AIP-408: Q2/Q3 2024 Governance Working Group Budget

The below contents are duplicated from the ApeCoin DAO Snapshot:

https://snapshot.org/#/apecoin.eth/proposal/0xd86163d5a4645cb62bb3f1455cf22e85fe172d99013ac46b3dbf52d8d65bc741

Members will vote with Moca NFTs on our Moca Snapshot. Delegated voting will then be done on the ApeCoin DAO Snapshot with the Mocaverseape.eth wallet.

Read, research, discuss - See what you think, fellow Mocas! Make your voices heard.

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ABSTRACT

French: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aPgz1CMyZqIqvOl3lzivRnIVGpfOZCmT/view?pli=1

Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r4TYTQ4sAlYk9qw7jPArIRfSzEtGyhKV/view

Japanese: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b-oVFZHbXwpv2jfKJIvZZWwSVzHCGptu/view

Simplified Chinese: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kp7ozPQjIPNjXEBddlvT4NZjOYz3pq0x/view

On February 28th, the ApeCoin DAO Governance Working Group (GWG) successfully concluded its Q4-2023/Q1-2024 budget cycle, delivering key initiatives outlined in AIP-317.

Highlights include establishing an independent legal structure, website and governance dashboard development, community reward programs, election facilitation, and the completion of a 47-page treasury and economic sustainability study. AIP processing times were reduced to an average of 16.5 days in the final draft stage, and we came in significantly under budget which allowed us to extend what was initially planned as a 6-month budget to 7 months or more. In addition, we were able to allocate legal startup costs for both new Working Groups.

The primary objective of that cycle was to increase output and develop programs that would provide significantly more value to the ApeCoin community than what was written into our original charter — a goal accomplished. Now, we’re looking to strengthen the DAO from the ground up.

Starting in Q2 2024, the Governance Working Group will roll out three new pillars of what we’re referring to as GWGV3: Education and training resources for AIP authors and leadership teams, cross-community on-chain grants programs, and a delegate accelerator initiative being developed to increase voting participation.

Following extensive preparation and careful consideration, the Governance Working Group is excited to introduce a comprehensive, long-term strategy to empower the ApeCoin ecosystem by providing training and development solutions aimed at strengthening candidates going through our AIP process and, in turn, our proposal implementation success rate. This framework involves the launch of 14 education-based initiatives over the next 12 months, tailored specifically for the ApeCoin DAO. These initiatives will be developed and overseen by OpenCampus in collaboration with core members of NewCampus — a cutting-edge growth and leadership school serving some of the world’s fastest-growing organizations, boasting a client base of over 500 entities. Additionally, ForbesWeb3 will be joining us as a media and community growth partner to help put this program on the map and make ApeCoin DAO a premium destination for builders in Web3.

You can view the full APE_U program specifications here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LiSzoR3QcJ7_CSf8i7LFxHGH5kZWzEU2/view

The Governance Working Group has also partnered with UMA to integrate their oSnap protocol for an initiative looking to explore cross-community small grant programs with the objective of extending our ecosystem into non-traditional communities. Additionally, the program will provide support for our current market, covering in-person events, NFT intellectual property propagation, professional service provider costs for ApeCoin-funded ventures, developers looking to build on ApeChain, and seed funding for early ideas.

This initiative aims to broaden ApeCoin DAO governance participation by incentivizing the formation of smaller voting delegations, matching funds of up to 50,000 APE through GWG-delegated wallets. We will also pair the initiative with the GWG x UMA On-Chain Small Grants Program and, in some cases, provide access in smaller amounts without requiring communities to match funds, allowing them to sample how our governance processes work with the objective of them joining on their own after access to our program ends. An educational program will be established to cover ApeCoin and ApeCoin DAO fundamentals, and delegated voting rights will cycle every two months to different communities. It is important to reinforce that at no point will these funds leave the GWG’s possession.

BENEFIT TO APECOIN ECOSYSTEM

• Leveraging cross-community on-chain grants and our delegate accelerator, we will target communities that are currently not part of our ecosystem. Partnering with entities such as ForbesWeb3 and Open Campus, we dramatically expand our reach, offering exposure to our opportunities and the 14 programs being offered within the APE_U curriculum, which will also include an ApeCoinDAO onboarding series of professionally produced, co-branded four-minute videos offered in multiple languages.

• By simplifying the process for grants under 8500 APE and establishing precise categories, we will empower the community by streamlining opportunities that the DAO has not been set up to do up to this point.

• We will better-prepare authors for post-grant success with access to mentorships and training resources which encompass managerial essentials, futures thinking and opportunities for fast-tracked access to an Open Campus 6-week accelerator program designed to provide support and growth opportunities for education-focused startups. We are also exploring the possibility of introducing a rewards program to maintain strong course completion rates.

• In collaboration with UMA, we are set to implement automated on-chain grant distribution for our small grants programs. This move is designed to reduce standardized administrative costs and enhance cost-effectiveness for the ApeCoin community. This methodology will also serve as an opportunity to present a proof-of-concept illustrating how allocating a portion of the DAOs treasury outside of Coinbase custody could bolster the long-term sustainability of our resources.

• The GWG Delegate Accelerator will match APE for APE in small tiers, up to a maximum of 50k, to encourage the onboarding and establishment of qualifying groups and new communities committed to ApeCoin governance (voting) participation. The initiative will also serve as an optional collaborative program with our cross-community on-chain grants programs.
• Importantly, within the program, no APE will leave the possession of the Governance Working Group. Instead, it will be delegated from our Gnosis Safe as a governance token, with the goal of rotating access among various communities for limited durations. This approach aims to facilitate better assimilation, ensuring recognition as meaningful ApeCoin DAO contributors without favouring particular onboarded groups. Additionally, existing delegations meeting program requirements may also qualify as participants.

• By strengthening our ecosystem through training and education resources and amplifying our visibility by aligning with premium brands like ForbesWeb3 and Open Campus, we will instill an re-energized sense of pride within ApeCoin DAO community members and raise our standards for success among AIP authors, developing new heights in brand equity and reasons to build with ApeCoin, and on ApeChain.

• As exciting as all of our new initiatives are, it is crucial to emphasize that the Governance Working Group will also remain devoted to providing continued AIP processing, Discourse facilitation, Special Council and Working Group election facilitation, community rewards programs, stakeholder engagement, support for other Working Groups, proposal development, and various all of the other additional day-to-day ApeCoin DAO operational needs. In fact, as our scope expands through various initiatives, we’re currently aiming to scale by adding members to the team, enhancing efficiency, and once again, increasing output. Quarterly and budget-end reporting will also be maintained.

[Please continue reading the rest of this AIP on the ApeCoin DAO Snapshot and Discourse]

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Unfortunately, due to the character limit of the Moca Snapshot, the AIP contents on ApeCoin DAO Snapshot could not be fully duplicated here. Therefore, please read the full AIP contents on the ApeCoin DAO Snapshot and Discourse before casting your vote on the Moca Snapshot:

ApeCoin DAO Snapshot link: https://snapshot.org/#/apecoin.eth/proposal/0xd86163d5a4645cb62bb3f1455cf22e85fe172d99013ac46b3dbf52d8d65bc741

Link to the full proposal: https://forum.apecoin.com/t/aip-408-q2-q3-2024-governance-working-group-budget/21345

Thank you very much for your kind understanding.