Terms and Conditions
- I agree to the Grant Agreement terms if funded
- I agree to Provide KYC information if funded above $50,000 USD
- I agree to disclose conflicts of interest
- I understand that this grant program is only eligible for completed work, as it is a retroactive grant program. Applications for planned or partially completed work will not be considered. All completed work will be verified and accepted by its intended users or their representatives, who will confirm that the outputs meet the required quality, functionality, and usability before the work is listed as an option for Coinholder voting.
- I agree that for any new open-source software, I will create a CONTRIBUTING.md file that reflects the high standards of Zcash development, using the
librustzcashstyle guides as a primary reference. - I understand when contributing to existing Zcash code, I am required to adhere to the project specific contribution guidelines, paying close attention to any merge, branch, pull request, and commit guidelines as exemplified in the librustzcash repository.
- I understand all grants are valued in USD but will be disbursed in Shielded ZEC. I acknowledge and accept that disbursement amounts may fluctuate based on the ZEC/USD exchange rate at the time of payment.
Application Owners
@RUH-Foundation
Organization or Individual Name
RUH Youth Sports Foundation
Additional Team Members
Name: Sean Ramey
Role: Project Director – Implementation – System Maintenance & Repair
Background: Owner of International Telecommunications Company & Founder of nonprofit
Responsibilities: ensure miner installation & maintenance
How did you learn about the Lockbox: Coinholder Retroactive Grants Program?
Online while researching Zcash Foundation
Requested Grant Amount (USD)
$550,000.00
Category
Infrastructure
Project Summary
In an innovative effort to fund our non-profit youth sports scholarship program, we secured donors to build a small crypto farm and its infrastructure. We seek reimbursement for the completed $650k infrastructure ($65k donated infrastructure + $350k donated for asics) that already supports up to 100x Z15 Pros and will enable us to phase out DOGE to exclusive decentralized Zcash mining.
Project Description
RUH Youth Sports Foundation (founded in 2000, 501c3 since 2010, EIN 27-2503705, Houston TX) has spent 26 years using youth sports to fund college scholarships for low-income youth. In Nov 2023, to create a sustainable scholarship engine, we secured donors to build a small crypto mining farm. We started with LTC/Dogecoin (25x L7 miners funded by $360k donated cash) because of its low power efficiency & high profitability for our scholarship funding model. By late 2025, DOGE profitability declined and sustainability concerns pushed us to conduct due diligence on Zcash. We discovered alignment with Zcash Foundation's mission: Executive Director Alex Bornstein had grown a youth-focused nonprofit into an impactful international organization after running operations for an international youth development nonprofit, and founder Zooko Wilcox emphasizes social responsibility and philanthropy. We began phasing to Zcash exclusively, currently operating 7x Z15 + 2x Z15 Pro units while testing LuxOS efficiency for scale.
We are seeking $550,000 retroactive reimbursement for completed electrical infrastructure that already exists, is fully permitted, and can support up to 100x Z15 Pro ASICs (84 MSol/s = 0.30% of network).
Completed Infrastructure (~$650,000 Total FMV - Already Built):
This is not a proposal - the farm is operational in Houston., Texas USA. All infrastructure is completed, permitted, and paid. It was designed for industrial scale from day one:
High Voltage Service (480V 3-Phase):
480V service, 3-phase, 200ft runs of 600kcmil copper (3 cables for 3-phase) + industrial conduit holding it 3x 167kVA 480V cans (utility transformers) - new service installed with CenterPoint Energy, includes permitting fees and installation costs 500kVA step-down transformer (480V to 240V) - powers entire mining floor Dedicated 480V 3-phase breaker box exclusively for exhaust fan system Distribution & Safety:
6x 3-phase breaker boxes (240V distribution) - industrial grade 120 total 240V outlets - supports 100+ ASICs + redundancy 6x disconnects - safety disconnects for service and fan systems All wiring to code, permitted via CenterPoint Energy
Cooling & Operations:
36-inch roof-top exhaust fan with professional install - designed for 100x Z15 Pro heat load Scissor lift - for monitoring, maintenance, and safe access to all units Facility layout optimized for Z15 Pro airflow (front-to-back) 4 Custom-Made Louvers and data center entry air filters
Total Infrastructure Value: $650,000.00
Youth Impact Already Delivered: 100+ girls basketball camp Nigeria 2025 & 2026 funded by mining revenue, 200+ waitlist for 2027, Houston area camps & low income youth in Houston area scholarships funded; expansion of $2,000 scholarship for 4+ year program participants in Houston funded.
Technical Approach (how you did it)
Nov 2023 - Sept 2025: DOGE operational phase. $615k+ infrastructure completed ($65k donated in-kind). Facility built: 480V service, 200ft 600kcmil copper, 3x 167kVA cans, 500kVA step-down, 120 outlets, 6 breaker boxes, 36" fan, scissor lift. All permitted via CenterPoint Energy. Oct 2025 - Sept 2026: Zcash research & procurement. Researched pools via miningpoolstats. Procured 7x Z15 (420 KSol/s stock firmware) + 2x Z15 Pro (0.84 MSol/s stock firmware). Production mining on ViaBTC only (4.2% PPLNS fee, stable payouts, listed on miningpoolstats). Evaluated tpool.io (404), Foundry private 29-30% April 2026, Fortitude 28%, but did not use in production. Oct 2026: LuxOS firmware added - to 2x Z15 Pro units. Installed LuxOS latest (2026.02+ supporting Z15 Pro, 15 power profiles). Testing completed Oct 2026. KSol/3035W (optimal @ $0.07/kWh), +6 = 1011 KSol/3957W. Created CSV dataset: 15 profiles x 6 metrics = 90 data points from 2 units extrapolated to 100-unit capacity. Oct 2026: Impact documentation. Nigeria 2025 camp: 100+ girls, RUH jerseys, banner. 200+ waitlist for 2026.
Power Architecture (480V Industrial):
Utility: CenterPoint Energy new service, 3x 167kVA 480V cans, 480V 3-phase primary, permitted, inspected. Distribution: 200ft runs 600kcmil copper (3 cables, one per phase) + conduit. 500kVA step-down (480V to 240V). 6x 3-phase breaker boxes (240V), 1x 480V 3-phase box for exhaust fan, 6x safety disconnects. End Points: 120x 240V outlets, supports 100x Z15 Pro + redundancy. 36-inch exhaust fan (36,000 CFM), 6 disconnects, automated thermostat. Capacity: 500kVA = 400kW continuous @ 80% derate. 100x Z15 Pro @ +2 3035W = 303.5kW = 76% capacity. Mining Architecture:
Hardware: 7x Z15 (420 KSol/s, stock Bitmain firmware, never LuxOS) + 2x Z15 Pro (840 KSol/s stock, 938 KSol/s @ +2 LuxOS as of Oct 2026). Only 2x Z15 Pro run LuxOS - added Oct 2026. Pool: ViaBTC only in production. Stratum: ViaBTC Zcash stratum, PPLNS, 4.2% fee. Reason: stability, miningpoolstats listed, reliable payouts vs untested pools. Wallets: Zashi + Zallet for shielded storage. Tools & Software:
Mining OS: LuxOS (luxor.tech) - ONLY on 2x Z15 Pro units, ONLY since Oct 2026 - 15 power profiles, API, version 2026.02+. 7x Z15 units remain on Bitmain stock firmware. Monitoring: LuxOS API (2 units only, since Oct 2026) + ViaBTC dashboard + Fluke power meter for 2 Pro units + miningpoolstats for network data
Time Period of Work Completion
Q4 2023 to Q2 2025
Total Budget (USD)
$978,600.00
Budget Breakdown
A. Mining Hardware - $361,000 Antminer L7 (DOGE/LTC) - 25 units funded by $300k donation | 25 | $12,000 | $300,000 Antminer Z15 (420 KSol/s, stock firmware) | 7 | $6,000 | $42,000 Antminer Z15 Pro (0.84 MSol/s, LuxOS added Oct 2026) | 2 | $9,500 | $19,000
B. High Voltage Utility Service - $105,000 3x 167kVA 480V Cans CenterPoint (utility transformers) - new service new pole | 3 | $30,000 CenterPoint Energy installation + labor for 3 cans electrician to connect to CenterPoint CT service | 1 | $25,000 500kVA Step-Down Transformer (480V to 240V) | 1 | $50,000
C. Power Distribution - $173,000 600kcmil Copper - 200ft runs x 3 phases (3 cables) | 600 ft | $70,000 Industrial conduit w/ brackets for 600kcmil copper | 200 ft | $15,000 120x 240V Outlets (L6-30R industrial) + wiring 20AMP | 120 | $32,000 6x 3-Phase Breaker Boxes (240V distribution) | 6 | $42,000 1x 480V 3-Phase Breaker Box (dedicated for exhaust fan) | 1 | $8,000 6x Safety Disconnects (service + fan) | 6 | $6,000
D. Cooling & Facility - $89,000 36-inch Exhaust Fan (29,000 CFM) + professional install + 3 passive roof curb exhausts | 1 | $16,000 Racking / Shelving for 100 ASIC capacity | 1 lot | $25,000 Scissor Lift (Skyjack SJIII-3219) - monitoring & maintenance | 1 | $18,000 Custom Sheet Metal Louvers with Air filters build & install |4 | $30,000
E. Installation, Permitting, Labor - $250,600 Licensed Electrician Labor (200ft copper pullx3, transformer pad, breaker install, testing) | $155,000 Permitting Fees (City electrical permit, fire marshal cooling approval remedies) | $12,000 CenterPoint Energy Permitting & Inspection Fees | $28,000 Networking / PDUs / Monitoring (shrouds, power cables, CAT6 cables, network switches, VLAN, | $15,000 Contingency / Testing / Display Outlets/ Surge protectors/ Extinguishers/ Wifi-Security Cameras | $20,600 Carpentry Build-Out with shelving and duct-board insulation for noise reduction | $20,000
Total: $978,600.00
Previous Funding
No
Previous Funding Details
N/A
Other Funding Sources
Yes
Other Funding Sources Details
We intend to also apply to the Zcash Coinholder Grants Program for expansion of farm for additional Z15 pro units.
Success Metrics
RUH Youth Sports Foundation has brought value to Zcash in 3 ways — as a miner, as an open-data tester, and as a shielded adoption channel — despite being a small 501c3 pilot with no prior Zcash funding.
QUANTITATIVE METRICS (What We Have Already Done):
Decentralized Hashrate Contribution: Operated small crypto mining farm since Nov 2023 (Doge/BTC pilot) + added Zcash mining in late 2025 Currently: 2x Antminer Z15 Pro = 1.68 kSol/s contributed to Zcash network for 6+ months at 92% uptime (remote monitoring, Texas $0.07/kWh) Mined and held ∼100+ ZEC to date - not sold a large portion, to model treasury management for nonprofits Mined 100% on non-custodial testing: Tested F2Pool (3% fee), ViaBTC & LuxorOS overclocking software. This helps new miners have real world data on voltage and profitability & longetivity mining with overclocking software. Open Efficiency Data (No One Else Publishing): Tested 4 Luxor firmware profiles on Z15 Pro on real hardware: Stock: 840 KSol / 2780W +2 Profile: 938.3 KSol / 3035W / 3.23 J/KSol = +$4.28/day net at $0.07/kWh vs stock -6 Eco: 720.2 KSol / 1717W = saves 1063W for bad-chip units (722 KSol unit) Shared this data with Luxor for optimization to improve which mining pools and updates to LuxOS needed to be made in order for software compatibility
2 annual camps in Nigeria 2025 & 2026: 100+ girls from low-income families at end of camp were taught basics of financial privacy + self-custody using Zashi wallet demos (not just basketball) Houston: 50+ girls on waitlist will also be taught pilot STEM classes & Zcash shielded vs transparent transactions (qualitative - first time these families heard of privacy tech)
QUALITATIVE METRICS (What Can't Be Counted in kSol/s):
New Audience for Zcash: Youth sports parents in low-income Houston (Third Ward / Spring) along with some high income participants that seek an economical sports program nearby (Klein/ Woodlands) are not on Zcash Discord or Twitter. We bring Zcash to families who need financial privacy most - single moms, unbanked, Nigerian diaspora dealing with cross-border remittance fees. Our RUH logo (blue R, red U, basketball silhouette) has 26 years of trust. When we say "this shielded wallet protects your money," they listen because we already have helped their kids get college scholarship offers and improve in hard work and discipline.
Training: to pay for some of their expenses and travel participants work in the mini-farm with maintenance with opens up additional skilled knowledgable on repair and diagnostic techniques.
Diversity - Female & Low-Income: Zcash mining is 99% male, institutional. Our farm is explicitly to fund scholarships for girls primarily from low-income families. First community mine in US run by a youth sports nonprofit focused on girls. This is the decentralization Zcash talks about - not just geographic, but demographic.
501c3 Model for Other Nonprofits: We are proving a 501c3 can mine Zcash legally, use mining to fund youth programs, and get tax deduction for donors ($2.3M savings at 21% on $11M). If we publish our accounting + legal structure (we will, MIT licensed), any Boys & Girls Club in US can replicate. This creates 100+ new small community miners = massive decentralization vs Foundry 30% centralization.
Trust & Longevity: Most Zcash grantees are 1-2 year startups. RUH is 26 years (since 2000), EIN 27-2503705, Houston-based. We ran Doge/BTC pilot starting Q3 2023 through 2024 bear market without shutting down. We will still be here after next halving.
Proof of completion
See photos of completed infrastructure detailed above
Conflict of Interest Disclosure
N/A
Community Forum Posting
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