add: ethglobal sf 2024 auto retro funding blog post (#2477)

* add: ethglobal sf 2024 auto retro funding blog post

* fix: use `higher` quality image

* fix: address feedback on `autorf` blogpost

apps/docs/blog/2024-11-19-auto-retro-funding/index.md

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+---
+slug: auto-retro-funding
+title: "Auto Retro Funding: Continuous, Simple, Automatic"
+authors: [jabolol, ryscheng]
+tags: [open source, retroactive public goods funding, hackathon]
+image: ./Oso-X-Polygon.png
+---
+
+# Auto Retro Funding: Continuous, Simple, Automatic
+
+Open-source projects power innovation across industries, yet they often face a
+significant challenge: securing sustainable funding. Retroactive funding offers
+a promising solution by rewarding impactful contributions based on past results,
+but today’s retro funding rounds are **complex, time-consuming, and
+infrequent**, making them unreliable sources of support for public goods.
+
+This inspired us to build
+[**AutoRF**](https://ethglobal.com/showcase/autoretrofunding-bxy5k) during
+[ETHGlobal San Francisco 2024](http://ethglobal.com/events/sanfrancisco2024).
+AutoRF makes retroactive funding **continuous, simple, and scalable** by
+removing the barriers that hold current models back.
+
+<!-- truncate -->
+
+## The Problem: Retro Funding Rounds Today
+
+Retroactive funding is a fairer way to reward contributors since it evaluates
+impact after the fact. But running these rounds today is **labor-intensive and
+hard to scale**, limiting their potential.
+
+Take [Optimism’s Retro Funding](https://retrofunding.optimism.io) as an example.
+Each round involves hundreds of hours of scoring and deliberation by voters, and
+even then, **fair fund allocation isn’t guaranteed**
+([source](https://docs.opensource.observer/blog/rf5-ballot-box)). Human scoring
+is not only tedious but can also create perverse incentives, like prioritizing
+popularity over true merit.
+
+This overhead discourages broader adoption, leaving many impactful public goods
+underfunded while making retro funding mechanisms unreliable and difficult to
+sustain.
+
+## Introducing AutoRF
+
+AutoRF is designed to **automate retroactive funding**, combining the
+**transparency of on-chain systems** with the **flexibility of off-chain
+calculations** to deliver a scalable, fair solution. It empowers funders to
+create data-driven funding pools with minimal effort while ensuring contributors
+are rewarded accurately.
+
+### How AutoRF Works
+
+1. **Define Funding Pools**: Funders set up pools and define measurable metrics,
+   like GitHub activity.
+2. **Track Contributions**: AutoRF tracks contributions automatically, gathering
+   data on metrics like commit timing, frequency, and repository engagement.
+3. **Reward Contributors**: Rewards are distributed transparently using smart
+   contracts, with metrics recalculated continuously.
+
+Unlike fully on-chain solutions, AutoRF keeps **calculation logic off-chain**.
+This approach allows flexibility to refine metrics over time and helps mitigate
+gaming while maintaining trust and transparency through on-chain reward
+distribution.
+
+![Split Overview](./Split-overview.png)
+
+### The Grinder's Fund x Polygon
+
+At ETHGlobal SF 2024, we showcased AutoRF with **The Grinder’s Fund**, a live
+retro funding pool for hackathon participants. Sponsored by
+[**Polygon**](https://polygon.technology) and
+[**Dabl Club**](https://www.dabl.club), this fund distributed **$1,000 USD** to
+reward the hardest-working teams.
+
+The Grinder’s Fund evaluated GitHub activity to calculate impact, analyzing
+metrics like commit size, timing, and frequency. Over **60 projects**, with
+roughly **300 participants**, signed up by Sunday morning. This real-world test
+demonstrated AutoRF’s scalability and efficiency. The final distribution is
+available on the
+[Splits website](https://app.splits.org/accounts/0xd90561e9c1d4B58b0aFfB39B5eb39494C4D8A9C6/?chainId=137).
+
+![The Grinder's Fund Distribution](./AutoRF-final-funding.png)
+
+## Why AutoRF Matters
+
+AutoRF lowers the barriers to retroactive funding by reducing overhead and
+complexity. By making these processes automatic, funders can create sustainable,
+**merit-based funding systems** without the logistical challenges of traditional
+retro rounds.
+
+This system not only benefits funders but also gives contributors consistent
+incentives for impactful work, fostering collaboration and innovation across
+ecosystems.
+
+## A Vision for the Future
+
+AutoRF is a step toward a future where **public goods funding is seamless and
+reliable**. Inspired by Karl’s concept in
+["Ether’s Phoenix"](https://medium.com/ethereum-optimism/ethers-phoenix-18fb7d7304bb),
+which equates impact with profit, AutoRF creates a system where funding is
+predictable, scalable, and fair.
+
+As AutoRF evolves, we aim to scale its impact across different domains, from
+open-source software to education and climate initiatives, making funding
+continuous, automatic, and accessible.
+
+Public goods should not just survive; they should thrive.