Cardano Governance
Shape the future of Cardano. Participate in governance and have your voice heard on the network's direction, applications, and growth.
Cardano's governance model
Cardano’s decentralized and community-driven governance ensures stakeholders make collective, transparent network decisions.
Cardano’s decentralized and community-driven governance ensures stakeholders make collective, transparent network decisions.
Empowering active participation with immutable, on-chain voting.
Cardano governance enables the community to influence blockchain development through treasury withdrawals, parameter changes, and other governance actions.
Governance actions require approval from at least two of the three governance roles: Delegated Representatives (DReps), Stake Pool Operators (SPOs), and the Constitutional Committee (CC), ensuring fairness and transparency.
Decentralized governance strengthens Cardano’s security and resilience by distributing decision-making power, reducing single points of failure, and ensuring network stability.
As a registered Delegated Representative (DRep), the Cardano Foundation participates in governance following the Ethos and Principles defined in ‘Our Cardano'.
The Cardano Foundation serves on the Interim Constitutional Committee (ICC), ensuring governance actions align with the Cardano Constitution while maintaining neutrality and transparency.
Anyone can participate in discussions about Cardano’s constitution, it's budget, the role of delegated representatives, the Parameter Committee, and many other topics.
Understanding governance actions
Understanding governance actions
Cardano’s governance decisions involve seven action types, including Protocol Parameter Changes, Treasury Withdrawals, and Hard Fork Initiations. At least two of the three governance roles (DReps, SPOs, and CC) must approve an action. As an ICC member and DRep, the Cardano Foundation is committed to voting on all governance actions and providing a detailed rationale. Below is an overview of our recent voting activity.
-
DRep ID: drep1ydpfkyjxzeqvalf6fgvj7lznrk8kcmfnvy9hyl6gr6ez6wgsjaelx
-
CC ID: cc_cold1zwmqzgp5hg98ujhmhuk859pjlzpy4mjjnxjguw8yr22jdps6c64hp
Loading...
Governance deliberations: meeting notes
Governance deliberations: meeting notes
The Governance Advisory Team, consisting of subject-matter experts, regularly reviews governance actions and advises on decision-making. To maintain transparency, we publish meeting notes summarizing key discussions and decisions.
09/07/2025
The Governance Advisory Team meeting on July 9th included updates on the Amaru Treasury Withdrawal Governance Action, which has reached 59% DRep approval. The GovTools Budget Info Action, submitted 6 days prior, has 15.5% DRep approval. Discussions were held regarding the GovTools’ funding, with support expressed due to its existing infrastructure and lack of viable alternatives, countered by strong opposition citing concerns about API quality, centralization, and the incentivized participation model. The Tempo team's new budget info action proposal and the imminent submission of 39 treasury withdrawal proposals from Intersect were also discussed.
02/07/2025
The Governance Advisory Team meeting on July 2nd included updates on the Amaru Treasury withdrawal governance action, which currently stands at 38% approval. An update on the off-chain Constitutional Committee (CC) election, concluding today, noted the requirement for CC credentials to be provided by July 8th. Concerns were raised regarding the metadata template for the 39 upcoming Treasury withdrawal governance actions. Discussions focused on the efficiency of using a single voting rationale for all 39 treasury withdrawals and the need for a checklist to review material differences between proposals and treasury withdrawals metadata.
25/06/2025
The meeting covered critical updates on governance processes, beginning with the Constitutional Committee (CC) election voting, where a technical issue is jeopardizing the ability for script-based wallets to vote, though a fix is actively being pursued. The team discussed the rationale for the current off-chain pre-vote process for the CC election, noting it was an Intersect-defined off-chain process ahead of the formal on-chain vote required by the constitution and protocol. A newly submitted treasury withdrawal for the Amaru rust node was presented for review, with confirmation that its on-chain and off-chain data align and that an audit report is available for verification. In anticipation of 39 separate treasury withdrawal proposals from Intersect, the team agreed on a strategy to streamline the review process by using a standardized spreadsheet and template rationales for both ICC and DRep.
18/06/2025
The Governance Advisory Team meeting on June 18th included updates on the ongoing Constitutional Committee (CC) election and concern on the Eastern Cardano Council member. Discussions centered on the upcoming 39 treasury withdrawal proposals from Intersect Budget Info Action, highlighting associated complexities and communication challenges. The team also addressed improving the efficiency of reviewing treasury proposals and the need for a proactive approach to planning future budget processes, with other upcoming governance actions also mentioned.
11/06/2025
The Governance Advisory Team meeting on June 11th addressed updates on various governance actions and treasury withdrawals, including the status of several DRep votes and the potential for 39 separate treasury withdrawal proposals. Discussions covered proposed constitution amendments, concerns regarding a new constitution draft, and the upcoming Constitutional Committee (CC) election process, encompassing the voting tool and candidate recommendation procedures, even without a guarantee that we can technically vote. A change in the governance advisory team's DRep representation was announced, and strategies for managing numerous treasury withdrawal proposals and Intersect's voting plans were deliberated.
Our Cardano
Our Cardano outlines the Ethos and Principles that guide the Cardano Foundation’s participation in governance, ensuring transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship in fostering a thriving, decentralized ecosystem.
How we make governance decisions
How we make governance decisions
The Cardano Foundation has established a Governance Advisory Team, consisting of subject-matter experts, to evaluate governance proposals based on constitutional alignment and governance merit. The process follows these steps:
01
Governance action intake
Governance Action details are recorded on the Foundation’s Jira Kanban board, and Advisory Team members are notified.
02
Initial assessment
The Advisory Team assesses clarity, potential impact, and criticality of the action and requests input from relevant subject-matter experts (SMEs).
03
Full review
The Advisory Team conducts an in-depth review, including a constitutional review (as an ICC member) and a governance impact assessment (as a DRep).
04
Advisory team recommendation
The Advisory Team votes on the Governance Action.
05
Rationale drafting
Two voting rationales are drafted—one for the constitutional assessment and another for the DRep decision.
06
Executive committee review
The Executive Committee reviews and finalizes the rationale.
07
On-chain vote submission
The vote is submitted on-chain, with metadata including the rationale behind the decision.
Our role in Cardano governance
Our role in Cardano governance