****This new proposal replaces referenda 1472, we are switching to USDT  and a tranche based funds release schedule to ease pressure on treasury funds, everything else remains the same as 1472.****

The Future of Polkadot Depends on Talent

The Polkadot Blockchain Academy (PBA) is the single largest and most effective pipeline of talent into the Polkadot ecosystem. Over the past three years, close to 750 learners have completed our courses, many of whom now produce significant contributions towards Polkadot or ecosystem projects.

We are at a pivotal moment. The future of Polkadot depends not just on innovation but on a steady stream of highly skilled, motivated builders who can create and execute impactful projects, advance the network's capabilities and drive adoption. The PBA has proven its ability to deliver, our alumni are shaping the ecosystem, and demand for our programs has never been higher.

To capitalize on this momentum, we are requesting nine months of funding to scale our programs and diversify our offerings, making PBA more inclusive, relevant and far-reaching than ever before.

Why support PBA? A Track Record of Success

• We are the largest producer of well educated, Polkadot-native talent – No other initiative has onboarded more developers successfully.
• Close to 70% of 409 PBA Campus graduates actively contributed to open-source Polkadot-related repositories in 2024.
• Trusted by ecosystem leaders – Parity, The Web3 Foundation and other top teams recruit directly from our alumni.
• Expanding accessibility – Our online course, PBA-X, launched in January with 580+ learners, and close to 60% completion rate, proving demand for remote education for a diverse audience. Ongoing Evolution:

Scaling & Strengthening the Polkadot Talent Engine

With this funding, we will:

• Expand PBA’s flagship in-person PBA Campus program (Wave 7) to train and place the next cohort of high-impact developers.
• Launch The JAM Course, an intensive in person course demystifying Polkadot’s JAM protocol, for top-tier engineers from the Web3 community.
• Grow university partnerships, integrating PBA content into curricula and securing the next generation of builders.
• Enhance alumni engagement through ongoing participation orientated events, education, placement and mentorship opportunities.
• Build upon the success of PBA-X to offer new content based on the needs of the ecosystem, whilst continuing to run the original PBA-X content for 5 more cohorts in 2025.
• Continue to identify, mentor and funnel new projects into the ecosystem via the Pitch and Mentor program.

Polkadot’s growth depends on its builders. By funding PBA, we secure a sustainable, scalable pipeline of developers, entrepreneurs and advocates who will drive the ecosystem forward.

Follow the below link to find out more about our latest proposal;

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11fKCbYG79VomgYFK4FDsK534ihmfSDG3wCnmLpo_kws/edit?tab=t.0