<h3 id="fundswillnotpayout">Funds Will Not Pay Out</h3>
Thank you everyone for supporting Ref. 1303. To ratify payout please vote AYE on <a href="1353">Ref 1353</a>.
Unfortunately I, <a href="https://x.com/GldnCalf/status/1867765364295446963">Jay Chrawnna</a>, mistakenly established this ref with the Beneficiary as a Proxy Address created on the Relay Chain. 😑
Because the requested assets are on Asset Hub, they would not be accessible or useful if paid out.
<h4 id="thesolutionwewentwith">The Solution We Went With:</h4>
<ol>
<li>Pull preimage before end of confirmation period.</li>
<li>Submit new ref to ratify payout.</li>
</ol>
The pre-image was pulled hours before the end of the confirmation Period. It can be verified <a href="https://polkadot.subscan.io/extrinsic/0xec8ca6dbcfee1b25201b9e95b61e6eb890f7eee9d4f21aee060da7005d79c42c">here</a>.
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/pJj4e7f.png" alt="" />
<h4 id="othersolutions">Other Solutions</h4>
a. Submit <a href="https://polkadot.subsquare.io/referenda/1308">Root Ref</a> to replicate the Relay Proxy on Asset hub 🙅&zwj;♂️ It would occupy an important track with a small matter.
b. Wait until <a href="https://github.com/polkadot-fellows/RFCs/pull/111">Pure Proxy Replication</a> is merged into Polkadot 🙅&zwj;♂️ Was told it is not a priority and would render assets useless during months of waiting.
We've opted to resubmit the Ref and ratify the payment approved here in Ref 1303. Please vote AYE on <a href="1353">Ref 1353</a>.
Sorry about the trouble and thanks for the support. ❤️🤖
 Below lies the original ref:
<hr />
<h2>&nbsp;</h2>
<h2 id="6monthsofkus">The Last 6 Months of Kus:<img src="https://i.imgur.com/f37mYcC.jpeg" alt="" /></h2>
The Kus sets &amp; maintains the digital stages of consequential thought leadership &amp; governance debate distributing high quality information across the Polkadot Ecosystem!
&nbsp;
<h3 id="qwhatwillthisspendproposaldo">Q: What will this Spend Proposal Do?</h3>
A: It extends Kus Public Broadcasting Services (AAG, OpenDev, Space Monkeys, Admin, Management &amp; Direction) 9 Months ensuring continuity of high-quality governance platforms &amp; thought leadership for the Polkadot network. See weekly costs for Kus Public Broadcasting <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X-l0ct0y5S-OYl9DKdy5dax0ut3-ViDxzLl_yxe2kDA/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>.
&nbsp;
<h3 id="qwhataboutkusnewsexternalbroadcastingadbuyingprogram">Q: What about KusNews, external broadcasting &amp; ad-buying program?</h3>
A: The Kus 🤝 Marketing Bounty
While some of Kus activities are very much like a public service broadcaster (neutral stages for Governance Discourse or platforming ecosystem thought leaders) KusNews, editorials, charts &amp; our mature ad-buying outreach programs would benefit from alignment with &amp; the expertise of the Marketing Bounty.
By working together here is what we aim to achieve:
<ul>
<li>Stronger Ecosystem Outreach: Streamlining the path from community engagement to Kus&rsquo;s public broadcasting.</li>
<li>Enhanced Ad-Buying Practices: Refining the program to maximize ROI with oversight from both teams.</li>
<li>Event &amp; Narrative Coordination: Tighter collaboration to align campaigns with ecosystem priorities.</li>
<li>Transparent Budgeting: Flexible &amp; effective spending, with regular audits &amp; community reporting.</li>
</ul>
Kus will request no more than a trial partnership of three months of <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZLEo0YLP5n9KWiiyGBklsltoE4McZH12_1j5hDAT7nA/edit?usp=sharing">this budget</a> with spending under Marketing Bounty discretion thereafter.
We want to reassure you: KusNews will remain fully independent in its mission to serve as a neutral &amp; transparent distributor of high-quality information. Our proposed collaboration will be about leveraging resources for efficiency, not compromising values. Clear boundaries will be maintained between Kus' public service role &amp; the Marketing Bounty&rsquo;s broader marketing strategies!
&nbsp;
<h3 id="qisntthekusundercontractofref668">Q: Isn&rsquo;t The Kus under contract of Ref. 668?</h3>
A: The original funding under Ref. 668 ensured Kus services until April 2025. While we've efficiently over-delivered with only 69% of the requested budget, extending our runway is necessary to sustain &amp; expand operations. Here&rsquo;s why:
<ol>
<li>High Competition in NPoS Staking: Despite delivering our KSM Validator consistently into the active set &amp; occasionally our Polkadot Validator, increased staking competition in Q2 &amp; Q3 limited our validator rewards, which were critical for supplementing our budget.</li>
<li>Slower Industry Growth: Sustainable treasury management focusing on risk-reduction has managed to grow holdings over $60k since the conception of Kus &amp; Treasury agreements! Market challenges, however, have resulted in lower-than-anticipated growth as we maintain a positive outlook going forward.</li>
</ol>
By securing this service extension, we can sustain operations further into the future while remaining committed to our original agreement.
&nbsp;
<h3 id="qgotstats">Q: Got Stats?</h3>
A: May to Nov&hellip;
𝕏
Ad Buying Program Results:
114,093,910 Impressions - $0.000533/impression 2,119,049 Engagements - $0.028691/engagement &amp; 1.86% Engagement Rate 25,287,811 Video Views - $0.002404/view
Organic Results:
4,800,000 Impressions 633,600 Engagements &amp; 13.20% Engagement Rate 830,000 Video Views
YouTube
Ad Buying Program Results: 68,800,000 Impressions - $0.0005494/impression 9,879,074 Views - $0.0038263/view 264,026 hours of Watchtime - $0.1431677/h
Organic Results: 398,863 Views 18,357 hours of Watchtime
Podcasting (All Platforms)
987 hours of Listentime 272 Followers
Instagram (New)
6,809 Accounts Reached 635 Followers Gained
TikTok (New)
100,578 Views 316 Followers Gained
<h3 id="qwhyisthekusfundedonlythroughopengov">Q: Why is the Kus funded only through OpenGov?</h3>
A: Jay shares the answer in <a href="https://polkadot.subsquare.io/referenda/1303#25">this comment</a>.
<h3 id="qisthekusamonopoly">Q: Is the Kus a monopoly?</h3>
A: Jay shares the answer in <a href="https://polkadot.subsquare.io/referenda/1303#26">this comment</a>.
<h3 id="divedeeper">Dive Deeper</h3>
<ul>
<li>You can check out ALL Digital Assets &amp; Deliverables <a href="https://flying-wolf-8be.notion.site/Content-Report-40b59b62222c46a6ac738359b8704b05">here</a>!</li>
<li>See all treasury movements <a href="https://flying-wolf-8be.notion.site/Production-Funds-de4afb47625d48a9b4a5f0e74d074dff?pvs=25">here</a>.</li>
<li>Check out extra &amp; above-scope coverage of <a href="https://flying-wolf-8be.notion.site/Conor-Daly-137c98beaa1680e0bfded5c2784a9428?pvs=25">Conor Daly</a>, <a href="https://flying-wolf-8be.notion.site/Inter-Miami-137c98beaa168085ae8ae067d4fe87a2?pvs=25">Inter Miami</a>, <a href="https://flying-wolf-8be.notion.site/Decoded-2024-127c98beaa1680b5a078df627d129b22?pvs=25">Decoded</a> &amp; <a href="https://flying-wolf-8be.notion.site/Sub0-Reset-13cc98beaa1680deaf10d2d8d6f4af4c?pvs=25">Sub0</a>.</li>
<li>Audit Kus-wide <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Yi8YDJGApWYH8RIp0jGdiNMvIl41zo6xLSB4SGFS1uY/edit?usp=sharing">spends &amp; invoices</a> (please let us know if you find anything out of place!)</li>
<li>Jay discussed the proposal on AAG <a href="https://x.com/TheKusamarian/status/1860715003315130807">here</a> and <a href="https://x.com/TheKusamarian/status/1861802171962196067">here</a>.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="yourfeedback">Your Feedback</h3>
We appreciate feedback below. Accounts with a history of voting will be prioritized!
With Love, The Kus ❤️🤖

Propose and approve a spend of treasury funds.

## Dispatch Origin

Must be [`Config::SpendOrigin`] with the `Success` value being at least
`amount` of `asset_kind` in the native asset. The amount of `asset_kind` is converted
for assertion using the [`Config::BalanceConverter`].

## Details

Create an approved spend for transferring a specific `amount` of `asset_kind` to a
designated beneficiary. The spend must be claimed using the `payout` dispatchable within
the [`Config::PayoutPeriod`].

### Parameters
- `asset_kind`: An indicator of the specific asset class to be spent.
- `amount`: The amount to be transferred from the treasury to the `beneficiary`.
- `beneficiary`: The beneficiary of the spend.
- `valid_from`: The block number from which the spend can be claimed. It can refer to
  the past if the resulting spend has not yet expired according to the
  [`Config::PayoutPeriod`]. If `None`, the spend can be claimed immediately after
  approval.

## Events

Emits [`Event::AssetSpendApproved`] if successful.

- **Problem Statement:** Mistaken establishment of Ref 1303 with a Proxy Address on the Relay Chain, making assets inaccessible on Asset Hub.
- **Significance:** Ensuring the ratification of payout for Ref 1303 to make assets accessible and useful.
- **Proposed Solution:** Pull preimage before the end of the confirmation period and submit a new ref to ratify payout.
- **Expected Outcomes:** Successful ratification of payout through Ref 1353, resolving the issue and making assets usable.

#1303 Kus Public Broadcasting Extension & Marketing Bounty Engagement

No Active Proposals