SPS DAO Foundation — Proposal Qualification Guidelines

Purpose

This charter defines the guiding principles used by the SPS DAO Foundation to determine whether a proposal qualifies for DAO funding (100,000 DEC).

Its goal is to ensure DAO capital is deployed in ways that are credible, community-aligned, and net-positive for the Splinterlands ecosystem, while acknowledging that not all good decisions can be reduced to formulas.

---

Qualification Principles

DAO funding is intended to amplify community momentum, not to create it.
Proposals are evaluated holistically using the four guidelines below.

---

1. Demonstrated Community Signal

Standard: The proposal shows credible evidence of community interest prior to submission.

A qualifying proposal demonstrates that the proposer has:

• Actively engaged the community in advance
• Gathered named supporters or endorsements (users, wallets, creators, guilds)
• Participated in public discussion and refinement
• Clearly identified who benefits and how

Guiding belief:
If a proposal is broadly good for the ecosystem, early community support should be visible.

---

2. Net-Positive Ecosystem Impact

Standard: The proposal plausibly improves the Splinterlands ecosystem as a whole.

Foundation members assess whether:

• The outcome strengthens the ecosystem (players, creators, economy, tools, trust, visibility)
• Benefits outweigh risks in a reasonable, good-faith assessment
• Tradeoffs and downsides are acknowledged and bounded

Guiding belief:
The DAO funds upside with uncertainty—not extraction or purely personal gain.

---

3. Execution Credibility

Standard: The proposal is realistically executable within scope and budget.

A qualifying proposal includes:

• A scope appropriate for a 100k DEC grant
• Clear deliverables or milestones
• A believable plan, timeline, and capability match
• Evidence the work can be completed as described

Guiding belief:
Ideas are valuable, but execution is what the DAO actually funds.

---

4. Stewardship Alignment

Standard: The proposer demonstrates responsible stewardship of DAO capital.

Positive signals include:

• Willingness to revise based on feedback
• Transparency around costs, assumptions, and risks
• Openness to accountability or post-funding reporting
• Clear alignment between personal incentives and ecosystem benefit

Guiding belief:
DAO funding is an act of trust, not an entitlement.

---

Proposal Ownership & Draft Management
If a proposal qualifies and is approved to be funded:

• The proposal will be submitted and run on the proposer’s behalf from the sps.dao HIVE account
• The proposer’s account name will be publicly identified as the original submitter
• The proposer is responsible for actively managing community feedback during the draft phase
• Any revisions, updates, or changes during the draft period must be coordinated with the SPS DAO Project Manager and/or Foundation members

This structure ensures clarity, consistency, and orderly governance throughout the proposal lifecycle.

---

Decision Framework

• Meets all four guidelines → Qualifies for DAO funding
• One guideline weak or unclear → Returned for revision
• Two or more guidelines unmet → Does not qualify

This framework is intended to promote consistency, fairness, and better proposals over time, not rigid mechanistic scoring.

---

Closing Principle

The SPS DAO Foundation exists to act as a capital steward for the community.
When judgment is required, decisions should favor proposals that are community-driven, transparently executed, and directionally beneficial, even when outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

---