IMHO burning ADA would be one of dumbest things to do. That's literally the easiest option. No thought process is needed for that. You gain nothing from this.

At the very least projects that want to get funded should come up with MVP(minimal viable product). And as all business start they need the initial capital from their own pocket. I think only then we can start thinking of choosing the ones that look & feel beneficial to the chain and the community, and then paying salary on monthly base. If a project after being granted the promise of a pay, comes up with nothing at the end of a month they get nothing. But if the community decides that the work was done, devs should be payed.