[0606 Grant Proposal] ONG Bitcoin Argentina - Scaling Rootstock Adoption Through Education and Infrastructure in Latin America

Grants & Incentives
1

Suggested Description:

Supporting education, community growth, and infrastructure for Rootstock across Argentina and Ibero America through a flagship event, online training, and node deployment project.

Project Name:

ONG Bitcoin Argentina: Rootstock Education & Infrastructure Program

Submission Date:

2025-05-12

Founders:

  • Rodolfo Andragnes – Co-founder of ONG Bitcoin Argentina. Longtime Bitcoin advocate and organizer of major Bitcoin events in Latin America.

  • Diego Gutiérrez Zaldívar – Co-founder of ONG Bitcoin Argentina and Rootstock. Pioneer of Bitcoin and blockchain adoption in the region.

Organization President:

Manuel Ferrari – President of ONG Bitcoin Argentina. Co-founder of Money On Chain, the first and most established DeFi protocol on Rootstock, enabling a fully Bitcoin-collateralized stablecoin and other financial primitives.

LinkedIn / Socials:

Award Amount:

$12,000 in DOC, USD-RIF, and/or RBTC

Project Stage:

Ongoing initiatives with proven track record; funds will scale and integrate Rootstock-based activities.

Sector:

Education / Events / Infrastructure / Financial Inclusion

Description:

ONG Bitcoin Argentina has spent over a decade building Bitcoin awareness, education, and community infrastructure across Latin America. This proposal includes three key components to advance Rootstock adoption:

  1. Sponsorship of Descentralizar 2025

Argentina’s leading Bitcoin event focused on beginner-friendly Bitcoin education, attracting over 1,000 participants annually. Rootstock will gain visibility through sponsorship, dedicated talks, and hands-on developer workshops.

  1. Online Training: Bitcoin DeFi with Rootstock

A free, open-access virtual training program focused on decentralized finance using Bitcoin, featuring protocols like Money On Chain, Tropykus, and Oku. Materials in Spanish, targeted at students and entrepreneurs across the region.

  1. “100 Rootstock Nodes for Argentina” Program

Expanding our “100 Bitcoin Nodes” initiative, this program will provide Rootstock node kits and technical support to individuals and institutions across Latin America. It aims to foster decentralization, infrastructure, and developer empowerment.

Mission:

To promote Bitcoin and Rootstock as tools for financial inclusion, education, and digital sovereignty in Latin America.

Product:

  • Rootstock integration in online education platforms

  • Infrastructure deployment (Rootstock node kits)

  • National events in Argentina showcasing Rootstock-based protocols and communities

Value to Rootstock:

  • Increased visibility and user onboarding

  • Expanded community infrastructure in underserved regions

  • Demonstrated impact through a trusted, grassroots organization

Synergies:

  • Educational collaborations with RootstockLabs and protocol teams

  • Support from regional Bitcoin communities and partner NGOs

Team:

  • Rodolfo Andragnes – Strategic advisor and community lead

  • Diego Gutiérrez Zaldívar – Ecosystem vision and Rootstock co-founder

  • Manuel Ferrari – Bitcoin Argentina NGO President and protocol expert (Money On Chain)

  • Jimena Vallone – General Manager, operations and fundraising

  • Regional ambassadors for technical support and outreach

Traction:

  • Over 70,000 bitcoiners reached through our educational programs

  • 13 editions of Descentralizar held across multiple cities since 2020

  • 1,200+ events organized

  • More than 100 educational institutions engaged

  • Over 100 Bitcoin nodes project (ongoing)

  • Recognized as the leading Bitcoin NGO in LATAM

Roadmap:

  • June–August & October–December: Two online “DeFi for Bitcoin” seminar series sponsored by Rootstock

  • August–September: Descentralizar held in three cities, featuring dedicated Rootstock workshops

  • October–December: Manufacturing and distribution of Rootstock node kits across Latin America

Conclusion:

With deep community roots and technical expertise, ONG Bitcoin Argentina is uniquely positioned to scale Rootstock adoption through education, events, and infrastructure. This grant will deliver measurable, grassroots impact for Rootstock across Latin America.

6 Likes
2

Really liked the idea of deploying 100 nodes! LFG!

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3

I love the initiative!!! I’m obviously part of the team :slight_smile:

I was reviewing the costs, and I think a realistic goal would be to provide hardware for up to 20 Rootstock nodes. It’s important to clarify this because I estimate a minimum cost of around $140 USD in hardware per device. Additionally, we would need to organize workshops and other activities. I also believe that if we manage to get 20% of the new Bitcoin nodes to run a Rootstock node as well, that would already be a significant achievement.

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4

Thanks @Lubarreto & @Manu for putting this forward, it’s great to see a team with this level of experience and long-term commitment to Bitcoin contributing to Rootstock Collective.

The proposal feels solid: the scope makes sense, the budget is proportional, and it clearly targets areas where Rootstock can grow through real community presence.

Personally, I’d love to see more proposals like this, grounded in specific regions, but pointing toward a broader global network. If this initiative goes well, it could serve as a reference for a more structured regional hub strategy within the ecosystem.

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5

Está muy buena la propuesta, y me encantaría verla hecha realidad. :grin:

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Well, I’ve been looking for technical contacts at Rootstock Labs who could support us with the node initiative. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find anyone currently available to focus on this topic, which we all know is important. However, it will likely have to wait a few weeks or months until it can be reprioritized.

So, the idea is to narrow the scope of this first grant to only supporting Descentralizar and the courses focused on DeFi. Later on, we can consider requesting a new grant specifically for the nodes initiative.

I want to emphasize that this remains a matter of great importance for everyone, as having more Rootstock nodes is key to the decentralization of the network. But fortunately, the entire Rootstock Labs organization is currently very busy with other priorities. There are enough nodes to keep the network decentralized for now, so this can reasonably be postponed to a future grant.

I wanted to clarify this point.

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This is the final proposal :backhand_index_pointing_down:

This proposal includes TWO key components to advance Rootstock adoption:

  1. Sponsorship of Descentralizar 2025:
    Argentina’s leading Bitcoin event focused on beginner-friendly Bitcoin education, attracting over 1,000 participants annually. Rootstock will gain visibility through sponsorship, dedicated talks, and hands-on developer workshops.

  2. Online Training: Bitcoin DeFi with Rootstock:
    A free, open-access virtual training program focused on decentralized finance using Bitcoin, featuring protocols like Money On Chain, Tropykus, and Oku. Materials in Spanish, targeted at students and entrepreneurs across the region.

Mission:
To promote Bitcoin and Rootstock as tools for financial inclusion, education, and digital sovereignty in Latin America.

Grant Amount: $8,000 in DOC, USD-RIF, and/or RBTC

Milestones:

  • First Milestone:
    Name: “Sponsorship of Descentralizar 2025”
    Dates: from 11th August until 12th September 2025
    3 provinces of Argentina (Chaco, Misiones, Entre Ríos)
    Amount: 5.000 usd (July 2025)

  • Second Milestone:
    Name: “Online Training: Bitcoin DeFi with Rootstock”
    Dates: September 2025
    Amount: 3.000 usd (September 2025)

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10

looks good and makes sense to me, thanks for updating and submitting.

1 Like
11

Hello Rootstock Collective community,

ONG Bitcoin Argentina will be submitting the Milestone 2 request for the course “Online Training: Bitcoin DeFi with Rootstock.” This is a free, open-access virtual training program in Spanish, aimed at students and entrepreneurs across Latin America. The curriculum focuses on decentralized finance built on Bitcoin using Rootstock, featuring hands-on modules with Money On Chain, Tropykus, and Oku. Course Lead & Instructor: Axel Becker.

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12

Hi @Lubarreto ! I hope you don’t mind if we ask some questions around the request and past grant information.

Any way for us to verify this and other information about the said traction?

How much volume would this program be? How many completions are you planning to achieve? How do you market the program once it’s created?

Would you share the information about the instructor? We cannot find it in this forum post.

Thanks in advance!

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13

Hi @Lubarreto, congrats to being approved on the milestone 2 request! We’d still love to request answers for our questions above. Thank you in advance!

2 Likes