SnowBridge, a decentralized cross-chain bridge connecting Polkadot and Ethereum, is seeking approximately $6 million in DOT tokens from the Polkadot community. The funding proposal aims to ensure the bridge's sustainability, align team incentives with community interests, and provide financial security for users.

The proposal outlines a request for 999,568 DOT tokens, valued at around $5.797 million. This includes an initial payment of 191,379 DOT (approximately $1.2 million), followed by a two-year vesting period for 323,275 DOT (nearly $1.9 million). An additional 161,637 DOT ($937,500) will be distributed over three months, with the remaining 53,879 DOT ($312,500) disbursed monthly from September 2024 to February 2025.

SnowBridge emphasizes that these funds will support user insurance, operational costs, and team incentives, while also enhancing bridge security and scalability for future adoption. The proposal comes after a successful two-week testing phase of the Ethereum-Polkadot bridge, featuring first-party validator signatures for transparency and auditability. Initially supporting ERC20 asset transfers, future updates will incorporate broader messaging capabilities.

Colorful Nation, an advisor within the Web3 ecosystem, recommended integrating an insurance fund to mitigate potential exploits and suggested incentivizing liquidity to attract Ethereum assets like WETH and WBTC to Polkadot.