Joining ArbitrumDAO: Your Complete Governance Guide
ArbitrumDAO puts real power in the hands of its community. It governs one of the most active and liquid blockchain networks, processing billions in monthly transaction volume and controlling a vast onchain treasury. Unlike protocols where decisions rest with a foundation or core team, ArbitrumDAO empowers its community to make binding calls on everything from protocol upgrades to treasury spending.
Decentralized governance thrives on participation, and in ArbitrumDAO, it’s never been easier to get involved. You can spend a few minutes reading and discussing Forum posts, delegate your voting power, take on the role of an active delegate, apply for grants to build ecosystem projects, or contribute professionally to organizations advancing Arbitrum’s mission. That’s what makes ArbitrumDAO unique: there’s a place for every kind of contributor, and together, these roles reinforce one another, creating a resilient ecosystem and one of the strongest models of decentralized governance in action.
Below, we'll walk through each of these roles in detail: what they involve, how to get started, and what you can expect as you grow your participation.
For token holders: Influencing Arbitrum’s direction
As an ARB token holder, you can vote on protocol changes, funding decisions, and ecosystem development. Your participation matters. ArbitrumDAO controls not just protocol upgrades but also treasury allocation, changes to the constitution, and the Security Council elections, giving you more influence than in typical blockchain governance.
Participate by voting. Two ways:
- Vote directly
You need to hold ARB tokens to vote. To vote directly, you need to delegate voting power to yourself through an onchain transaction (via the Tally interface). Think of it as activating your tokens for governance.
Offchain temperature checks generally gauge community sentiment through signaling votes on Snapshot before moving to binding decisions. Onchain votes are binding, and when they pass, proposals execute automatically. These are conducted through Tally.
2. Delegate voting power
Not everyone has time to follow every proposal, and that's completely fine. Delegation means assigning your voting power to someone else who will vote according to their judgment. You can choose a delegate whose values and priorities align with yours, and change delegates at any time. Delegate your ARB through the delegation interface (here's a helpful guide), then check in regularly to see how your delegate is voting and whether they're still representing your interests.
Prefer to opt out entirely? You can delegate to the Exclude Address to remove your tokens from governance participation.
Stay informed
The governance forum is where proposals are discussed before they go to an offchain temperature check vote, followed by an onchain vote. Check in for weekly voting reminders or follow the Arbitrum Governance X account to stay current without constant checking.
If you are new to governance, we recommend starting by delegating while you learn how the system works. As you become more familiar with the proposals, delegates, and discussion dynamics, you can always switch to voting directly.
For community leaders: Becoming a delegate
Delegates are the backbone of active governance. You vote on behalf of ARB holders who trust your judgment, as well as on behalf of yourself. This role comes with real influence: you'll shape protocol upgrades, funding allocation, and ecosystem development while building your reputation as a governance leader. However, it also comes with responsibility and time commitment. The top delegates hold significant influence, but there's always room for new voices who bring fresh perspectives and specialized expertise.
Four steps to becoming a delegate:
- Understand what the role actually involves.
Voting is just the visible part of being a delegate. The real work happens in forum debates where proposals are dissected and improved, in community calls where strategy is discussed, and in specialized working groups for delegates and contributors that tackle specific challenges. The most effective delegates explain their reasoning publicly, so their delegators understand the thinking behind each decision. This means researching proposals deeply, understanding their technical and economic impact, and asking the hard questions before voting happens.
- Develop your foundation
Before seeking delegations, you need to understand what you're voting on. Start with the Constitution, ArbitrumDAO's foundational document that defines how governance works, which is also upgradeable via the governance process. Then study successful delegate profiles on Tally to see what good delegation looks like. Look at their voting patterns and read their explanations. Finally, get comfortable with Arbitrum's technical basics. You don't need to be a developer, but you should understand what makes Arbitrum different and why certain technical decisions matter.
- Create your public profile
Write a clear platform statement explaining your values, priorities, and what constituents can expect from you. Are you focused on technical excellence? Ecosystem growth? Treasury management? Be specific. Submit this delegate statement to the forum where potential delegators can find you, set up your Tally profile completely, and delegate ARB tokens to yourself. As you start voting, add your rationale for each vote. This transparency is what earns trust and attracts more delegation.
- Build your support base
Delegation isn't automatic. Engage meaningfully in forum discussions by adding value to others' conversations. Attend governance community calls regularly. Show up consistently, demonstrate good judgment, and the delegations should follow. The delegates who attract the most support aren't necessarily the loudest voices, but are the ones who consistently show up, think critically, and explain their reasoning clearly.
Create your delegate profile →
For grant seekers: Accessing DAO funding
ArbitrumDAO funds projects that drive adoption, improve technology, and expand use cases. Whether you're building applications, creating content, or developing infrastructure, grants provide the resources to turn your vision into reality.
Programs available now
The Arbitrum Grants page lists all active opportunities. The Arbitrum Foundation and DAO run multiple grant programs targeting different ecosystem needs, from the Domain Allocator Offering (D.A.O.) Program, to the Audit Program subsidizing security reviews, to DRIP supporting DeFi activity, to ArbiFuel sponsoring gas fees, to Arbitrum Gaming Ventures supporting game developers, and more. Each program has different requirements, funding levels, and focus areas.
How to apply successfully
Each grant program has specific requirements, but some principles apply universally. Study successful past applications in the forum and program showcases, like the Domain Allocator Offerings (D.A.O.) Program. Notice what works: clear value propositions, detailed specifications, realistic budgets, and strong timelines. Engage in forum discussions before applying because community participation is important.
Prepare detailed project specifications, justified budgets, and milestone timelines. Submit through the appropriate portal, stay engaged in discussions, and be responsive to feedback. Always review specific program guidelines before applying.
For developers: Deploying on Arbitrum
As a developer on Arbitrum, you gain access to advanced scaling technology, funding opportunities, and an expanding ecosystem. Your participation in DAO governance helps shape the technical roadmap and funding priorities that directly benefit your projects.
Why governance matters for developers
Protocol upgrades can improve performance and add features that indirectly make your application better. Grant funding can be used to build developer tools, grow teams, and upgrade infrastructure that makes your job easier. Emergency response procedures, such as those from the Arbitrum Security Council, could protect your applications when certain issues arise.
Developers building on Arbitrum have insights that pure governance participants don't. By participating in governance, you help prioritize the upgrades and innovations that matter most to you.
Getting started is simple
Set up a governance forum account so you can participate in discussions. Then, follow the technical forum discussions, particularly in the Proposals and Technical Discussion categories. You don’t need to read everything; just stay current on proposals that affect your work. Review active grants and DAO programs designed for developers: the Domain Allocator Offering (D.A.O.) Program promotes new protocols, tooling and more, the Arbitrum Audit Program can subsidize security reviews, ArbiFuel covers gas fees during development and testing, and Arbitrum Gaming Ventures supports builders of gaming projects and infrastructure.
Subscribe to the Arbitrum Foundation's Builder Newsletter and follow the Arbitrum Developers X account to stay informed about new opportunities and resources.
Finally, either delegate to yourself and vote directly or delegate to someone who represents your priorities. See the “For token holders” section of this article for instructions.
Join the developer community →
For professionals: Contribute to an AAE (Arbitrum Aligned Entity)
Arbitrum Aligned Entities (AAEs) are specialized organizations that support and advance the Arbitrum ecosystem in different capacities. From protocol development to ecosystem growth, these entities offer opportunities to work at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and decentralized governance.
Arbitrum Foundation
The Foundation is a steward of the Arbitrum ecosystem. They accelerate development through grants and partnerships, facilitate governance, oversee technical advancements, and drive community growth through developer education, events, and the Ambassador Program. The Foundation works at the intersection of technical advancement and community coordination.
Offchain Labs
This is where Arbitrum's core technology is built and maintained. Offchain Labs handles protocol development, advancing Ethereum scaling solutions through research and innovation, and developing the tools and frameworks that make the ecosystem possible. If you're interested in core protocol work and pushing the boundaries of Layer 2 technology, this is the team building it.
Entropy Advisors
Working exclusively with ArbitrumDAO, Entropy Advisors helps the DAO mature into a disciplined capital allocator. They're building an organization that drives compounding, sustainable ecosystem growth through governance optimization and strategic guidance.
Arbitrum Gaming Ventures
Focused specifically on gaming ecosystem development and investment, this team supports game developers building on Arbitrum, funds and mentors gaming projects through investment and incubation, and grows the gaming community within Arbitrum. If you're passionate about bringing gaming to Layer 2, this is where that work happens.
Arbitrum OpCo
The Operation Company works on, manages, and provides oversight for DAO initiatives and coordinates between the DAO and AAEs, serving as the operational mesh layer. Keep an eye on future hiring announcements as the team develops.
Explore AAE opportunities with the Arbitrum Foundation, Offchain Labs, Entropy Advisors, Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, and OpCo.
Lastly, stay connected
ArbitrumDAO grows stronger with each person who decides to get involved. Whether you vote on proposals, build applications, lead communities, or contribute in ways we haven't imagined yet, your involvement drives the ecosystem forward.
- Forum: forum.arbitrum.foundation
- Voting: snapshot.org and tally.xyz
- Updates: Weekly governance updates
- Social: @ArbitrumDAO_gov on X
- Calendar: Governance calls and community events