Guide to Season 4: As a Collective
We’d like to start by recognizing the incredible contributions of our delegates in Season 3:
- Retroactive Delegate Rewards Season 3: Retroactive rewards in recognition of the important contributions of top active delegates over the past Season.
In Season 4, we’ll lay the groundwork to align the entire community around Collective Intents and several other foundational concepts upon which the Collective will be built.
Introducing: Intents
Intents are directional goals that allow the Collective to align and focus.All work supported or executed by the Collective should be in pursuit of our Collective Intents.
You can think of an Intent as a near term target. Each Intent will be equipped with its own budget for Season 4.
Introducing: Missions
Token House Missions are proposals for specific initiatives that achieve an Intent. You can think of a Mission as an arrow aiming at the target (Intent). Just as there are many paths an arrow might take on its way to the target, there are many different Missions that might accomplish an Intent. Missions are specific initiatives that can be completed start-to-finish in a given timeframe.
There are two types of Missions:
- Proposed Missions must be submitted under an Intent. Each Intent will be equipped with its own budget. The Token House will then rank order Proposed Missions until the budget for each Intent is fully allocated. Proposed Missions enable the Governance Fund to support a broader range of initiatives aligned with our Intents.
- Foundation Missions are Missions that are defined by the Foundation and are akin to public Requests for Proposals for the Partner Fund. Foundation Missions must also work towards our Intents.
Introducing: Alliances
Missions are executed by Alliances, or groups of contributors that temporarily work together to accomplish a Mission start-to-finish.
Alliances can submit proposals based on Collective Trust Tiers, the very first step towards a more robust reputation system based on positive impact within the ecosystem. Attestations will also be introduced in Season 4, allowing reputation to start accumulating on-chain.
How it all Comes Together
Season 4 is ambitious as it introduces many of the foundational concepts behind the Optimistic Vision. Collective Intents are the first step in aligning the Token House and Citizens’ House in pursuit of our strategic goals. Missions enable the Token House to support work aligned with these Intents and to start bootstrapping a market for RetroPGF. Collective Trust Tiers hint at a future in which one’s positive impact in the ecosystem creates additional opportunity.
Finally, in Season 4, the Foundation will take several steps towards increased transparency and further decentralization by voting on two additional proposal types for the first time: Treasury Appropriations (Foundation budget approval) and Inflation Adjustment.
In designing the Season 4 structure, we’ve drawn inspiration from governance experiments run at several other DAOs, primarily Gitcoin, ENS, and CabinDAO. As tribute, we will nominate these DAOs in the next round of RetroPGF. 
We know this is a lot information to digest. We’ve scheduled a Foundation AMA to answer any and all of your questions on Season 4.
You can see the AMA and the entire schedule outlined below on our public governance calendar.
What Does This Mean for Me?
I’m interested in contributing to the Collective
- Working on something aligned with our Intents?
- Propose your own idea for a Mission by posting a Proposed Mission to the forum by June 21st and receive 4 delegate approvals by June 28th. Missions will be approved by July 13th.
- Apply for a Foundation Mission (RFP) by submitting an application on Github any time before June 28th. Foundation Missions may be approved between now and July 13th.
- Learn more about RetroPGF and how your past contributions may be rewarded for their impact in the future.
I’m a delegate
Provide feedback on the drafts linked below:
Special Voting Cycle #12a:
- Protocol Delegation Program Renewal: The Token House will vote to approve the final season of this program which enables the Foundation to delegate to active protocols in the Optimism ecosystem. Renewal will require 30% quorum and a 51% approval threshold.
- Collective Intent Budgets: The Token House will vote to approve each proposed Intent Budget. All Intent Budget Proposals will require 30% quorum and a 51% approval threshold.
- Grants Council Renewal: The Token House will vote vote to renew the Grants Council by approving the budget proposal for Intent #2, which is to be overseen by the Council. Delegates are effectively electing the Council Lead that has authored an approved proposal.
Special Voting Cycle #12b
Council Reviewer Elections, contingent on Special Voting Cycle #12a: Elections for self-nominated Grants Council Reviewer candidates
Treasury Appropriations: The Token House must approve the Optimism Foundation’s budget annually. As outlined in the Operating Manual. More information will be provided ahead of Special Voting Cycle #12b.
Inflation Adjustment: Proposals may be submitted annually to suggest changes to the inflation rate of newly minted OP, as outlined in the Operating Manual. More information will be provided ahead of Special Voting Cycle #12b.
Voting Cycle #13
- Propose Missions: Request Governance Fund support for initiatives aligned with the Collective Intents.
- Apply to accept Foundation Missions (RFPs): More RFPs will be added between now and June 7th. > Applications must be submitted by June 27th. Foundation Missions (RFPs) will be processed during the voting period
- Regular Grants Cycle (if Council is renewed)
- [Any other valid non-grant proposals]
Vote in the Special Voting Cycles, as outlined below:
- April 13th - April 26th: Reflection Period (2 weeks)
- April 27th - May 10th: Special Voting Cycle #12a (2 weeks)
- May 11th - May 17th: Grants Council Reviewer self-nominations (1 week)
- Contingent on Special Voting Cycle #12a
- If the Grants Council is not renewed, this period will be used as a review period for the other proposals scheduled for Special Voting Cycle #12b
- May 18th - May 31st: Special Voting Cycle #12b (2 weeks)
- Council Reviewer Elections
- Treasury Appropriations (annual Foundation budget approval)
- Inflation Adjustment
- June 1st-June 7th: Grants Council grace period to publish/update internal operating procedures
- Contingent on Special Voting Cycle #12a
- If the Grants Council is not renewed, this period will be used as a rest/preparation period for Season 4
- June 8th: Season 4 starts with Voting Cycle #13 and continues through Voting Cycle #15, ending on September 20th
- Proposed Mission will be submitted and voted on in Cycle #13
Please note we are experimenting with new funding structures in Season 4. If these structures continue beyond Season 4, the Intent Budgeting process and Proposed Missions will occur at a frequency that aligns them with RetroPGF rounds. Voting Cycles and Seasons will continue at their regular frequency.
