[Grant Proposal] Paws In Peace – On-Chain Pet Memorials & Web3 Compassion DAO

CLOSED: The Sandbox DAO Grant Program CLOSED: Web3 integration
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1. Executive Summary

Paws In Peace is a compassionate Web3 memorial project that bridges real-world pet cremation with on-chain remembrance and emotional storytelling. We are building a cross-platform NFT memorial system and tribute gallery for The Sandbox, where users can create, view, and interact with permanent blockchain-backed digital memorials for their pets. This is paired with a real-world cremation service powered by our native ERC-20 token ($PIP) on Polygon and Arbitrum.

Uniqueness for The Sandbox: We’re bringing the first real-world memorial integration with on-chain soulbound NFTs to the metaverse, including VoxEdit-based pet urns, memorial assets, and immersive tribute events.

Main Benefit: Emotional connection + user onboarding. We offer Sandbox players and communities a meaningful, long-term experience that builds trust in Web3 while honoring something deeply personal: their beloved animals.

2. Problem Statement

The Sandbox currently lacks tools for emotional, story-driven content creation and real-world integrations like memorials or pet legacy preservation. There is a gap in:

  • Tools to support grief, empathy, or non-gaming use cases

  • Soulbound asset integration (non-transferable NFTs)

  • Real-world services connected to in-game experiences

Without this, emotional utility in The Sandbox remains underdeveloped.

3. Proposed Solution

We propose creating a Memorial Tribute System for The Sandbox that allows:

  • Soulbound NFT Minting: Pets receive a non-transferable certificate stored on-chain.

  • Sandbox Integration: VoxEdit-designed urns and pet memorials appear in a memorial gallery or custom parcel.

  • User Interaction: Web2/Web3 users can visit, light candles, place flowers, or trigger memory animations.

  • Cross-chain Identity: Linked to their Polygon or Arbitrum wallet that holds the pet’s NFT.

Technologies Used:

  • ERC-721 (soulbound NFTs)

  • IPFS for cremation proof

  • WalletConnect / MetaMask for connection

  • VoxEdit for 3D asset creation

  • Game Maker for the in-game experience

4. Team

Name Role Experience
Alexander Mendoza Founder / Project Lead 12+ years in construction, systems, and Web3
Michelle Mendoza Advisor / Community Lead Content designer + onboarding (Discord, IG)
Devs (TBD) Dev + GameMaker Integrator Seeking VoxEdit artist and GameMaker integrator

Portfolio:

5. Technical Details

  • NFT Type: ERC-721 (non-transferable)

  • Minting: Off-chain cremation proof → on-chain certificate

  • Storage: IPFS for image + memorial data

  • Tools: VoxEdit asset bundle, Game Maker event triggers, snapshot voting for gallery expansion

  • Integration: PawsInPeace DAO contract + Sandbox gallery interactions

6. Budget & Work Plan

Budget Table:

Category Amount (USD) Justification
Web3 Development $5,000 Contracts, backend minting, QA
Sandbox Integration $7,500 VoxEdit asset sets, tribute room, on-chain UI
Web3 Infrastructure $2,000 IPFS pinning, wallet UI, DAO plugin setup
Design / UX / QA $3,000 Tribute flows, user testing, memorial polish
Activation & Support $4,000 In-game events, user onboarding, grief support
Legal / Other $3,000 DAO terms, soulbound logic validation
Total $24,500

Milestones:

Milestone Key Deliverable Estimated Date % Budget Released
1 NFT contract & tribute gallery design Sep 15, 2025 20%
2 VoxEdit urns + GameMaker event test Oct 5, 2025 30%
3 DAO system + memorial launch Oct 31, 2025 50%

7. DAO Alignment & Impact Measurement

  • Decentralization: Soulbound NFTs + DAO vote on featured pets

  • Community Empowerment: Memorial submissions from pet owners

  • Creator Boost: Open submissions for VoxEdit tributes, urns, etc.

  • KPIs: 200 NFTs minted, 1000+ tribute visits, 50 DAO members

8. Attachments

How did you hear about the Sandbox DAO Grants Program?

Through Questbook while researching aligned grants for the Paws In Peace NFT Memorial system.

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Hello @PawsInPeace

Thank you for submitting your proposal. Unfortunately, the program pilot ends in the next 20 days, so the milestones aren’t feasible in this timeframe. Additionally, the maximum grant is 50k SAND (approximately 15k USD), so it also doesn’t meet the budget requirements. I invite you to submit this proposal as a SIP instead.

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Hi @yuelwolf,

Thank you for reviewing our proposal and for the clarification on the program’s timeframe and budget limits.

We would be happy to adjust our scope to fit the 20-day window and the 50k SAND (~$15k USD) maximum grant requirement. Our team can reframe the project as a streamlined “Phase 1” pilot, focusing on the most impactful and deliverable components within this period, such as:

  1. NFT Pet Memorial Minting System: A functional smart contract and a minimal web interface for minting and viewing memorial NFTs.

  2. Sandbox Memorial Experience: A small voxel-based memorial scene deployed within The Sandbox as a proof of concept for the full platform.

  3. Presentation Materials: A short walkthrough video and documentation showcasing the above deliverables for DAO review.

This pilot could then serve as a foundation for future phases after the program concludes.

If you believe this revised scope meets the requirements, please let us know the best way to proceed , whether we should update the existing thread, submit a new version, or follow an alternative process.

Thanks again for your time and guidance. We’d love to make this work within the program’s timeline.

Best regards,
Alexander
Paws In Peace Team

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Hello Paws,

First, a piece of advice for future projects: reducing a project’s scope is never prudent.

Additionally, the proposal’s scope is too small for the budget. For these types of proposals, I usually require milestones tied to KPIs, and in your case, 1k visits is far too low.

Finally, there is no LinkedIn profile or portfolio that supports the development of this type of integration, nor have you identified the team that will be developing The Sandbox portion.

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Hi Yuelwolf,

Thank you for the candid feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to provide a more detailed assessment, as it helps us understand the Foundation’s priorities and the specific criteria for this program.

You are correct that we should not have reduced the project’s scope. Our intention with the phased approach was not to diminish the project’s long-term vision, but to demonstrate our ability to deliver impactful components within specific timelines while building a foundation for future evolution. We believe that a project’s true strength is its ability to adapt and deliver value across different phases.

Based on your feedback, we’ve taken the following points to heart:

  1. Team & Portfolio: I am the founder and lead for the overall project, and I recognize the need to introduce additional contributors for specialized tasks. We are actively engaging with a collaborator to assist with The Sandbox integration, and we will be able to share their portfolio details once onboarded.

  2. Scope & KPIs: You are right that a 1k visit KPI is far too low for a project of this nature. Our vision is to bring consistent, meaningful on-chain activity, and we can set a more ambitious goal that reflects that.

  3. Long-Term Vision: Your advice reinforces our core belief that Paws In Peace is a project designed for sustainable growth, not short-term metrics.

We are serious about building something of lasting value for the ecosystem. With that in mind, thank you again for the advice to submit as a SIP. We believe this is the most appropriate path forward.

Could you please provide some guidance on the best way to reframe and submit the proposal as a SIP?

Best regards, Alexander Paws In Peace Team