Creation of Celo Governance Guild

Governance Governance Proposals
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[FINAL] Creation of Celo Governance Guild

Authors: @0xj4an-work (0xj4an-Work), @Wade (Wade)
Funding Request: 55,000 cUSD (28,000 cUSD | 2025 H1 + 27,00 cUSD | 2025 H2)

Summary

This proposal seeks funding for the continuation and enhancement of the Celo Governance Guild program (formerly known as CGP Editors) for Celo Governance operations.

Brief History

Since the Celo Mainnet genesis and the deployment of the original core contracts, Celo Governance has been a community-governed initiative. While voting involves various stakeholders interacting with these core contracts, there is a middle layer of neutral administration that helps inform stakeholders by coordinating effective communication, thereby increasing the governance process’s effectiveness and efficiency.

Historically, these tasks have been performed mostly by volunteers aligned with the ecosystem through various initiatives. Guidance was initially provided by foundation employees, but this is decreasing by design to promote progressive decentralization.

Recently, the Celo Governance Guardians trial under the Celo Public Goods Program recognized that work within a decentralized protocol should be compensated.

Motivation

The CeloPG programs have been instrumental in driving transparency and efficiency within the Celo ecosystem. As participants and guardians, we want to share our experience and propose improvements for the future.

Enhanced Responsibility and Accountability

Receiving payment for our roles as guardians has significantly impacted our sense of responsibility and commitment. This formal recognition made our work feel more official and emphasized the importance of our tasks. Compensation empowered us to approach each proposal with heightened diligence and precision. Knowing we were compensated motivated us to uphold the highest standards and rigorously ensure each proposal met the necessary criteria.

The Role of Celo Guardians and the Importance of Independence

Celo Guardians are high-level board advisors of Celo Community Governance. Their role is crucial for unbiased judgment and maintaining the ecosystem’s integrity. Therefore, it’s vital to ensure a clear separation of powers to avoid conflicts of interest. Governance, which relies on unbiased decision-making, should not be funded directly by the initiatives it oversees.

To address this, we propose the creation of a Celo Guardians Guild. This guild would manage its own treasury and governance process, ensuring independence and impartiality. Effectively, this would remove Celo Governance as a line item that the CeloPG Operations budget currently oversees, maintaining a clear separation between governance and operational funding. This structure would uphold the governance process’s integrity while continuing to support the essential work carried out by CeloPG.

While at this present time, It may not be an issue due to the history of the current Guardians helping with Governance due to the mission alignment that comes from volunteering to these positions initially with no compensation. But this is to future-proof against culture creep, as either the current Guardians either decide to finish their term or are asked to move on. Once new members join without the initial context, the lines start to gray and a clear conflict of interest emerges.

Compensation not only validated our efforts but also enhanced the overall effectiveness and integrity of the CeloPG programs. Moving forward, establishing an independent Celo Guardians Guild will further strengthen our governance framework, ensuring unbiased and effective oversight for the benefit of the entire Celo ecosystem.

Current Status

The program seeks separation while acknowledging the great work CeloPG has done. In alignment with the Celo Foundation’s strategic push towards decentralization, we believe the time is now to have stakeholders operate in parallel rather than in a hierarchy. This will not be a segregated entity, but one that collaborates closely with other stakeholders, including the CeloPG. The requested funding will re-establish and scale the Celo Governance Guild’s efforts to cover increased community governance activity.

Timeline and milestones

Celo Governance Guild Operations Scope

  • Schedule Planning Governance Calls

    • Schedule Planning Governance Call in Google Meet

  • Host and attend Planning Governance Calls

    • Host and attend Planning Governance Call in Google Meet

  • Schedule Governance Calls

    • Schedule Governance Call in Google Meet.
    • Post Forum Post in Governance Call Category in the Celo Forum.
    • Open a GitHub Issue in the Celo Governance Repository.
    • Schedule Governance Call in Lemonade to avoid bots or unauthorized people to join.
      • This also allows us to build a Subscription List.
    • Schedule Governance Call in Discord pointing to Lemonade to increase visibility.
    • Schedule CGP deadlines (last 6 hours) for submitting votes on Celo Signal calendar, and the general voting period.

  • Collect proposals for the next Call

  • Host Governance Calls

    • The host of each Governance Call is randomly assigned between the Celo Guardians, depending on the availability of each one.

  • Draft the Celo Signal Newsletter

    • Every Friday, there is a need to draft the Governance Chapter of the Celo Signal Newsletter.
      • Adding and removing links to necessary CGPs.
      • Raise awareness about upcoming proposals and work to drive voter turnout.

  • Update the GitHub Repository after the Call

  • Review and approve PRs

  • Provide Forum support and input

    • Provide initial feedback and guidance to proposals on the Celo Forum.
    • Point proposers to the right documents and guides to help them better understand Celo Governance.
    • Take notes on areas where Celo governance could be improved and share these documents with other Guardians.

  • Help with OnChain Proposals Submissions

    • Help proposers to submit their proposals OnChain.

Payment Terms

Two payments (One each semester) with the total budget of 55,000 cUSD that will cover Celo Governance Guild compensation, training, and community engagement initiatives. Payments will be distributed monthly, with performance-based reviews to ensure the program’s objectives are met effectively.

2025 H1

Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Total
Celo Governance Guild Lead 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 12,000
Celo Guardian 1 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 7,500
Celo Guardian 2 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 7,500
Celo Guardian Advisor (No compensation) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Celo Governance Guild Legal Entity Incorporation 1,000 - - - - - 1,000
Total 5,500 4,500 4,500 4,500 4,500 4,500 28,000

2025 H2

Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Total
Celo Governance Guild Lead 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 12,000
Celo Guardian 1 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 7,500
Celo Guardian 2 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 7,500
Celo Guardian Advisor (No compensation) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 4,500 4,500 4,500 4,500 4,500 4,500 27,000

The Celo Governance Guardians compensation is calculated based on a weekly working effort of 10 hours denominated in $cUSD

The Budget will be managed in a Multi Sign designed to have three members part of the proposal.

Multisign Address (Threshold 2/3):

0xc733285e8e4db433d4cd641f99C46Bf108DCb54F

  • Signers:

    • 0xj4an-work: 0xFEF5A1A2b3754A2F53161EaaAcb3EB889F004d4a
    • 0xgoldo: 0x4592a742ccac4eb671bac3b89edec7189a315ebc
    • zoz: 0xC685cCEcFEa58D10d0ca1a058bb0B37032a7a310

Team:

Led by 0xj4an-work (@0xj4an-work), the team includes experienced contributors like Wade (@0xzoz), who has played multiple roles in the Celo community, from Validator to Steward of Prezenti (Celo’s community-run grant initiative), and Goldo (@0xGoldo), who has been actively involved in governance for the past few years and take also part as an active Moderator of the Celo Communities Guild.

The team will receive guidance from @ericnakagawa and @annaalexa from the Celo Foundation.
Additional support/resources:

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Hi @0xj4an-work

I can understand your argument of having the independence of another proposal that Guardians oversee. Overall in favor of having some people, including yourself providing support to the Governance process as a standalone unit.

From my perspective, with the launch of CEL2, we may want to iterate and innovate our Governance operations, processes, and tools.

I wonder how you see the role of Guardians / Governance evolve in 2025.

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So i think it will be a very good for Celo community, if you will create Celo Guardians Guild, it’s good motivation for devs, contributors, and also for Celo Holders, i think it’s make happy a lot of people who belive in Celo

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Thank you to @0xj4an-work & @Wade for putting together this comprehensive proposal. The Celo Governance Guild represents an important step in enhancing the community’s autonomy and maintaining the high standards of transparency and accountability that the ecosystem has come to expect.

The approach here aligns well with Celo’s broader strategy for progressive decentralization and solidifies the Guild’s commitment to independence, which will be key for unbiased governance moving forward.

Since I’m involved in this proposal myself, I will vote to abstain to maintain neutrality. Nonetheless, I support the direction and vision presented and encourage the community to consider the potential long-term benefits this Guild could bring to Celo governance.

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Hello fellow Celo Community :yellow_heart:

I am jumping her just to confirm my wallet address for the Multisign Proposal
0xFEF5A1A2b3754A2F53161EaaAcb3EB889F004d4a

Thanks a lot in advance for all your support in this important proposal. :heart_hands:

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GM Guardians, I would still love to get your perspective on my above message; from my POV, it would make sense for Celo Governance to receive another facelift in 2025 following the launch of CEL2, and as such, I don’t think a static one-year scope is the right approach.

I would suggest either decreasing the timeframe to 6 months (H1) or sharing more input on how you imagine Celo Governance evolving and what role your team would play there.

What would happen to this team if Celo changed its governance operations and roles during 2025?

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GM Luuk,

Thanks for your continued input! We understand your concerns about adaptability, and we agree that flexibility is crucial with CEL2 on the horizon. While our proposal requests a one-year approval, our payment terms and structure allow us to assess and adapt as needed.

Why We’ve Proposed a One-Year Scope

The one-year scope reflects our commitment to supporting governance continuity through the CEL2 transition while allowing time for meaningful impact. Our proposal is structured with three key mechanisms for flexibility:

  1. Semi-Annual Payment Structure: Although we’re requesting approval for the full year, payments are released each semester. This arrangement gives the community an opportunity to assess our progress mid-year, providing a natural checkpoint to evaluate and realign if necessary.
  2. Monthly Performance Reviews: We’ve included performance-based reviews each month to ensure we’re meeting our objectives and adapting to any changing governance needs. This performance-driven approach allows us to pivot quickly and address new demands introduced by CEL2 without a budgetary reset.
  3. Bi-Weekly Governance Planning Calls: We also hold governance planning calls every two weeks, which are open for anyone to join. These calls foster transparency, allowing us to engage directly with the community, gather feedback, and make real-time adjustments based on ecosystem needs.

Evolving Role of the Governance Guild

We believe the Governance Guild will play an essential role in guiding the community through CEL2’s new processes, ensuring both smooth adoption and continuous improvement. With CEL2, we aim to serve as the bridge between governance innovation and community engagement, refining our approach based on ecosystem feedback and the protocol’s evolution.

Maintaining a one-year timeline with built-in flexibility allows us to fully commit to these responsibilities while upholding the highest governance standards.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

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How would the current proposal include a six-month checkmark? Are you including a delay on the token claim that would theoretically allow Celo Governance to close act in case things change?

I understand the benefits of a 1-year scope, but I want to ensure that the 6-month checkmark is more than a theoretical mark and something that Governance can realistically act upon.

As such, something like a 14-day delay on claiming could make sense.

While I believe the three Guardians care a lot about Celo and wouldn’t cause any harm, I still think it’s good to streamline claims and operations further for 2025.

1 Like
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Hi Luuk,

Thanks for diving into these details. The six-month checkpoint is naturally integrated into our funding structure, with one withdrawal scheduled per semester.

This kind of checkpoint has been used before in other governance proposals, and we’re more than committed to following our own rules. While we don’t believe an additional delay is necessary, we’re open to committing to a 14-day delay on the second claim to allow the community time to review our first semester’s work.

This setup already ensures that Community can review and assess progress at the six-month mark before releasing the next tranche, maintaining accountability without extra claim delays.

Long-Term Vision for the Governance Guild

Rather than considering the closure of operations, we actually envision an expansion for the Governance Guild as CEL2 progresses. With governance likely to grow and evolve—especially with past discussions around delegates—we see an opportunity to broaden our scope and deepen community engagement. This would allow the Guild to support a larger, more inclusive governance ecosystem as needs and participation increase.

Our bi-weekly governance planning calls will continue to provide a transparent form for regular feedback, and we’re fully committed to aligning with community goals through CEL2’s roll-out and beyond.

Appreciate your insights as we shape this proposal for the future of Celo’s governance!

Best, :v:

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Hi Celo friends! :yellow_heart:

Quick shout-out here, just to verify my wallet address for the Multisig Proposal:
0x4592a742ccAC4eb671bAc3B89EdEC7189a315ebc

Oh, and just a heads-up: I’ll be voting “abstain” since I’m part of the Celo Guardians crew.

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Hi all!
Thanks for the discussion here, I wont add any further as Juan has answered the concerns above. I would like to verify my wallet address for the Multisig Proposal: 0xC685cCEcFEa58D10d0ca1a058bb0B37032a7a310

Also to note: since we started being reimbursed, I and the entities that I control have not voted on Governance Proposals to avoid a conflict of interest.

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Fully support splitting this out to be independent, and can vouch for the care and professionalism of @Wade .

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Thanks for sharing your perspective, I think a spin-out is healthy, and if things change in the next months I’m confident we’ll be able to rescope (maybe even increase this scope as you mentioned) together. I’ll vote in favor!

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This is a great proposal, the guardians have really been instrumental to the Celo Governance and the formation of a governance guild is a step in the right direction as we transition to CEL2. I can vouch for @Wade and @0xj4an-work for the amazing work so far.
I have some questions though if passed, is this guild open to the community to join? and will this guild have it’s own independent grants to issue to aspiring builders?, also, will room for more guardians be created for interested community members to join and work or this is a strictly five man guild. just some thoughts I need clarification on. Thanks

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Resubmission of the Celo Governance Guild Proposal: Support Needed!

Hello, Celo Community! :yellow_heart:

We’ve resubmitted the Celo Governance Guild Proposal (OnChain Id #195) and need your support again. The previous proposal (OnChain Id #192) received overwhelming backing with:

  • Turnout: 8,408,824 CELO
  • YES Votes: 8,365,783 CELO
  • Voters: 80

Despite reaching quorum and securing a majority, it wasn’t reviewed in time due to scheduling challenges around Devcon 7. To ensure the continuation of our work, we’re asking for your support once more.

How You Can Help

Let’s work together to advance Celo’s governance. Thank you for your continued support! :heart_hands:

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:tada: Thank You for Your Support! :tada:

We’re excited to share that our proposal has successfully passed with:

  • Turnout: 7,765,878 Total Votes
  • Yes Votes: 7,761,782
  • Abstain Votes (Mostly Ourselves): 4,096
  • Voters: 64

This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from the Celo community. Your engagement and trust mean the world to us, and we’re committed to delivering on this proposal with transparency and dedication.

Let’s keep building together! :yellow_heart: :heart_hands:

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