Summary
Improve the geofencing checks for grant applications so that users outside eligible regions are more reliably prevented from applying to region-restricted grants.
Some grants are only open to applicants from specific countries or regions. A geofencing mechanism already exists, but it currently relies heavily on the user’s self-selected location. Since users can update this location, the current system may not be strong enough for grants that require stricter regional eligibility.
Problem
At the moment, a user’s location is set by the user and can be updated with a 21-day cooldown before they can apply to region-restricted opportunities. However, this still leaves gaps in enforcement.
Known limitations:
- User location is self-declared.
- Users can change their location and wait out the cooldown period.
- The system does not currently compare the user’s KYC region with the grant’s eligible region.
- Ineligible users may still be able to apply if their profile location does not reflect their actual verified region.
This can create issues for sponsors and grant programs that have legal, compliance, funding, or community-specific regional restrictions.
Proposed Solution
Strengthen the eligibility checks for region-restricted grants by adding additional validation beyond the self-selected user location.
Potential improvements could include:
- Compare the user’s KYC-verified region with the grant’s eligible regions, where available.
- Use profile location only as a fallback when KYC region is unavailable.
- Clearly define precedence between profile location, KYC region, and any other region signals.
- Block users from applying when their verified region does not match the grant’s allowed regions.
- Show a clear eligibility message when a user is blocked from applying.
- Ensure the 21-day cooldown still applies when users update their profile location.
Expected Outcome
Region-restricted grant applications should be harder to bypass and more reliable for sponsors. Eligible users should still be able to apply normally, while ineligible users should receive a clear explanation instead of reaching the application flow.
Acceptance Criteria
- Region-restricted grants validate applicant eligibility more reliably.
- KYC region is checked against the grant’s eligible regions when available.
- Profile location fallback behavior is clearly defined.
- Users with ineligible verified regions are blocked from applying.
- Users receive a clear message when they are not eligible due to region restrictions.
- Existing 21-day cooldown behavior for location updates is preserved.
- Existing unrestricted grants remain unaffected.
Area
Grants / Grant Applications / Geofencing / Eligibility
Summary
Improve the geofencing checks for grant applications so that users outside eligible regions are more reliably prevented from applying to region-restricted grants.
Some grants are only open to applicants from specific countries or regions. A geofencing mechanism already exists, but it currently relies heavily on the user’s self-selected location. Since users can update this location, the current system may not be strong enough for grants that require stricter regional eligibility.
Problem
At the moment, a user’s location is set by the user and can be updated with a 21-day cooldown before they can apply to region-restricted opportunities. However, this still leaves gaps in enforcement.
Known limitations:
This can create issues for sponsors and grant programs that have legal, compliance, funding, or community-specific regional restrictions.
Proposed Solution
Strengthen the eligibility checks for region-restricted grants by adding additional validation beyond the self-selected user location.
Potential improvements could include:
Expected Outcome
Region-restricted grant applications should be harder to bypass and more reliable for sponsors. Eligible users should still be able to apply normally, while ineligible users should receive a clear explanation instead of reaching the application flow.
Acceptance Criteria
Area
Grants / Grant Applications / Geofencing / Eligibility