This proposal covers the funding for the maintenance costs of the Polkadot-API for the next 12 months.

Over the past development cycles, we have introduced new features and enhancements to Polkadot-API, along with additional libraries that complement and expand its capabilities. We've also released a series of tech demos that are valuable in their own right, while also showcasing the potential of these libraries, like the Staking Optimizer. A detailed breakdown of our recent progress can be found in our updates thread on the Polkadot forum.

For our previous proposal #1836, we negotiated with the W3F on a proposal that was ultimately rejected in the final days of negotiation, as we explained in detail in the forum. That proposal included both the maintenance of PAPI and the continued development of related efforts.

Since then, we have been in direct contact with Parity. They feel more comfortable if we break down our proposal into multiple smaller ones. For now, we have reached an agreement on this proposal. It focuses on the core maintenance of the Polkadot-API library, SDKs, and the PAPI Console, with significantly reduced costs and lower hourly rates. This adjustment better reflects the current conditions of OpenGov.

For ongoing development and the introduction of new features, we may submit additional proposals in the future, that are still being negotiated with parity.

We are seeking funding for maintenance through the Polkadot Community Foundation, for the period from March 2026 to February 2027. As outlined in their documentation, the beneficiary is the PCF address on AssetHub.

You can review all the details of the proposal in the following Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E5h_4HENQTLJAsKUe10UruDXAPnlE1sH36QPPQrNuUY/edit?usp=sharing or in the following IPFS link: https://bafybeidnjd3h3xdqdnpf4ycplocclidoeokpe2kulik3qf6j6d5c6jhwde.ipfs.w3s.link/PAPI%202026%20basic%20maintenance.pdf

Once the referendum is approved, the PCF and Polkadot-API team will go through the following process:

• Create and sign a contractual agreement.
• For each monthly milestone, as long as the OpenGov payments are not delayed or cancelled, the Polkadot-API team will issue an invoice to the PCF.
• The PCF will execute each payment to our address in AssetHub 13dXmfrN4Prb3FmdxKDNRyUeNDuNwUTZibYAMFNKmZJut2Lq.

We have allocated a buffer of 4,000€ for PCF legal and operational costs. After the process is complete, the PCF will refund the remaining amount back to the Polkadot Treasury.

Thank you for your support.

Polkadot-API Dev Team (@Josep, @carlosala, and @voliva)