Stellar Community Fund

By Comunitaria

Scalable Currency Tool for Govs & NGOs

SCF #34

$49.0K

Build

Awarded

Comunitaria empowers governments and large NGOs, including our partner Caritas, with a scalable tool to rapidly deploy community currencies as "multipurpose electronic vouchers" without the need for complex compliance. This fast-track approach immediately delivers funds to underserved communities and boosts local commerce. Once established, the platform integrates the Stellar Disbursement Platform to enable stablecoin transactions, combining hyperlocal resilience with global liquidity for cross-border disbursements and rapid crisis response. Leveraging Soroban smart contracts to manage multi-party operations efficiently, Comunitaria offers an adaptable financial system that attracts international stakeholders seeking inclusive solutions, while remaining extremely simple for end-users.

Products & Services

Comunitaria empowers governments and NGOs to distribute funds via community currencies and stablecoins, fostering circular economies while addressing both local and cross-border financial needs. Our platform combines hyper-local resilience with global liquidity, enabling communities to thrive sustainably. Designed as a scalable tool for governments and large NGOs—like our partner Caritas operating in 160 countries—Comunitaria deploys community currencies for efficient fund distribution. Leveraging Soroban smart contracts, our system simplifies complex currency dynamics while remaining user-friendly. Initially a community currency is deployed as a "multipurpose electronic voucher" without compliance requirements for rapid implementation, to later deploy the Stellar Disbursement Platform to enable enhanced functionalities, including stablecoin transactions.

Core Offerings:

Community Currencies: Programmable tokens for local transactions that ensure funds remain within communities, thereby supporting cultural and economic ties.
Stellar Disbursement Platform Integration: Facilitates rapid distribution of stablecoins for scenarios requiring immediate liquidity, such as disaster relief and cross-border aid.

Stakeholders Solutions:

NGOs/Governments

Service: Replace inefficient fund distribution systems with a transparent, fraud-resistant platform.
Product: A comprehensive dashboard offering multi-currency management (community tokens + stablecoins), real-time analytics, automated invoicing powered by Soroban, and integrated compliance tools.
Unique Advantage: Soroban smart contracts streamline complex workflows—such as conditional disbursements and expiration dates—that traditional systems struggle to manage.

Beneficiaries

Service: Gain flexible access to funds via community currencies and stablecoins, allowing for local purchases as well as broader financial needs like paying utility bills or facilitating cross-border remittances.
Product: A mobile app (available on iOS and Android) featuring offline functionality, and a built-in marketplace connecting beneficiaries with local merchants.

Local Merchants

Service: Grow revenue by accepting community currencies—retained for local reinvestment—or converting tokens to fiat/stablecoins via Stellar’s decentralized exchange.
Product: A dedicated merchant app offering instant settlement, invoicing, and loyalty program integration.

By uniting these core offerings and stakeholder solutions, Comunitaria provides a robust, scalable, and transparent platform that drives sustainable economic growth and empowers communities worldwide.

Soroban

Yes

Requested Budget

$49.0K

Success Criteria

We will gauge our success using clear, measurable outcomes that balance technical performance, scalability, and community impact. Below is our comprehensive success criteria framework—detailing targets for each key aspect and verifying our credibility through previous awards and independent assessments:

Migration & Integration:
- Success Criteria: Fully migrate the ILLA community currency to the Stellar network and seamlessly integrate it with local merchants and the Stellar Disbursement Platform.
- Verification: Achieve 100% operational readiness on both testnet and mainnet, as demonstrated by successful testing of account creation, token minting, trustline establishment, and stablecoin transfers.
- Scalability Considerations: Establish protocols to address regulatory barriers and provide ongoing technical support as we expand into new regions.
User Onboarding:
- Success Criteria: Onboard at least 500 new users within one year, with active registrations and wallet usage monitored through system logs and analytics.
- Go-To-Market Measure: Target onboarding of 100 new merchants within three months of mainnet launch via targeted outreach, stakeholder engagement, and community workshops.
Transaction Growth & Volume:
- Success Criteria:
– Achieve a 300% increase in local transactions compared to our pilot baseline, as verified by transaction logs and merchant feedback.
– Reach €500,000 in cumulative transaction volume within one year by leveraging Caritas’ extensive network and the efficient, low-cost disbursement capabilities of the Stellar Disbursement Platform.
- Technical Proof Point: For instance, during high-volume events, our application prevents double spending, ensuring secure and reliable transaction processing.
Disaster Recovery Application:
- Success Criteria: Successfully deploy the community currency model in disaster recovery scenarios (e.g., the Utiel case study) by processing at least 200 emergency transactions and supporting 100 affected households with transparent, traceable fund transfers. We've currently applied to a Santander bank startup contest for this.
- Unique Advantage: Our system, built on Soroban smart contracts, offers a superior alternative to traditional financial tools—ensuring rapid, secure, and cost-efficient distribution of aid during crises.
Alternative to Prepaid Debit Cards:
- Success Criteria: Demonstrate that community currencies like ILLA provide a more effective alternative by circulating funds directly within local economies without incurring third-party fees.
- Verification: Achieve recognition as a viable alternative to the Ministry of Social Rights’ “tarjetas monedero” program, a €50 million expenditure initiative in 2025.
- Unique Advantage: Our solution outperforms prepaid debit cards—especially in disaster relief contexts—by offering real-time, transparent, and cost-efficient fund transfers that goes directly to local merchants enhancing local damaged economies. It also outperforms food banks with logistic and stock issues.
Integration of the Stellar Disbursement Platform:
- Success Criteria: Fully integrate the Stellar Disbursement Platform to enable stablecoin transactions that support enhanced cross-border disbursements, rapid disaster response, and improved liquidity.
- Verification: Successful stablecoin transfers during test cases, with performance benchmarks met under varying load conditions.
Sustainability & Community Impact:
- Success Criteria: Ensure that every transaction contributes to local economic resilience by boosting merchant revenue and reinvesting funds within the community.
- Verification: Measured improvements in local commerce metrics through stakeholder surveys and periodic financial audits.
- Environmental Impact: Expand and certify our CO₂ reduction assessment (view here: CO₂ Reduction Assessment) demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and reinforces our social impact credentials.
Technical & Operational Excellence:
- Success Criteria: Maintain high system performance of our tools, in line with Stellar's low latency, robust security, and comprehensive real-time monitoring, even during high-volume events.
- Verification: Meet internal performance benchmarks and receive positive evaluations from external audits.
Traction Beyond Pilots & Scalability:
- Success Criteria: Extend beyond the successful Los Pajaritos pilot by securing endorsements and commitments from key partners, such as municipalities, NGOs, and Caritas Internationalis.
- Verification: Establish robust user feedback loops (e.g., regular discovery interviews, beta program sign-ups, and detailed transaction analytics) and obtain at least a new endorsements each quarter.
- Credibility: Our previous awards—including the UNICEF “Disruptive Social Impact Projects” Award, the Spanish Government’s “Break the Poverty Circle” Award, endorsements from Caritas, and recognition from the Spanish blockchain consortium Alastria, verify that Comunitaria is and will be a trusted actor in the social impact space.

Go-To-Market Plan

Building on our Stellar-based Comunitaria Wallet Dashboard (see: https://github.com/comunitaria/Comunitaria-wallet-dashboard), we are now focused on migrating our ecosystem of beneficiaries, local merchants, and partner NGOs (including Caritas) from our legacy system (Fuse blockchan) to the new production-ready platform. Our refined GTM plan outlines clear timelines, measurable targets, and detailed outreach initiatives to drive adoption and scale impact.

Immediate Action – User and Merchant Migration (0–1 Month):
Objective: Transition existing beneficiaries, merchants, and Caritas NGO partners to the new Stellar platform with integrated features supporting multipurpose electronic vouchers and stablecoin transactions.
Key Activities:
– Communicate the benefits of the new platform through in-person new features demo to Caritas NGO.
– Provide comprehensive onboarding sessions and support materials to ensure a smooth migration for all users.
– Integrate the Stellar Disbursement Platform within the user workflow to enable rapid, low-cost stablecoin transactions.
Measurable Target: Migrate 100% of current pilot participants (beneficiaries, merchants, and Caritas) within two months, ensuring seamless account setup and successful first transactions.
Expansion to Key Neighborhoods (4–6 Months):
Objective: Scale operations by expanding into two additional underprivileged neighborhoods in Seville and one in Madrid.
Key Activities:
– Deploy the updated Stellar platform (with Disbursement Platform integration) in these new regions.
– Execute localized outreach initiatives by securing at least three local media features per month, organizing five community workshops, and establishing partnerships with two neighborhood associations.
Measurable Target: Onboard at least 100 new merchants and 500 new beneficiaries within 4-6 months, with transaction volumes and user engagement tracked weekly and reviewed at the end of month four.
Localized Disaster Recovery Initiative – Utiel Case Study (3–6 Months):
Objective: Support immediate disaster recovery efforts in Utiel following recent floods by leveraging our platform and the Stellar Disbursement Platform for rapid local commerce & donation beneficiaries support. (We have applied for a deployment with a Santander bank initiative.)
Key Activities:
– Collaborate with the local council to deploy a tailored community currency framework for emergency fund transfers.
– Implement traceable transaction features via the Disbursement Platform to ensure full transparency in fund distribution.
– Organize local forums to explain system benefits and collect real-time user feedback.
Measurable Target: Process at least 200 emergency transactions and support 100 affected households within a three-month window.
Scaling Through Strategic Partnerships with Caritas (Ongoing):
Objective: Leverage our strategic partnership with Caritas Internationalis to expand our user base and drive broader regional impact.
Key Activities:
– Engage Caritas’ network of over 160 national organizations by hosting monthly webinars and co-branded community events.
– Launch joint strategies and develop tailored outreach programs that highlight our platform’s rapid, cost-efficient community currencies (hyperlocal) and stablecoin transactions (global) via the Stellar Disbursement Platform.
Measurable Target: Secure one new international Caritas partner by September 2025, paving the way for a planned global rollout.
Leveraging Proven Impact and Experience (Ongoing):
Objective: Capitalize on our three-year track record with ILLA and successful emergency response initiatives (e.g., the #yaquevas project with 3,000 volunteers) to build credibility and drive further adoption.
Key Activities:
– Regularly update case studies, performance metrics, and media collateral to showcase our impact and the benefits of the integrated platform.
– Distribute quarterly reports and digital newsletters to share success stories and gather stakeholder feedback.
Measurable Target: Achieve a consistent increase in positive stakeholder feedback and secure at least three new endorsements from key partners each quarter.

Traction Evidence

Our community currency system has proven its impact through a transformative pilot in the Los Pajaritos neighborhood of Seville, running since June 2021. During this pilot, over 4,500 transactions were completed, enabling the purchase of fresh food worth $23,000 USD from local merchants, which directly supported underprivileged families and revitalized the local economy.

In recognition of this success, Comunitaria has earned prestigious accolades, including the UNICEF “Disruptive Social Impact Projects” Award, Blockchain for Humanity Winner, innovation grants from Blockis.eu, NGI Ledger, and BlockStart, European Climate Action’s “Clean Cities” Recognition, and the Spanish Government’s “Break the Poverty Circle” Award.

Beyond this proof of concept, we have garnered critical endorsements and commitments that underscore our readiness for broader deployment. Endorsement letters from UNICEF and other respected organizations are available for review (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-38ZHD5ZH8d36zYf-G1j2BFFuE7JuoXx/view?usp=sharing), and an endorsement video from our strategic partner, Caritas Internationalis—a global network operating in over 162 countries—further validates our model (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vps7D4T9EGLHuxjV2NZLWVsOGNd7Wcdm/view?usp=sharing). Caritas is actively engaging with us to scale the initiative, and we have initiated discussions with additional municipalities and NGOs to launch new pilot programs in San Cristóbal, Madrid, and other underprivileged neighborhoods.

Our previous transaction history is publicly available for review:

Comunitaria Transactions: https://explorer.fuse.io/token/0x01355CDdF44EAf901E6EaeD10b27eB1e862Cb72C
- Previous Transactions (Token Renamed): https://explorer.fuse.io/token/0x34E11ABE8347856c0fac7547B38885a4F2BE3A32

We have discontinued the use of Fuse due to its PoS model favoring larger stakeholders and have fully migrated to Stellar—whose trusted nodes offer a fairer, more robust, and production-ready platform. In addition, we plan to integrate the Stellar Disbursement Platform to facilitate stablecoin transactions, enabling enhanced cross-border disbursements, rapid disaster response, and improved liquidity.

Our work has also attracted widespread media coverage, including features on Spanish National Television (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl4BK01KVAo), the best Spanish "social impact" podcast (https://youtu.be/cImSV0UOgdk?si=HD-eF-CCcReUXBIM), and regional television news (news1: https://youtu.be/D_EvXo3MWDQ; news 2: https://youtu.be/_CEN2o12s3k). Furthermore, we have established robust user feedback loops—via regular discovery interviews, beta program sign-ups, and detailed transaction analytics—to continuously refine our solution as we scale.

Together, these achievements, endorsements, and external commitments provide compelling evidence of our system’s efficacy, technical readiness, and broad appeal, positioning us for rapid and sustainable deployment beyond the successful Los Pajaritos pilot.

Tranche 1 (Deliverable Roadmap) - MVP

Tranche 1 – MVP Development and Pilot Deployment
Timeframe: 3 months | Budget: $24,000 USD

Simplified Milestone Summary:
By the end of Tranche 1, at least 100 beneficiaries in Los Pajaritos will access the app and complete initial transactions, demonstrating a secure and scalable platform for fund distribution.

Objective:
Rapidly build and deploy an MVP on Stellar’s testnet that enables NGOs to distribute funds as multipurpose electronic vouchers. We will leverage our pre-developed Comunitaria Wallet Dashboard (available at: https://github.com/comunitaria/Comunitaria-wallet-dashboard) to accelerate development and ensure robust multi-NGO management.

Key Deliverables:

Asset MVP Development:
– Implement ILLA as a Soroban smart contract token and develop Node.js scripts to test essential functions (account creation, token minting, and transaction monitoring).
Multi-NGO Portal MVP:
– Integrate and extend the existing dashboard to support comprehensive multi-NGO management—including wallet creation, token minting, donation transfers, and refund processing—with clear, real-time analytics.
Multi-NGO Mobile App MVP:
– Develop a user-friendly mobile app (iOS/Android) that enables beneficiaries to make payments and process refunds, while local merchants can quickly accept transactions.
Pilot Re-Launch:
– Replace the legacy Fuse-based system with the new Stellar solution and re-deploy the pilot in Los Pajaritos, including reinitiating Caritas payments to validate real-world viability.

Budget Justification (Total: $24,000 USD):

Development Costs (~60%): ~$14,400
- Covers approximately 480 development hours for smart contract coding, Node.js integration, dashboard extension, and mobile app development (at an average rate of ~$50/hour).
Server and Testing Expenses (~25%): ~$6,000
- Includes testnet server usage, integration testing, and quality assurance.
Project Management & Maintenance (~15%): ~$3,600
- Allocated for project oversight and initial support during the pilot phase.

Tranche 2 (Deliverable Roadmap) - Testnet

Tranche 2 – Final Version Development and User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Timeframe: 2 months | Budget: $15,000 USD

Simplified Milestone Summary:
By the end of Tranche 2, all key stakeholders (NGO admins, beneficiaries, and merchants) will sign off on the platform’s functionality, confirming its readiness for mainnet deployment.

Objective:
Enhance and refine the MVP on testnet based on pilot feedback, upgrading the user interfaces and core features to ensure the platform fully meets stakeholder needs.

Key Deliverables:

Final Version Enhancements:
– Upgrade the Multi-NGO Portal with advanced features such as detailed invoice editing and enhanced marketing tools for local merchants.
– Enhance the Mobile App with functionalities like wallet locking, recovery (with balance restoration), and more granular balance displays while preserving simplicity.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT):
– Set up a Jira environment for tracking issues and collecting feedback.
– Conduct training sessions and execute comprehensive test cases with selected pilot users, then incorporate their feedback to resolve critical issues.

Budget Justification (Total: $15,000 USD):

Refinement & Feature Development (~60%): ~$9,000
- Covers approximately 300 development hours for UI/UX improvements and additional functionality (at an estimated rate of ~$30/hour).
UAT Setup and Execution (~30%): ~$4,500
- Includes costs for setting up issue-tracking tools (e.g., Jira) and conducting training sessions for pilot participants.
Post-Pilot Bug Fixes and Minor Adjustments (~10%): ~$1,500
- Budget allocated for rapid iterations and support based on user feedback.

Tranche 3 (Deliverable Roadmap) - Mainnet

Tranche 3 – Mainnet Deployment and Expansion
Timeframe: 2 months | Budget: $10,000 USD

Simplified Milestone Summary:
By the end of Tranche 3, the platform will be fully operational on the Stellar mainnet with at least 50 beneficiaries, 5 local merchants, and 1 NGO partner (e.g., Caritas) onboarded for live transaction testing—demonstrating readiness for broader regional expansion.

Objective:
Transition the refined platform from testnet to the Stellar mainnet, validate its performance under live conditions, and onboard initial users to prove scalability.

Key Deliverables:

Mainnet Deployment:
– Set up and configure a public Horizon server; create key accounts (e.g., issuer accounts).
– Deploy the Soroban smart contract on mainnet and execute a detailed cutover playbook (including account creation, wallet testing, token minting, and connectivity verification).
Initial Onboarding and Expansion:
– Onboard 50 beneficiaries, 5 local merchants, and 1 NGO partner for live transaction testing.
– Establish robust monitoring and reporting mechanisms to ensure operational reliability and performance.

Budget Justification (Total: $10,000 USD):

Mainnet Deployment Costs (~60%): ~$6,000
- Covers expenses for server hosting, public Horizon server configuration, and mainnet smart contract deployment.
Onboarding & Testing Setup (~30%): ~$3,000
- Includes costs for setting up monitoring tools, conducting training sessions, and facilitating initial user onboarding.
Post-Deployment Bug Fixes and Support (~10%): ~$1,000
- Allocated for rapid iterations, technical support, and live testing adjustments.

Team

Miguel Prados (CEO) MBA IE, MBA Icade, MSc engineering, expert in Ethical Finance by the Social Banking Institute. Founder of DLT initiatives: listAbierta (https://github.com/listabierta) Votecoin.info, Councilcoins.org Comunitaria.com & PATIO. www.linkedin.com/in/miguelpradosrodriguez/

Rosario Gómez-Álvarez & Carmen Rodríguez are university Ph.D. professors in Economics researchers of Community Currencies and related to the Economy of the Common Good.

Luciano Silvi, our CTO, is a Computer Analyst from the Faculty of Mathematics, Astronomy and Physics. He has worked as a software researcher in the National Space Agency in Argentina. He is a blockchain developer in Stellar, IOTA and Ethereum. www.linkedin.com/in/luciano-silvi-b9755437/

Javier Caro is an industrial engineer with extensive experience as a blockchain developer and project leader in Stellar, he also developed the carbon-neutral Ethereum fork "Footeum", commercializing multiple Solidity-based applications on the Alastria network (such as supply chain traceability, secure NGO donation records, and universal transaction/document logging with off-chain Cassandra big data storage), and implementing blockchain user interfaces using PHP, Node.js, JavaScript, and other technologies.