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.