Cardano Budget Process

Below are the steps driving forward the Cardano Budget Process

• Budget Proposal Submissions: Throughout March and up until April 24th, the community can submit proposals that directly support the delivery of the proposed product roadmap, if they wish to be included in the first round of the 2025 Cardano Budget. Additionally, any open ideas or proposals, including committee proposals, can be submitted via the intake form. Submitting proposals earlier gives DReps more time to consider the proposal and may increase the likelihood of Intersect’s committees providing reviews and feedback. After April 24th, the community can still submit proposals, however these will be included the following budget, likely to be in 2026.

• Public Display of Proposals: Since 1st April, a new dashboard has been created in Cardano GovTool to publicly display the proposals received so far, providing committees and the community with an early opportunity to give feedback.

• Net-Change-Limit: In parallel, the Net-Change-Limit will need to be agreed to allow us to move towards submitting a Budget Info Action.

• DRep Sentiment Signalling: In mid-to-late April, new functionality will be released into the GovTool stack (with open APIs), where the tooling, mirroring mainnet conditions, will utilize DRep stake-based signaling to effectively build consensus on submitted proposals, creating implicit consent for budget items before submission on-chain.

• Proposal Review - Topic Based Workshops: Topic based workshops will be taking place throughout April with the aim to provide DReps with an opportunity to explore proposals and deliberate with peers. During this time, Committees and vendors will be able to support DReps in casting initial up/down votes on individual proposals (non-binding) and gather category-level guidance on budget scope, priorities, and success metrics. These workshops will support in identifying key questions or gaps that will need to be followed-up on before reconciliation. Tentative Workshop Schedule:

  • Topic 1: Apr 10 @ 4–7 pm UTC & Apr 11 @ 2–5 am UTC

  • Topic 2: Apr 14 @ 4–7 pm UTC & Apr 15 @ 2–5 am UTC

  • Topic 3: TBD

  • Topic 4: Apr 24 @ 4–7 pm UTC & Apr 25 @ 2–5 am UTC

• Virtual Reconciliation Workshops: In late April and early May, we anticipate hosting two virtual reconciliation workshops to align proposals that have strong to borderline community support. Following these event, we plan to submit a consolidated Budget Info Action for DReps to officially consider. Proposed dates are:

  • 26th-28th April

  • 3rd-4th May

• Budget Info Action: If approved on-chain, the Budget Info Action will take effect. Proposals with identified vendors can be streamlined into Treasury Withdrawal Actions. For committee or external proposals without an identified vendor, Intersect can facilitate procurement if specified by the applicant and subsequently approved by DReps as part of the Budget Info Action.

• Treasury Withdrawal Actions: Given the procedural on-chain steps, we expect initial Treasury Withdrawal Actions to be submitted on-chain in June to July.

Below is a high level timeline of the process

Budget reconciliation workshops

Following the proposal review stage, two reconciliation events will facilitate informed discussion and consensus-building among DReps, vendors, and the broader Cardano community. These events aims to further reconcile and align proposals, culminating in a robust Budget Info Action that secures strong implicit consent and addresses ecosystem priorities with greater accuracy. Currently these are scheduled to be virtual events taking place on 26th-28th April and 3-4th May.

Role of DReps in our budget process

The community has shown varied perspectives on DReps’ roles in shaping budget proposals before they reach on-chain voting. Given the pilot nature of our current process, we recognize that actively involving DReps earlier - through feedback, signaling support, and collaborative refinement - will significantly enhance the quality of Budget Info Actions and provide clearer community direction. DReps interested in early-stage collaboration can provide clear signaling, ensuring alignment with community preferences. Although optional, this early engagement offers DReps an opportunity to meaningfully influence proposals before formal submission, establishing a more robust model for future budgets or decision-making cycles.

Committee budget submissions

We want to thank all the Intersect committees, who have invested substantial effort into their February draft proposals, many of which garnered strong community support. To leverage this foundational work, committees can now submit line items that may have received a warm reception already, or their block budget entirely directly through the same streamlined intake form.

While some submissions may initially lack vendor specification, they can, if desired, transparently utilize Intersect’s procurement processes, enabling a swift transition into formal Budget Info Actions.

Committees: present and future roles

Intersect’s committees, originating from our ethos as an open and accountable member-based organization, play an influential role in guiding Cardano’s strategic direction. Committees can offer critical insights, help shape wider community understanding, and inform decision-making, particularly through detailed commentaries on budget proposals within their experience or domain expertise. This approach exemplifies the Product Committee’s recent initiative - submitting a proposed Cardano roadmap directly on-chain to seek formal feedback and validation.

While valuable, committee inputs are advisory, complementing broader community deliberations. Intersect aims to enhance decision-making outcomes by clearly integrating committee insights into broader community discussions, supporting DReps and the community to be well-informed, empowered, and engaged.

How to get involved

We recognize the rapid pace at which this process is unfolding - and the evolving ways the community can get involved. We appreciate everyone's patience as we navigate these new waters together. We are all still learning and this is simply the reality of doing it for the first time while also aiming to support the Cardano ecosystem as it grows and unlocks critical priorities for funding.

There are several ways you can get involved:

• Submit your proposal now. If you want to support the development and delivery of the product roadmap - or any initiative you believe Cardano needs - submit via our intake form today.

• Intersect committee members: If you're part of a committee and would like to submit proposals based on your work in late 2024 and early 2025, use the same intake form and list “Intersect Procurement Process” as your vendor.

• Engage with proposals. Once proposals are made public through the new tooling, provide commentary and share your thoughts with your DRep.

Join the conversation. Participate in open AMAs (both topical and general) and X Spaces throughout April to help keep the process moving in the right direction. If you are a DRep, here are some useful resources - and feel free to suggest others to @IntersectMBO!