In recent Project Catalyst funding rounds, the introduction of the Partner Category has marked an important milestone for the Cardano ecosystem. Designed to incentivize enterprise, institutional, and governmental collaborations with Cardano, the Partner Category reflects the growing maturity of the blockchain and the community’s desire to extend its reach into the real world through strategic alliances. However, despite the noble intentions behind this initiative, Some participants have struggled to gain traction within the category, resulting in a noticeable absence or few epresentation among shortlisted proposals in regions like Africa, LATAM, Middleast and the Oceania. This has generated a sense of marginalization among some builders and community members—especially those who have invested significant effort in engaging governments, public agencies, and enterprises in their home countries, only to see their proposals excluded from funding consideration. This imbalance is multifaceted: intense global competition, limited Catalyst resources, and the networking advantages held by more connected and established regions in Europe, North America, Japan, India have all contributed to this disparity. While the bar for competition was undoubtedly high, the effect has still been demoralizing for many contributors. This challenge was raised publicly during a live town hall in Kenya, where members of the African Cardano community directly asked Charles Hoskinson why no African proposals were shortlisted in the Partner Category in F13. Charles acknowledged the concern, noting how imbalanced the results may appear and expressing optimism that the Voltaire governance era would enable communities to take their future into their own hands—by making direct requests from the treasury and funding partnerships that support the growth of their local ecosystems. This proposal is a direct response to that conversation, that context, and the wider issue at hand. Cardano’s core design—centered around scalability, sustainability, and decentralization—makes it uniquely suited to solve many of the challenges in these regions. Our robust Proof-of-Stake architecture, low fees, secure smart contract platform, and focus on formal methods offer a reliable foundation for real-world applications in low-trust or under-resourced environments. However, the potential for Cardano to have impact on the continent will remain unrealized if African, LATAM, Middleast and Oceania-led partnerships continue to be underfunded or excluded from institutional engagement pathways.

In the past two Catalyst rounds, introducing the Partner Category marked a significant step toward fostering enterprise, institutional, and governmental adoption of Cardano. While this was a noble and necessary initiative, some regions of the world, like Africa and the Middle East, LATAM and Oceania have not unfortunately, benefited from it in any tangible way. with some of these regions having zero funded proposals in the Partnership category. Despite strong efforts by many builders in those regions to engage their governments and institutions, sometimes no proposal was shortlisted from their regions. This outcome—driven by factors such as intense global competition, limited resource pools, and perhaps the advantage of existing networks in other regions—has left many contributors feeling disgruntled. We acknowledge that the competition bar was understandably high, but that doesn't diminish the feelings of discouragement among those who participated in good faith.

During the live interaction with Charles Hoskinson at the Constitutional Workshop, members of the African Cardano in Kenya raised this concern directly. Charles acknowledged how skewed this result may appear and expressed hope that the upcoming Voltaire governance structure would empower people to take their future into their own hands—by making direct treasury requests and funding impactful partnerships tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities to their continent, this has become the crux of this proposal.

These regions neglected play a pivotal part in the future of Cardanos growth and expansion. Take Africa as an example, it is home to approximately 370 million unbanked adults, according to the World Bank, and it currently leads the world in the fastest rate of crypto and blockchain adoption. Given this context, creating a dedicated pool or strategic mechanism to support institutional, enterprise, and governmental partnerships in Africa is not only justified—it is essential. This analogy can be said for most of these regions today, Middleeast, Latam andthe Oceania.

This proposal aims to decentralize Cardano partnerships by intentionally extending their reach to underrepresented regions—Africa, Middleeast, Latam and Oceania. While we applaud the impressive partnerships forming in other parts of the world, it's disheartening to see a lack of representation from regions that arguably stands to benefit the most from blockchain innovation.

The benefits of this proposal are both pragmatic and philosophical. It aligns with Cardano’s core values of decentralization, inclusivity, and real-world impact. Furthermore, it positions Africa, LATAM, Midlleeast and Oceania as a fertile ground for Cardano-based solutions in areas such as governance, banking, identity, education, and health—where traditional systems often fall short.

If Cardano is to become the blockchain of global relevance, Africa, LATAM, Middleast, and the Oceania cannot be left behind. On the contrary, they could become the regions where Cardano sees its most meaningful and strategic adoption. This proposal is a strategic step in cementing that future.

Framework Design Document A fully developed framework outlining: Eligibility criteria for proposals Evaluation and review process Funding allocation models Roles of reviewers, facilitators, and community monitors Definition of Done: Document completed, published, and accepted by the Cardano governance community.

Launch of the Partnership Funding Pool A dedicated pool set up through an aligned treasury process and purse. Clearly defined guidelines made available publicly. Definition of Done: Pool is active, with application portals and submission timelines published.

Outreach and Capacity Building Activities At least 3 live workshops/webinars hosted (virtually or locally) to: Educate institutions and proposers in these regions about the funding opportunity Assist in proposal development and roadmap alignment Definition of Done: Events conducted, recordings and attendance metrics shared with the community.

Open Application Window A well-publicized call for proposals partnership projects. Application portal prepared and proposal template provided. Definition of Done: Call for proposals launched and promoted via Catalyst, Cardano, and local channels.

Proposal Review and Shortlisting Formation of a review panel with at least 50% representation from experts or stakeholders in these regions. All eligible proposals scored and shortlisted based on pre-published criteria. Definition of Done: Shortlist finalized and published; feedback provided to all applicants.

Community Voting and Selection Shortlisted proposals submitted to the community for voting. Voting tools integrated . Definition of Done: Voting completed; selected proposals announced and ready for funding.

Reporting and Documentation Full post-cycle report including: Number of applications received Number and type of partnerships funded Lessons learned and improvement recommendations Definition of Done: Report completed and published for community review.

Each funded partnership will be designed to generate a minimum of 10,000 measurable adoption touchpoints, defined through a combination of the following indicators: On-chain activity: Number of transactions or smart contract interactions recorded on the Cardano blockchain as a result of the initiative. Wallet growth: Number of new ADA wallets created or activated within the partner ecosystem. User acquisition: Number of unique individuals onboarded into the Cardano ecosystem, including verified participants in trainings, communities, or dApps.

ADA engagement: Total volume of ADA transacted, staked, or invested through the project’s ecosystem.

All partnership performance metrics will be transparently reported to the community. Additionally, a comprehensive implementation playbook will be produced to ensure scalability and replicability in future funding cycles.

Total Requested Funding: $1,600,000 USD / ~2,666,667 ADA (@ $0.60/ADA)

🔹 Africa, LATAM, MENA,and Oceania Partnership Funding Pool – 75% $1,200,000 USD / ~2,000,000 ADA Direct funding for impactful, partnership-based proposals with institutions, enterprises, and governments.
✅ Must align with Cardano’s product roadmap and deliver real-world outcomes.

🔹 Program Implementation & Support – 25%
$400,000 USD / ~666,667 ADA

• Operations & Program Management (10%)
  $160,000 / ~266,667 ADA
  Covers staffing, coordination, infrastructure, and governance framework.

• Outreach & Capacity Building (7%) $112,000 / ~186,667 ADA
  Campaigns, proposal workshops, webinars, and institutional outreach.

• Proposal Evaluation & Community Coordination (5%)
  $80,000 / ~133,333 ADA
  Reviewer compensation, evaluation logistics, and voting process support.

• Monitoring & Evaluation (3%) $48,000 / ~80,000 ADA
  Continuous impact tracking, milestone verification, and public reporting.

To deliver on the proposal’s key objectives and outcomes, we estimate an initial implementation phase of 4–6 months for setting up and executing the first cycle of the community centric Partnership Funding Mechanism. However, it's important to note that funded partnership projects will each require between 6 to 12 months to complete, depending on their scope and complexity. This means that continuous monitoring and evaluation will extend beyond the initial implementation window, ensuring accountability, support, and knowledge sharing throughout the project lifecycle.

Estimated Duration Framework Design & Planning:3–4 weeks Outreach & Capacity Building: 2–3 weeks (ongoing) Application & Submission Window:4 weeks Proposal Evaluation & Shortlisting :3–4 weeks Voting & Fund Disbursement: 2 weeks Monitoring & Reporting Setup: Ongoing after launch Project Execution by Awardees:6–12 months Long-term Monitoring & Evaluation: Continuous

Team Composition & Roles We anticipate a core implementation team of 6–8 members mostly from Africa, Middleast, LATAM and Oceania, supported by additional regional advisors, community facilitators, and reviewers in the regions.

Core Roles Project Lead / Coordinator (1) Oversees end-to-end delivery, stakeholder alignment, and milestone tracking.

Strategic Partnerships Lead (1) Interfaces with institutions and partners to support proposal development.

Framework & Governance Designer (1) Develops the partnership pool framework, review criteria, and voting structure.

Outreach & Engagement Specialists (1–2) Execute webinars, regional activations, and onboarding sessions with community hubs and institutions. Proposal Evaluation Team (3–5) Includes local reviewers with subject matter expertise to assess partnership value and roadmap alignment.

Monitoring & Evaluation Lead (1) Develops and implements a long-term M&E framework for funded projects, with regular check-ins and public reporting.

Communications & Reporting Lead (1) Manages documentation, community updates, and end-of-cycle performance reports.

The Cardano Coalition ++ team is a group of cardano based entities in Africa, MidleEast, LATAM and Oceania who are working on ground in different capacitiein Africa. It is also led by reputable members of the Cardano Community who have worked on several projects that show experience and capacity to deliver on this project. The coalition comprises primarily of Remostart led by Ubio Obu (an Intersect Constitutional Member), CATH led by Daniel Lezu( a Cardano Ambassador) and Giiyotech led by Maureen Weppong(A Cameroon community lead). Remostart has been at the forefront of onboarding talents and developers inclusively to the Cardano ecosystem, with up to a thousand onboarded by the team, Remostart has a strong Nigeria, Syria, Dubai, Spain, and Argentina presence where it has partnered with VCs and governments for several projects, currently is organizing an event called ecosystem mixer where government and tech industry come together to discuss challenges and network. Remostart beckons on that wealth of experience working with relevant government and industry experts to facilitate this project. Catalyst African Town Hall(CATH) is one of the foremost meeting point for most Africans with attendance from more than 15 African countries, CATH has the experience that is purely Pan African, and with successfully managing funds that are meant for projects all over Africa that experience is even more important here. Giiyotech is an active platform pomotin STEM education in Cameroon, Led by Maureen who has shown her competence in the Cardano ecosystem, they bring a flavor that will be needed for institutional adoption and engagement, especially in the STEM sector. Currently A Consortium in the Oceania(DaoUnder) is being reached out to, who will bring the Oceania experience into the equation to help us with partnership in this region.

We will create a structured funding cycle which will let us apply for continued support based on impact-driven metrics. But other than that, we will -Launch developer bootcamps and technical training programs, equipping institutions in these regions with the expertise needed to sustain their Cardano adoption. -Partner with universities to integrate blockchain courses and research programs, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled Cardano Builders. This means more projects being built and some income coming in over the longterm.

Identification and Onboarding of Reviewers / Evaluators in these regions Dependency Type: External Details: A diverse, knowledgeable pool of local-based or experienced reviewers is needed to evaluate partnership proposals fairly and contextually. These individuals will be sourced, trained, and onboarded early in the implementation phase.

Outreach and Community Engagement Infrastructure Dependency Type: External Details: To raise awareness and encourage participation, partnerships with existing African, LATAM, MIiddleEast, Oceania Cardano communities, ambassadors, regional hubs, and relevant institutions will be necessary. These stakeholders will help run webinars, workshops, and educational campaigns.

Transparent Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism Dependency Type: Internal Details: A system for tracking progress, measuring impact, and reporting transparently on funded partnerships will be developed or adapted from existing tools.