons, we align closely with the principles laid out by Plurality Labs, particularly in our commitment to building Grant Ships with these ideals at the core. Their emphasis on on-chain, capture-resistant governance, and the focus on community-driven evaluations resonate with our vision of an empowered, decentralized ecosystem. Their work in Milestone 1, from engaging over 17,000 Arbitrum users to funding almost 200 grantees, exemplifies the kind of proactive and inclusive approach we aspire to.

As Plurality Labs embarks on Milestone 2, our enthusiasm for the unfolding possibilities is incredibly high. Plurality Labs has been a driving force, not just as a catalyst for growth, but as a beacon of innovation and skilled mentorship in the DAO space. Their ability to achieve so much in a relatively short time, significantly enhancing the utility of DAOs and harnessing the power of the community, is a testament to their expertise and dedication. We at DAO Masons are not only eager to witness but also actively contribute to the ongoing evolution and triumphs of the Arbitrum community.

Last year DAO Masons was a newly formed DAO dev and design team hoping to make a positive impact within the Web3 DAO movement. We were working through the bear market as best we could, trying to make ends meet.

It was Joe’s 500ARB Jokerace contest to design a pluralistic grants program that got us engaged with Arbitrum. We saw that Arbitrum was making a genuine effort to become a community-run DAO with solid governance processes, so we poured ourselves into designing something meaningful for them.

What we came up with is Grant Ships - the ‘evolutionary grants meta-framework.’ We won the contest, got some decent interest and feedback, and 500 ARB (see the original '[2 minute read](https://hackmd.io/Kn1h9OhhTaGEYx2vn9I99Q?view)' submission for Grant Ships)

After that, we moved on to other projects with MakerDAO, Builder Nouns and some artist NFT drops, but we kept an eye on Arbitrum after that. What impressed us most was the way the delegate community stepped up to navigate the struggle around AIP-1.

When Plurality received the funding for their milestone 1, we applied to build Grant Ships for real. 



We weren’t sure if we’d get it, but we took feedback, made some changes to Grant Ships. Finally we got approved for a grant that would fund us for a few months of building.

Not only that, we get to run a mini-grants program through thisnew system to fund other teams. This was a big win for our little DAO, and the timing was perfect because we were struggling to stay in the web3 game at all.

We’re now getting a lot of positive attention on our model and a lot of helpful feedback on how to make it better. We’re building a product that we hope can help make the web3 grants scene better overall.

Plurality is looking for teams that can build high impact projects, and every time they find and fund one, Arbitrum becomes a little healthier, a little stronger, a little more versatile.

We’re now able to stay involved solving challenging problems for DAOs and we hope to be a beacon for other teams and developers who are looking for an ecosystem to call home. If Milestone 2 gets funded, we can tell our network and there will be more stories like ours. This gives Arbitrum a better shot at meeting its full potential.

To us it’s a no-brainer. Plurality is doing it right, so they have our support.