Quadratic Funding

What is quadratic funding?

Ma Earth distributes matching funding to projects using an innovative system called quadratic funding. Quadratic funding redistributes decision-making power from donors to communities, meaning community support directly determines how much funding each project receives from the matching pool.

How quadratic funding works

With quadratic funding, the number of supporters matters more than the size of donations. Community donations effectively vote for where matching funds flow. The more people who back a project, the larger its share of the pool.

The matching pool is funded by Ma Earth Foundation and contributing philanthropic partners.

Calculating matching funds

Mathematically, the total matching funds a project receives is calculated by summing the square roots of each direct donation to a project and then squaring the total. A minimum and maximum range is also applied.

You can learn more about quadratic funding at WTF is QF? or check out the original paper.

An example of quadratic funding*

Funding Source	Project A	Project B
Donors	5 donors × $200	100 donors × $10
Crowdfunded	$1,000	$1,000
Matching grant	~$1,500	~$12,000
Total funding	~$2,500	~$13,000

In this example, both projects raised $1,000. Project B's broader community support unlocked significantly more matching funds.

*Simplified illustrations. Actual matching amounts vary by round, pool size, number of participating projects, and the number of donors each project attracts. Estimates on the website are only estimates and should be treated as such.

Ma Earth's 2024 pilot rounds

• Average matching grant was roughly 10× the amount raised through crowdfunding
• Projects with the most individual supporters saw matching leverage of 25–45×
• Projects with fewer but larger donors received 2–5× in matching funds

Important: Because Round 3 is receiving significantly more donations than Rounds 1 and 2, we do not expect the matching leverage to be so large.

What this means for you

Land stewards: Focus on reaching many people, rather than finding a few big donors. Every small donation increases your share of the matching pool. Broad community support matters more than donation size.

Community donors: Your $10 donation has outsized impact. A donation of any size meaningfully benefits the projects you support.

Matching pool contributors: Your capital is allocated by the community, directed to the projects with the broadest grassroots support.