Hi everybody, Over the next couple days I’ll be putting forward a new open source funding initiative for Cardano built directly from the lessons learned around previous budget and execution challenges. A lot of good intentions existed, but outside variables, operational limitations, and governance complexity created gaps that ultimately prevented some programs from fully delivering the way the ecosystem needed. This proposal is meant to be the next evolution of that work, not a rejection of it. Over the past months I’ve worked with experts across Web2 and Web3, including contributors connected to Hedera, Bitergia, the CHAOSS community, Ethereum, Red Hat, Linux Foundation and Apache circles, alongside Cardano ecosystem participants and researchers who have analyzed funding mechanisms within Cardano itself. This proposal is the culmination of those conversations, lessons learned, and peer review from multiple angles. I have already done some heavy marketing in multiple forums to elevate this one, for people to watch. White papers on it here: 1) d(OSPO): the Who: "https://t.co/ArVW4vgK4b" 2) the OMF: the How: "https://t.co/RCyEXVAwHv" 3) Explainer Video: https://t.co/KmkWhoP6rc I intentionally did not go through the budget process as this must be a true community led and approved initiative. Whther approved or not, I'll keep working, just this ecosystem needs something to help keep projects alive while all other funding platforms have ceased The core thesis is simple: Cardano needs a more decentralized, lightweight, and execution-focused open source funding structure that is directly accountable to the governance layer itself. If approved, this entity exists entirely at the will of the DReps. There will be a sunset mechanism where DReps can submit an info action and, with supermajority approval, close the entity and return remaining funds back to the treasury. Accountability is not optional here. It is built into the structure itself. This initiative will operate through an on-chain approved charter, independent technical councils, public reporting, external auditing, and minimal operational overhead. The goal is not bureaucracy. The goal is execution. I’m intentionally keeping the organization lean with a small operational footprint while building systems that can eventually automate large portions of program administration over time. The focus is straightforward: • Sustain critical open source projects before they disappear from the ecosystem • Ensure maintainer programs actually create mentor-to-mentee pipelines • Support contributors through bounties and ecosystem participation • Restore pathways for hackathons, Summer of Code style initiatives, and long-term contributor growth • Build upstream and downstream sustainability for Cardano open source infrastructure This also fulfills the governance triangle I’ve talked about before: 1) Legitimacy through DRep oversight. 2) Neutrality through charter-bound execution and independence. 3) Execution through lightweight operations and ecosystem architecture driven by data. This proposal is currently structured as a 36 month initiative with a flat 12 million ADA request. I am intentionally pricing directly in ADA and living with the volatility alongside the ecosystem rather than overcompensating for exchange assumptions. If we do not use the funds, they return to the treasury. If the ecosystem believes we are failing the mandate, the ecosystem can sunset the entity entirely. At the end of the day, this is about ensuring Cardano no longer loses critical projects, maintainers, and contributors because operational structures cannot execute fast enough to support them. I believe this is the natural next evolution of open source sustainability within Cardano, and I look forward to presenting the full proposal soon. Proposal will go live soon, working final metadata details. I intentionally did not go through the budget process as this must be a true community led and approved initiative. Whether approved or not, I'll keep working, just this ecosystem needs something to help keep projects alive while all other funding platforms have ceased.