👨‍🔬 Governance Lab #102

Lab Report #102 - Wormhole's Grants Program Framework, Aave DAO GHO CEX Expansion Strategy, Jito Tokenomics subDAO, and more

Jun 12, 2025

gm frens 👋

welcome back to the Governance Lab, your weekly source for all things StableLab, DeFi, and DAO Governance.

At a Glance 👀
💰 Wormhole DAO introduces comprehensive Grants Program with $250k budget for ecosystem development
👻 Aave DAO proposes GHO CEX integration strategy with detailed risk assessment framework
🔄 Jito unveils Tokenomics subDAO with $7.5M JitoSOL and 5M JTO autonomous treasury

Let’s dive in 🏊

Wormhole Governance

Wormhole DAO introduces comprehensive Grants Program with $250K Budget

The Wormhole Foundation has proposed WIP-3, which would establish a Grants Program with a total budget of $250,000 USD (denominated in $W tokens). According to the proposal, the program aims to fund initiatives that contribute to the growth of the Wormhole ecosystem while providing a concrete mechanism for community engagement.

The proposal outlines two categories for funding: Funding Requests for specific needs such as products, audits, and research; and Community Initiatives for broader ecosystem development including grants, marketing, and events. Per the specification, exchange rates between USD and $W would be calculated using a 7-day TWAP methodology at the time of disbursement, with the Wormhole Foundation maintaining tallies to ensure neither funding cap is exceeded.
The proposal states that while Wormhole Governance would retain approval authority over funding decisions, the Wormhole Foundation would handle administrative execution including KYC/KYB checks and fund disbursement.
The program would initially operate without onchain execution due to the absence of an onchain treasury. Monthly reporting by the Foundation and mandatory public reports from grant recipients within 30 days of milestone completion would provide accountability measures. The proposal is currently in the voting phase, with a temp check live on Snapshot as of June 10.

Aave Governance

Aave DAO considers GHO CEX integration proposal

TokenLogic has submitted an ARFC proposing a GHO CEX Earn Incentive Program to maximize the impact of GHO's upcoming listings on Bybit, Bitget, and other centralized exchanges by engaging market makers for spot liquidity and allocating funds to drive broader GHO adoption. The proposal positions CEX listings as a strategic lever to broaden GHO's reach by tapping into wider user bases and creating new distribution channels for accelerated global adoption.
The initiative targets expanded audience access to retail and institutional users primarily operating on CEXs, new utility enabling GHO as collateral in perpetual contracts and financial products unavailable in DeFi, and enhanced liquidity through improved global accessibility and brand recognition via higher trading volumes. The proposal leverages Aave Protocol as a native yield engine, channeling yield from GSMs directly to CEX users through an sGHO-style airdrop model that tracks GHO balances and rewards users weekly.
The program requests 5M GHO funding over 4-6 months targeting $150M new GHO supply, spot trading pairs, earn platform integration, margin trading capabilities, and collateral status for multi-asset perpetual trading. Revenue generation occurs through USDT/GHO spot trading where received USDT mints GHO via stataUSDT GSM and deposits into Aave v3, though the program expects initial costs during bootstrapping phases before transitioning to sustainable integration as adoption scales.

Jito Governance

Jito DAO unveils Tokenomics subDAO proposal with autonomous treasury structure

Jito DAO has introduced JIP-17, proposing the creation of a Tokenomics subDAO (TSD) with autonomous spending authority over $7.5M in JitoSOL and 5M JTO tokens to optimize value accrual and activate the DAO's significant revenue streams. The proposal addresses the urgent need to meaningfully deploy the DAO's approximately $30M annual JitoSOL accrual, which currently represents substantial opportunity cost in Jito's "economic engine."
The governance structure would consist of a 4/6 multi-sig operated by decision makers in what is termed a "conclave-like" system. Participants would synchronize monthly and must reach consensus before concluding deliberations, with all information remaining confidential until transactions execute. The framework would include experts in mechanism design and tokenomics, technical builders for implementation, and Nick Almond from the Jito Foundation serving as facilitator.
Success metrics focus on delivering at least two divergent approaches to token economy governance, potentially including smart buybacks, JTO/JitoSOL auction mechanisms, liquidity enhancement systems, DAO-to-DAO network effects, and fee switch vault mechanisms. The proposal acknowledges significant risks including potential asset loss with "no trustless mechanism available for guaranteed return," framing the initiative as the DAO going "on-risk" with a bet on participant delivery capabilities over the 12-month operational period.

Proposal Tracker™️

⚡ VOTING PASSED | Puffer DAO - Governance Framework for Removing Incentive Gauges

Summary: This proposal establishes a comprehensive governance framework for the assessment and removal of underperforming or obsolete incentive gauges within the Puffer DAO's Season 2 gauge voting system, enabling vePUFFER holders to maintain emissions alignment with protocol objectives through structured removal processes. The framework introduces dual pathways for gauge elimination: community-initiated removals requiring formal forum proposals with five-day discussion periods, two-day governance committee reviews, and majority DAO voting during subsequent epochs, alongside emergency team-initiated immediate removals for functionally defunct or actively dangerous gauges posing technical or financial risks to users.

💬 DISCUSSION | ApeCoin DAO - Sunsetting the DAO and Launching ApeCo — A New Operating Model for ApeCoin

Summary: This proposal by Greg Solano, CEO of Yuga Labs, recommends the complete dissolution of the ApeCoin DAO and transition to ApeCo, a new Yuga Labs-established entity designed to eliminate governance inefficiencies and redirect focus toward three core ecosystem pillars: ApeChain, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and Otherside. The proposal authorizes comprehensive asset transfers including full funding of the ApeCoin staking contract (~11.25M APE), retention of 10M APE for legal obligations and transition costs, and transfer of all remaining DAO assets (APE tokens, fiat/digital currency, intellectual property, smart contracts, domains, and technical infrastructure) to ApeCo management. The proposal addresses perceived DAO failures including "sluggish, noisy, and often unserious governance theater," excessive funding of "vanity proposals and low-impact initiatives," and governance gridlock hindering quality builder support, with ApeCo positioned to deliver faster execution, milestone-based grant accountability, and strategic capital deployment aligned with long-term ecosystem development objectives rather than experimental governance participation.

From the Lab

Proposal - USDS and sUSDS Co-Incentives Growth Management Plan

We've submitted a proposal at Uniswap DAO to launch a USDS and sUSDS Co-Incentives Growth Management Plan focused on Unichain. The initiative leverages our expertise in stablecoin ecosystem optimization to analyze coordinated incentive mechanisms across Sky's USDS stablecoin and sUSDS yield-bearing variant, tracking KPIs including adoption rates, liquidity depth, yield sustainability, and cross-protocol integration effectiveness. The proposal requests funding for direct liquidity incentives, governance participation rewards, and quarterly reporting to achieve significant USDS supply growth on Unichain.

▶︎ READ the proposal

Scroll DAO Delegate Accelerator Applications NOW OPEN

We’re thrilled to announce that applications for the Scroll DAO Delegate Accelerator Program (d/acc) are officially open! This intensive 7-week program will equip you with the knowledge, tools, and network you need to become an effective delegate at Scroll DAO.

The accelerator features weekly workshops that cover governance fundamentals, proposal analysis, community engagement strategies, and technical deep-dives into Scroll’s Layer 2 infrastructure. As a participant, you’ll receive mentorship from experienced governance professionals, gain access to exclusive resources, and enjoy direct engagement opportunities with both the Scroll core team and existing delegates.

Applications are now open for individuals who are passionate about decentralized governance and committed to contributing to Scroll’s long-term success.

▶︎ APPLY now