Web3 Foundation Pledges 10 Million DOT to Kusama, Empowering the Community to Drive Fearless Experimentation

This allotment, representing 1% of Polkadot's genesis supply, fulfills a promise made in 2019 by Polkadot co-founder Gavin Wood to ensure Kusama's long-term value.

The Web3 Foundation is allocating 10 million DOT tokens (around $50.8 million) to the Kusama ecosystem through a “wish for change” referendum.

This allocation, which equates to 1% of Polkadot’s genesis supply, fulfills a promise made in 2019 by Polkadot co-founder Gavin Wood to ensure Kusama’s long-term value.

The referendum has been submitted to the OpenGov governance platform for community review and discussion.

As part of its governance process, the Web3 Foundation seeks the approval of token holders before proceeding with major ecosystem decisions.

This approach aligns with the network’s decentralized ethos, ensuring that such decisions are made collectively by DOT holders rather than unilaterally by any centralized entity.

From its inception, Kusama was designed as a high-risk, high-reward environment where developers and validators could test the limits of Polkadot’s technology in a real-world setting.

To reinforce this vision and support the network’s continued growth, the Web3 Foundation will utilize its own treasury to allocate 10 million DOT to Kusama.

The funds will be distributed over the course of two years or more, rather than as a one-time transfer, to ensure sustained impact.

The primary goal of this initiative is to remove barriers for builders and innovators on Kusama.

By increasing the value proposition of the network, the Web3 Foundation aims to encourage experimentation and foster a dynamic ecosystem where cutting-edge ideas can be tested and realized.

Possible areas of funding include direct transfers to the Kusama Treasury, support for bounties, collectives, DAOs, and other decentralized decision-making initiatives, as well as grants, liquidity provisioning, and event sponsorships.

A focus of the 10 million DOT allocation will be investing in zero-knowledge (ZK) technologies, establishing Kusama as a leading environment for experimentation with advanced cryptographic solutions.

This aligns with the recent recognition of Kusama's potential beyond serving as a canary network for Polkadot.

During the “Spammening” stress test, Kusama handled a sudden surge of 143,000 transactions per second flawlessly, demonstrating its usefulness as an experiment-centric network that fosters innovation while maintaining strong security standards.

Kusama will now be treated as a peer to Polkadot in this regard.

Bill Laboon, Director of Education and Governance Initiatives at Web3 Foundation, shared:

“This funding is not just about financial support; it’s about empowering the Kusama community and ensuring that the network remains a thriving space for fearless experimentation.

With this long-term approach, we aim to sustain Kusama’s original vision while adapting to the evolving needs of its ecosystem.”

Dr. Gavin Wood, co-founder of Polkadot, added,

“Kusama has always been about unbridled experimentation, a place where the future of blockchain is tested in real time, with real economic value.

By fulfilling this long-standing commitment, we are reinforcing Kusama’s role as a critical proving ground for the next generation of decentralized innovation.”

This initiative reaffirms Kusama’s position as a leading network for open experimentation and innovation, reinforcing its unique value within the broader Web3 ecosystem.

While the specific allocation of funds will evolve based on community needs, Web3 Foundation remains committed to preserving Kusama’s original ethos of being an open, malleable, and boundary-pushing environment where developers can innovate freely.