Harnessing the financial strength of the ApeCoin community, this proposal intends to promptly deploy $1.2 million in relief efforts for the hard-hit Lahaina, Maui community. By directing funds to the Maui Humane Society and 100 identified local families devastated by the recent disaster, we can provide immediate, tangible support during this crucial time.
Author Description
Co-authored by Gerry, a community advocate and Bored Ape Yacht Club member, and @bored_barry, a trusted Lahaina resident and active BAYC community member.
Motivation
In light of the recent tragedy on Maui and staying true to our DAO’s ethos, the ApeCoin community has the ability and responsibility to offer timely relief to those affected.
Rationale
Direct aid during emergencies is vital, crucial and life-saving. By donating directly to identified families, we can ensure funds are used effectively and swiftly.
Benefit to ApeCoin Ecosystem
Primarily, this AIP focuses on providing immediate aid to those in desperate need. While secondary benefits like positive PR might emerge, our principal mission remains humanitarian.
Specifications
$200,000 will be directed to the Maui Humane Society to help reunite families with lost pets and care for displaced and injured animals.
$1 million will be distributed directly to 100 local families, with each receiving $10,000.
Family Selection Process
Immediate support to the 15 families who have already shared their stories with us.
Engage 5 identified community leaders, each nominating 15 families in dire need.
Utilize the remaining 10 slots for further nominations and personally identifying families in temporary shelters who need urgent assistance.
Requirements to Qualify
Must be a family unit.
Must have lost their home in the Lahaina fire (8/8).
Must be willing to undergo KYC.
Submission of a personal story (can be anonymous).
Steps to Implement
Initiate immediate contact with the Maui Humane Society to structure the contribution.
Direct Foundation to convert funds to USD & disburse to the identified families via Venmo.
(An exception will be made for distribution in USD due to the urgent nature of the relief efforts.)
Set up a framework for collecting stories and verification of affected families.
Timeline
Given the urgency:
Immediate contact with the Maui Humane Society and identified families.
Targeting fund distribution to begin within a week of AIP approval.
Your proposal is truly inspiring and the idea using “Strong Together” is brilliant.
I’d love to learn more about the process for selecting organizations to receive these funds. What do you think about determined through Ape Assembly vote?
How do you plan to communicate the impact of the ApeCoin community’s support to both the internal community and the broader public, What do we think about allocate fund for marketing and also DAO delegation to visit Maui? (I know it’s complex the initial intent, just thinking how we can maximize the impact for the DAO).
Are these orgs setup to receive crypto donations? (I have done a ton of work in this sector and have found this to be a major issue)
If passed. Would you be open to setting up some sort of humanitarian fund that would be continually funded by the DAO for humanitarian efforts world wide? Obviously what happened in Maui is devastating but there are people all over the world facing similar issues day in and day out. I am well aware that we can’t solve all the worlds problems but as you stated above we are “Stronger Together” and IMO we haven’t done enough of this type of work as a DAO and I would love to see more of it done.
Again, thanks for writing this AIP. Looking forward to seeing how the DAO feels about this.
If this passes lets discuss something along those lines. I have considered just that but with more of Gitcoin quadratic funding approach but I’m open to discussing it as always.
Why not set aside this $4M AEF (Ape Emergency Fund), and disburse small chunks as-needed to various emergency causes as they come up? For e.g. we just had a devasting CAT3 hurricane just hit northern Florida.
I suppose “high” is relative all things considered. If we collectively choose a different amount for this particular relief fund I’m happy make adjustments.
I think a quadratic funded permanent matching solution for other humanitarian efforts would go a long way also.
My “high” comment was in regards to why allocate $4M to a single cause, when it can be split into, say, 8 or more causes?
In all my years of donating to various causes, I find that the amount is inconsequential when you consider the big picture. I mean, I would sooner give Family Life or the AARP $25K each than give either one $50K. Same with Red Cross etc. Spreading it around serves a greater purpose.
So, while $4M may seem like a huge number to such a cause, all things considered, it’s merely a rounding error in the actual metrics that determines financial need - even when gratis. In other words, $4M is no better than $1M where such causes are considered. That was the impetus for my questions.
That’s a really good idea. Raising and using funds for good causes is inspiring and attracts people when it’s totally transparent. What’s more, APE will be well seen around the world.
Great idea, however, not appropriate use of funds at this time. Especially at the noted figure above ($4m). This would set a precedence we cannot and will not be able to maintain. The idea of creating a separate fund focused on charity is something to explore, but sadly not an appropriate use of funds at this time.
Your topic will be moving to the AIP Draft phase in less than 24 hours. Are you content with the feedback received or do you wish to extend community discussion for another 7 days?
If we do not hear from you within 48 hours after your topic closes, your topic will be moved straight to the AIP Draft process.
I think it is a valid point. There are many disasters around the world. This one has got the most coverage as it is closer to home to some members here.
There have been many in the last year, for example:
My point is an approach and a certain percentage fixed towards all charities (which may use DEFI methods) so to fund in perpetuity.
Right now getting funding to build the ecosystem is critical. APE is at a critical phase and may not have the luxury to fund all charities. Also not to forget a huge amount of APE has already been set aside for charity with the Jane Goodall Foundation.
Thank you for your ideas [and the ApeCoin DAO community for the insightful discussions]. A moderator will reach out to the author to finalize the AIP Draft using the appropriate template. In accordance with DAO-approved guidelines, if the author doesn’t respond within 30 days, the proposal will be automatically transferred to the Withdrawn category, and the author can re-submit the idea. Once the AIP is Drafted and meets all DAO-approved guidelines, it will be published on Snapshot for the official live voting phase at: Snapshot.
Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments. @Gerry please see your messages for the next steps.
