[Temp Check] Working Group Restructure
Summary
This temp check proposes rolling the three existing ENS DAO Working Groups, Meta-Governance, Public Goods, and Ecosystem, into a single, consolidated Working Group. This new working group would combine the Ecosystem and Public Goods functions while MetaGov functionality can be mostly provided by an empowered ENS Foundation. The new Working Group would also serve as the primary public-facing touchpoint between ENS DAO and the wider ecosystem.
This proposal is informed by the ENS DAO Retrospective, ENS DAO Reform Next Steps, @Limes’ Replace Working Groups Proposal, @katherine.eth’s ENS Foundation Proposal, and the broader set of reform discussions that have developed across the forum, IRL events and community calls since late 2025. We deeply appreciate the patience and pragmatism shown by the ENS community during this transitional period!
Motivation & Context
ENS DAO has operated with three Working Groups since the DAO launched as one of the primary ways to contribute to the DAO. Each WG has been made up of three elected stewards, with one serving as Lead Steward. Across all working groups there is a shared DAO Secretary and a dedicated Scribe. Working groups have been a great initiative that drove decentralised contribution and a large number of positive outcomes for ENS DAO, however as ENS evolves, so too should its working group and wider contribution structure.
The three different working groups drive three different areas of ENS support and growth (obviously this list isn’t exhaustive and each WG provides value in many ways):
- Ecosystem WG: Supporting the ENS Ecosystem through Hackathons, Grants, Bug Bounties and IRL events.
- Public Goods WG: Supporting Ethereum and ENS public goods through grants, network and highlighting impact.
- MetaGov WG: Supporting ENS Governance; proposal management, DAO timing and governance coordination.
This post proposes combining Ecosystem & PG into a single public facing ENS working group while MetaGov functionality can be provided by the ENS Foundation (CC @katherine.eth open to thoughts here around the separation of Foundation <> Working Group responsibilities)
The Cases for Change
Several converging signals have shaped this proposal:
Limes’ proposal at the end of 2025 to move away from the Working Group model attracted significant support from delegates, service providers, and contributors. But was defeated in favour of conducting the ENS retrospective before making structural changes to the DAO.
Katherine’s ENS Foundation temp check which proposes transitioning the majority of operational responsibilities currently managed by Working Groups to an empowered ENS Foundation. The Foundation proposal has drawn broad support from contributors and this WG restructure proposal is complementary to that effort.
The ENS DAO Retrospective, conducted independently by Metagov.org, surfaced three structural issues the current WG model has contributed to:
- A breakdown in communication and accountability between contributors, working groups, ENS Labs, and delegates.
- A concentration of decision-making and funding influence among a small group of long-standing participants, with the Retro finding that a significant proportion of decision-makers around funding are also recipients of that same funding.
- Contributor fatigue stemming from the lack of structural evolution since the DAO’s launch in 2021, with Working Group structures remaining largely unchanged across 4+ years of operation.
The FireEyes ENS DAO Reform Next Steps post frames this proposal as one of three complementary structural changes, alongside the Foundation and SPP reforms, designed to be considered together as a coherent path forward.
Specification
Winding Down the Three Existing Working Groups
This proposal would wind down the Meta-Governance, Public Goods, and Ecosystem Working Groups in an orderly fashion at the conclusion of the current term (when this proposal passes). Existing multisig balances from dissolved Working Groups would be returned to the DAO treasury, consistent with the Working Group bylaws.
Any committed grants or active disbursements at the time of wind-down would be honoured in full before closure.
Establishing One Public-Facing Working Group
If this proposal draws support, a single consolidated Working Group would be established, combining the Public Goods and ecosystem functions. The purpose of this WG is not operational governance, that moves to the Foundation, but instead serves as the most open, accessible, and permissionless entry point for the broader community to engage with ENS DAO and vice versa.
The new WG would be responsible for:
- Community calls: Hosting regular weekly (or bi-weekly, interested in previous steward input here) calls where developers, new contributors, and community members can engage directly with the DAO and remain informed on its direction.
- Hosting (or hosting in collaboration with the Foundation) delegate all hands monthly.
- Small grants: Distributing grants of up to $25,000 (open to input on what the bounds of this number should be) without requiring formal approval from delegates or the Foundation, enabling fast, lightweight funding of community experiments, events, external contributions, and ecosystem outreach.
- Public engagement: Supporting the public awareness of ENS: community engagement, ecosystem events, educational initiatives, and other externally-facing DAO communications.
Steward Election Process
The steward election process for the new Working Group would follow the existing WG rules — three self-nominated and elected stewards, selected by delegates using the current nomination and election mechanics. No changes to the election process itself are proposed at this time. Experimenting with different steward selection and voting structures isn’t something this proposal is actively trying to achieve, however if there’s strong feelings from delegates or the ENS community we’re happy to amend this.
Compensation
Reflecting the reduced scope and responsibilities of the consolidated WG, steward compensation would be set at $3,000 USDC per month plus $1,000 in ENS tokens per month, vested using a structure consistent with the existing steward vesting model (2-year linear vesting from the start of the term).
Secretary and Scribe roles could be carried forward (interested in input here), however with the reduction in working groups our initial perspective is the secretary and scribe roles could be rolled into a single role (under the Foundation or independent) that would work alongside the Working Group.
Conclusion
ENS DAO’s Working Group structure served a genuine purpose in the DAO’s earlier stages by enabling permissionless contribution, distributing operational responsibility, and creating a home for community participation in governance. Three years on, the evidence from the Retrospective, from delegate sentiment, and from the proposals developing across the forum all point in one direction: the current model needs to evolve.
This proposal preserves what matters most about the WG model, an open, community-facing structure that any contributor can engage with, while significantly reducing operational and financial overhead as well as creating space for the ENS Foundation to take on the governance and operational functions that benefit from formal accountability structures.
ENS is one of the most important pieces of Ethereum-aligned infrastructure and holds one of the largest ETH treasuries in the ecosystem. Getting our contributor structures right directly shapes our ability to deploy resources effectively, build accountability into how the DAO operates, and continue to attract high-quality contributors to the mission.
There are clearly many ongoing initiatives within the DAO right now and this proposal aims to simplify elements of the DAO while still ensuring there’s space for public contribution and context gathering. We imagine this working group structure could continue to evolve over the year and are not opposed to any/all ideas about how this WG model could be improved!
We welcome feedback from delegates, stewards, service providers, and the wider ENS community as this temp check develops.