Using the Livepeer Community Treasury
Three weeks ago the Livepeer community approved a governance proposal establishing an on-chain treasury. Since then, the treasury has accumulated over 29,000 LPT tokens designated for ecosystem public goods funding. This post outlines the processes for successfully accessing and deploying these community resources.
The Basics: How Treasury Proposals Work
Token holders possessing at least 100 staked LPT can submit funding proposals via the Livepeer Explorer Treasury Tab. Submitters must specify proposal text, requested LPT amount, and recipient address.
Voting requirements:
- 33% quorum of all active stake participation required
- 50% of voting stake must approve
- Funds release automatically upon passage
It's worth noting that accessing funding from community treasuries is not quite as easy as it seems — proposals require sufficient community attention to achieve voting participation.
The Livepeer Treasury Social Processes
The community established "Funding Entity Conventions" (documented in LIP-90) emphasizing two core principles:
- Treasury funds support public goods
- Treasury prioritizes Special Purpose Entities (SPEs) rather than individual recipients
SPEs are organizations or individuals managing focused, theme-based programs with relevant expertise for fund allocation.
Proposal eligibility guidance:
- Direct app/project work applicants should pursue existing grant programs
- SPE formation or continuation candidates should pursue treasury proposals
- Consider the Grants program or Livepeer Innovators DAO for individual projects
How to Successfully Reach the Proposal Phase
Successful proposals employ two strategies: building community support and raising awareness.
Building Community Support
Pre-proposal forum discussion:
Submit a discussion thread in the Livepeer Forum "treasury" category. Engage commenters and incorporate feedback. Complete proposals should address:
- SPE mission
- Approach and strategy
- Expected impact
- Upcoming milestones
- Team backgrounds
- Funding request
- Transparency commitments
- Governance structure
- Future funding timeline
Community engagement channels:
- Treasury Chat — Bi-weekly Discord calls for proposal discussion
- Water Coolers — Weekly Discord meetings for orchestrators and community members seeking early feedback
Additional actions include creating a dedicated website or wiki documenting your plans and transparent execution.
Groups that take the above steps and engage in a couple weeks of community discourse around their concept are far more likely to build support than those who go straight to an onchain proposal.
Raising Awareness
Primary visibility strategies include:
- Post in Discord's #governance channel
- Use @Orchestrator mentions for major milestones
- Leverage social media and token holder communities
- Conduct active campaign promotion
Tool development opportunities:
There are several tools that could improve governance participation and would make great Livepeer Open Network Grant candidates:
- Telegram/Discord governance bot extensions
- Optional treasury proposal newsletter
- Livepeer Explorer voting badging and alerts
- Orchestrator voting record tools with delegator notifications
Vote-whipping remains a bit of a political process, and SPEs are advised to do a bit of active campaigning to reach quorum.
After the Vote
Successful SPEs demonstrate accountability through transparency and consistent communication. Funded entities should:
- Provide frequent progress updates
- Share outcomes achieved
- Update existing forum threads or create new ones
- Participate in Treasury Chat calls
- Post Discord updates regularly
Funding strategy:
SPEs should request amounts covering specific milestones or 6–12 months of operations, then reapply demonstrating impact. Strong communication and community relationships will remain key for securing future funding.
Getting Started
If you're forming an SPE or considering a treasury proposal, the best first step is to begin pre-discussions in the community forum and Discord channels as you prepare your formal proposal. These are exciting times for Livepeer's ecosystem development.