**Summary:**
The Infrastructure Builders Program (IBP) is a collective of independent infrastructure service providers that supports the Polkadot ecosystem and its parachains with RPC and ‘IT department’ services. Established in 2022, IBP is a globally distributed and resilient ecosystem service provider, thanks to its unique design. This proposal seeks to secure continued funding for the services it provides to the ecosystem.

**!Note!:**
The requested amount is a top-up for the IBP bounty, which is managed by five Polkadot-native curators. The IBP bounty pays compensation for the services provided only retroactively. The amount is for the theoretical max deployment capacity. Actual annualized cost was $2,490,996 for 552 Relay and System-chain and 154 Parachain RPC nodes

RPC services are all paid retroactively for delivered services monthly by USD value.

**See the Full Proposal [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aK7XtMmpF5FVlt9FGP1puVPHGRktbFQ8M9o6Dh3u9jw)**

**Problem Statement:**
- Securing continued funding for the Infrastructure Builders Program (IBP) services within the Polkadot ecosystem.

**Significance:**
- IBP provides RPC and 'IT department' services to support the Polkadot ecosystem and its parachains, ensuring a globally distributed and resilient infrastructure.

**Proposed Solution:**
- Requesting a top-up for the IBP bounty to cover the theoretical max deployment capacity of RPC nodes, aiming to sustain the services provided.

**Expected Outcomes:**
- Ensuring the sustainability and reliability of RPC services for the Polkadot ecosystem through continued funding for IBP.

#1516 IBP Bounty Top-Up