Zcash Community Advisory Panel
The Zcash Community Advisory Panel (ZCAP) is a panel of community members established by the Zcash Foundation (ZF) as a means of soliciting advisory input from the Zcash community.
ZCAP was originally formed in 2018. It has been repeatedly expanded, and, as of November 2024, there are nearly 200 members from across the Zcash community.
ZCAP Membership and
Membership Termination Criteria
Since its inception, ZF has solicited ZCAP’s advisory input on the appointment of the Zcash Foundation board of directors, and on questions ranging from whether Zcash should move to an ASIC-resistant consensus algorithm to what the short- and long-term priorities for Zcash should be. The ZCAP also played a key role in the governance process that resulted in ZIP 1014, which established the Dev Fund and the Zcash Community Grants program, and the Zcash Community Grants committee is elected by ZCAP.
ZCAP Membership Criteria
ZCAP membership is determined across a range of criteria (must meet at least one):
- Contributors to Zcash through grants or software development, including those who:
- Grant recipients who have successfully completed more than 50% of their grant, measured by the USD value of grant milestones that have been completed and paid out
- Zcash Community Grants Committee members, both past and present
- Zcash Community Forum members who have recently visited the forum for 100 consecutive days and earned the “Aficionado” badge
- Zcash Community Forum members who have earned the “Regular” badge by being a regular part of the Zcash community over a period of months
Individuals and organizations that meet any of the specified criteria are invited to volunteer for ZCAP by completing the application form.
Additionally, the ZF team will actively contact eligible individuals and organizations to encourage their participation in ZCAP.
ZF may also invite individuals or organizations to join ZCAP based on the following criteria:
- organizations and individuals who have made a meaningful contribution to the success of Zcash, and
- organizations and individuals whose membership of ZCAP would make it more independent and representative of the Zcash community
ZCAP Membership Termination Criteria
ZCAP operates under a “use it or lose it” policy, where members must actively participate in polls to maintain their membership. Members who do not participate in three consecutive ZCAP polls may be removed, unless they have valid reasons for not voting. This policy does not apply to inactive members who are automatically eligible to rejoin, such as those who have made significant contributions to zcashd or Zebra.
While the Zcash Foundation reserves authority over eligibility criteria and the right to veto new members if they violate the Code of Conduct, we strive to enhance the panel’s representativeness and independence.
An individual’s ZCAP membership can be terminated for any of the following reasons:
- Failure to vote in three consecutive ZCAP polls
- Violation of the code of conduct policy resulting in termination from the Zcash Community Forum
- Evidence of sockpuppeting
Termination due to misconduct is permanent; the individual or organization may not rejoin ZCAP in the future.
The Zcash Foundation is committed to making the ZCAP more independent and representative of the Zcash community. Over time, we have expanded the eligibility criteria for ZCAP membership, including criteria that were suggested by members of the Zcash community.