Cardano BuildersFund

Funding Model

How funding works, and how it stays fair

Success fees apply only when a campaign meets its goal. If a campaign falls short, contributions return and no success fee is taken.

Prototype foundation. Not accepting real funds yet.

Core principle

Fair to builders. Sustainable for the platform. Transparent to everyone.

Campaign types

Different campaigns carry different fees, reflecting the work and the ecosystem value involved. Each type is reviewed before going live — see the review workflow.

Standard Builder Campaign

8%

success fee

Any serious Cardano builder

Self-serve, oracle-settled campaigns with milestone-based release. The success fee is allocated transparently.

Managed / Verified Campaign

12%

success fee

Builders wanting added review and support

Adds scope review, verification, and direct platform support. The higher fee reflects the added human work involved.

Selected Public-Good / Open-Source Campaign

5%

success fee

Selected open-source and public-good work

A reduced rate for selected public-good and open-source work, keeping more support with builders delivering ecosystem-wide value.

Governance-Action Deposit Pool

0%

fee on returned ADA principal

Coordinating ADA for a governance-action deposit

A future, separate path. ADA stays ADA, and returned ADA principal is intended to go back pro rata after finalization. No platform fee is taken from returned principal. Any proposer coordination fee, optional tip, or thank-you reward would be separate and clearly disclosed.

Where the standard fee goes

The 8% Standard Builder Campaign fee is allocated transparently. The Builder Reserve share funds an ecosystem-support pool for future builders.

Fee allocation

8%

  • Platform operations

    Running and maintaining the platform.

    5%

  • Builder Reserve

    An ecosystem-support pool for future builders.

    2%

  • Oracle / infrastructure / settlement reserve

    Oracle, indexing, and settlement infrastructure.

    1%

Stablecoin settlement direction

For normal builder campaigns, a direction to protect funding value in a stable asset such as USDCx. Governance deposit pools are different — there, ADA stays ADA. Not live; no real swaps.

Read the stablecoin settlement direction →

Current status

These figures describe the intended model. Cardano Builders Fund is a prototype foundation: it is not accepting real funds, performs no KYC, and runs no live custody or settlement. The fee percentages do not imply any fee is being collected today. Nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice.