This proposal seeks to address a critical need in Cardano’s governance evolution: building a knowledgeable, capable, and distributed community of governance actors who can securely and effectively operate in the post-CIP-1694, constitutional era. With the rollout of the Cardano Constitution, the emergence of Delegated Representatives (DReps), and the increasing responsibility of Stake Pool Operators (SPOs) in governance, the network now depends on a broad base of technically competent and constitutionally literate participants.
_
Yet today, there are only a handful of community members who know how to:

• Form and operate a Constitutional Committee consortium
• Manage the cold and hot credentials necessary for secure governance participation
• Submit compliant governance actions using tools like the Cardano CLI and Constitutional Committee Credential Manager
• Interpret and work within the constraints of the guardrail scripts
• Monitor and test governance features in testnet environments

_
In the past, Input Output Global (IOG) coordinated a governance testnet called SanchoNet, which provided an experimental environment for proposals, parameter changes, and credential management during the governance development period. But on February 14, 2025, IOG handed over control of the SanchoNet Faucet Wallet and node coordination responsibilities to Mike Hornan, one of the most active community contributors to Cardano governance and the operator of ABLE Pool. This handoff marked the beginning of a new phase of community-led governance infrastructure that now must be coordinated and expanded through grassroots participation.
_
SanchoNet provides a uniquely powerful tool for governance education. Unlike other testnets that are primarily meant for developers, SanchoNet is tailored for prototyping real governance actions like parameter changes, CC updates, voting actions and testing them under realistic conditions. It enables the rapid responses needed to uncover edge cases, practice recovery procedures, and allow new actors to gain confidence with on-chain governance mechanics. As an educational testnet, SanchoNet can be used to instantly ratify test Governance Actions and experiment with different protocol parameter settings in a live Cardano environment.
_
To meet this challenge, this proposal will launch the SanchoNet Education Network, a new decentralized organization and training platform built around this community-led governance testnet. The initiative will offer hands-on technical training, maintain governance infrastructure, and produce high-quality educational content to support community members in taking up governance roles with confidence.

Cardano's transition to on-chain governance through CIP-1694 presents a transformative opportunity for community leadership but also exposes critical gaps in knowledge, tooling, and infrastructure. While the governance framework introduces powerful new roles like Constitutional Committee members, DReps, and voting rights for SPOs, very few people in the community currently have the technical expertise or training to participate effectively. Without targeted education, testing environments, and community coordination, this system risks being governed by a narrow set of insiders rather than the broader ecosystem it was designed to empower.
_
We aim to establish a network of governance experts, mentors, and participants who can help interested members of the community step up to become governance leaders.
_

• Education: Governance actors need high-quality, accessible, and up-to-date materials such as infographics, tutorials, and hands-on workshops that explain how to operate within the new system.

• Mentorship: Aspiring CC members, DReps, and SPOs need structured opportunities to practice the real mechanics of governance in a sandbox environment alongside experienced contributors.

• Infrastructure: The community needs to maintain SanchoNet as a functioning, community-managed testnet to safely experiment with governance actions and upgrades.

• Security: As more participants handle governance keys and sign governance transactions, they need training on how to manage cold/hot environments securely.

• Continuity: The community needs a plan to recover from network outages or node failures, particularly in SanchoNet, to ensure training and experimentation can continue uninterrupted.

• Community Coordination: A decentralized but cohesive organization is needed to facilitate the production of materials, host events, and sustain network operation.

This proposal will directly strengthen Cardano's on-chain governance by delivering hands-on education, maintaining essential infrastructure, and cultivating a pipeline of empowered governance actors. Our work will benefit the ecosystem in the following ways:

_

• Expand the Pool of Constitutional Committee Members: Train a diverse group of community members to serve securely and competently in CC consortium roles, including orchestrators, head of security, and voters.

• Demystify Governance Complexity: Produce clear, accessible infographics, tutorials, and walkthroughs that explain key governance systems such as guardrail scripts, protocol parameters, and governance actions.

• Establish Dedicated Training Infrastructure: Operate and maintain SanchoNet as a decentralized, community-owned testnet tailored for governance education and experimentation.

• Ensure SanchoNet Continuity: Sustain the network through community stewardship, with redundant infrastructure, a node recovery plan, and transparent operational oversight.

• Advance Governance Security Practices: Provide practical training in key management, secure hardware environments, and operational readiness for on-chain governance responsibilities.

• Mentor the Next Generation of Governance Leaders: Build a mentorship framework to support new DReps, SPOs, and CC participants in acquiring both technical skills and institutional knowledge.

• Promote Real Decentralization Through Participation: Lower the barriers to entry for governance participation and create a resilient, well-informed community that can govern Cardano effectively and credibly.

*_
Milestone 1: Launch & Foundation Building
Timeline: June – September 2025
Objectives:

• Deploy SanchoNet infrastructure (block producer, relays, faucet)
• Publish contributor guidelines and recovery plan
• Begin development of Credential Manager educational module
• Launch first online workshops (English and French)
• Launch first in-person workshops
• Offer workshops for both basic and advanced governance skills
• Publish full calendar of events and curriculum outline
• Serve as resource for Cardano governance actors _
  Deliverables:
• Secure SanchoNet with at least 5 independent relays (incentivize SPOs)
• Credential Manager outline + 1 draft infographic or tutorial
• Hold at least 12 online workshops in both English and French with different time zones covered for geographic diversity
• Host Constitutional Committee Workshop, SPO Workshop and DRep Workshop at Rare Evo conference in Las Vegas
• Train at least 50 people in basic workshops (online and in person) to understand and practice good social governance
• Train at least 10 people to basic level of competency on CLI tools for DRep registration, SPO services, or CC orchestration
• Public GitHub repo with training calendar + documentation
• Work with new Constitutional Committee members (September) to ensure they have secure setups for their cold and hot environments _
  _
  Milestone 2: Credentialing & Governance Lifecycles
  Timeline: October – December 2025
  Objectives:
• Finalize and publish Credential Manager module (infographics, tutorials, video)
• Begin development of Guardrail Scripts module
• Expand SanchoNet coordination with additional SPO contributors
• Continue multilingual online workshops
• Begin first mentorship cohort
• Offer workshops for both basic and advanced governance skills
• Host 2nd in-person workshop _
  Deliverables:
• 3+ infographics/tutorials on governance
• 1 workshop scenario using live testnet credentialing
• Hold at least 12 online workshops in both English and French with different time zones covered for geographic diversity
• Train at least 50 people in basic workshops (online and in person) to understand and practice good social governance
• Train at least 10 more people to basic level of competency on CLI tools for DRep registration, SPO services, or CC orchestration
• Publish workshop videos on YouTube or other public access media archives
• Launch mentorship cohort to train new governance participants how to operate Stake Pools on SanchoNet
• Host an in-person workshop for governance training _
  _
  Milestone 3: Guardrails, Constraints & Participation
  Timeline: January – March 2026
  Objectives:
• Publish Guardrail Scripts materials
• Begin Protocol Parameters educational module
• Continue SanchoNet maintenance and add proposal simulation tooling
• Offer workshops for both basic and advanced governance skills
• Deliver multilingual online training focused on guardrail enforcement
• Host 3rd in-person workshop
• Continue mentorship and gather midpoint feedback _
  Deliverables:
• 2+ infographics explaining guardrails and action timelines
• Hold at least 12 online workshops in both English and French with different time zones covered for geographic diversity
• Live simulation of rejected/accepted governance actions on SanchoNet
• Train at least 50 people in basic workshops (online and in person) to understand and practice good social governance
• Train at least 10 more people to basic level of competency on CLI tools for DRep registration, SPO services, or CC orchestration
• Publish workshop videos on YouTube or other public access media archives
• Host an in-person workshop for governance training
• Continue mentorship cohort to train new governance participants how to operate Stake Pools on SanchoNet
• Mentee check-ins and learning summaries _
  _
  Milestone 4: Parameters, Stress Testing & Sustainability
  Timeline: April – June 2026
  Objectives:
• Finalize Protocol Parameters materials
• Conduct governance action stress test event across SanchoNet
• Prepare project annual report and sustainability roadmap
• Continue multilingual workshops (emphasis on proposal evaluation)
• Offer workshops for both basic and advanced governance skills
• Host 4th in-person workshop
• Analyze mentorship program and publish onboarding guide
• Prepare comprehensive guides on governance practices _
  Deliverables:
• 3 infographics (Technical, Network, Economic parameters)
• Full-stakeholder stress test event on SanchoNet (at least 10 participants)
• Host an in-person workshop for governance training
• Train at least 50 people in basic workshops (online and in person) to understand and practice good social governance
• Train at least 10 more people to basic level of competency on CLI tools for DRep registration, SPO services, or CC orchestration
• Publish workshop videos on YouTube or other public access media archives
• Continue mentorship cohort to train new governance participants how to operate Stake Pools on SanchoNet
• Project report with attendance, feedback, participation stats
• Publish comprehensive guides on governance practices as taught through the workshops for learners to self-study at their own pace.
• Sustainability plan published (post-funding operations, contributor roles)

Our preferred currency for payment is Ada. We have listed $USD at this time because the tooling does not yet allow us to list Ada.
_
We propose a 13 month plan for 500,000 Ada which is equivalent to $325,000 at $.65 per Ada.
_
Please see our cost breakdown spreadsheet for details: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1g0be4BPOyklwwPJisKutoBRDeVy-GH1u3jtkZn7vjuA/
Or:
https://github.com/adamrusch/proposal-resources/blob/main/SanchoNet%20Education%20Network%20Cost%20Breakdown%20-%20Sheet1.pdf
[commit e52b393]

1. Mike Hornan, Lead Educator & SanchoNet Coordinator
   Time Commitment: Full-time 7-months, then half-time for 5 months _
   Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and maintain SanchoNet infrastructure
• Lead development of training materials
• Host workshops (online + in-person)
• Mentor governance participants
• Coordinate technical team and contributors _
  Biography: Mike Hornan is a leading community educator and infrastructure operator in the Cardano ecosystem, known for his deep contributions to governance tooling and testnet development. He is the stake pool operator of ABLE Pool, a founding member of the Cardano Atlantic Council, and was the first Delegated Representative (DRep) to participate in the SanchoNet governance testnet. Mike has produced widely used educational resources such as the “Cardano in a Nutshell” infographic series and has played a key role in testing CIP-1694 features in collaboration with Input Output Global engineers. He is also known for uncovering the governance DDOS vulnerability which led to the node 10.1.4 fix just before the Plomin hardfork.
  _
  _

2. Adam Rusch, Curriculum Lead & Program Manager
   Time Commitment: ~20 hrs/week June–August, then part-time for 10 months _
   Responsibilities:

• Co-develop educational content
• Support workshop design and delivery
• Coordinate mentorship program
• Manage documentation and public reporting _
  Biography:
  Adam Rusch is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an active contributor to Cardano’s on-chain governance ecosystem. He currently serves on the Intersect Board of Directors and has prior experience on the Intersect Constitutional Council, the Cardano Civics Committee, the Constitution Drafting Working Group, the was the head of the Governance Parameters Working Group within the Intersect Parameters Committee. Adam has been deeply involved in the development and community rollout of CIP-1694 and the Constitution through hosting workshops and contributing to governance tooling design through his work with the Summon Platform team.
  _
  _

3. Legal Advisor
   Time Commitment: 5–10 hrs/month (as-needed basis) _
   Responsibilities:

• Assist with legal entity formation and compliance
• Review participant agreements and mentorship policies
• Advise on regulatory requirements for international training and infrastructure
  _
  _

4. Technical Advisors (Up to 5 individuals)
   Time Commitment: Up to 10 hrs/week per advisor _
   Responsibilities:

• Assist in SanchoNet operation (relays, block producers, monitoring)
• Review and test governance tooling and simulation scenarios
• Provide 1:1 mentorship to participants learning credential ops, proposal submission, and testnet workflows
• Participate in stress tests, backup/recovery drills

In addition to the experience listed in their biographies, the links below are resources that were created by or contributed to by Mike and Adam.

SanchoNet will remain under the control of a diverse group of SPOs (including some who are newly trained) and Technical Advisors, who will maintain node infrastructure, manage failover procedures, and coordinate public operations. All educational materials such as infographics, tutorials, and reports on test governance scenarios will be released under permissive open-source licenses, with a contributor guide to support ongoing community-led updates as governance tools evolve.
_
The mentorship network initiated during the project will provide invaluable connections, with trained DReps, CC participants, and SPOs building bonds with new contributors. The team will pursue additional funding to sustain infrastructure, support contributor stipends, and expand the program to other languages and regions, while also engaging other Cardano institutions.

There have already been dozens of people who have attended SanchNet workshops hosted by Mike Hornan and hundreds who have viewed the infographics and educational materials created up to this point. We will update this proposal with feedback we receive from the community, including endorsements for our plan to continue carrying out this work.

The key dependencies for this proposal will be continued development of the Cardano node software and the coordination of participants willing to run it. We currently have enough volunteers available to sustain this effort and look to add more with the launch of our program.