# Excalibur Proposal

The **Excalibur Proposal** is Project Merlin DAO’s **strategic decision-making and high-impact funding process**.\
It is designed for:

* Larger, one-off grants for selected startups (**Excalibur Grant**)
* Major platform-level governance decisions (**Excalibur Governance Proposal**)

While Camelot is a recurring monthly grant program open to all qualified startups, Excalibur focuses on **special cases**—projects or decisions that require significant community attention, higher funding, or long-term strategic alignment.

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### Purpose & Benefits

**Purpose:**\
To give the DAO the ability to fund strategic projects and make big-picture decisions that shape the entire ecosystem.

**Benefits for Startups (Excalibur Grant):**

* Opportunity to secure **future-bound grant agreements** with the DAO
* Priority access to the community’s attention and resources
* Selection through both Core Team review and community voting—ensuring quality and alignment

**Benefits for the Community (Excalibur Governance):**

* Power to vote on **key platform changes** such as:
  * Adding new ecosystem platforms
  * Allocating special budgets for events or campaigns
  * Changing operational mechanics
  * Introducing new governance rules
* Influence over strategic partnerships and DAO treasury usage
* Earn **Vote2Earn points** for participation, similar to Camelot

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### How it works – Step by step

#### **A. Excalibur Grant (Funding Component)**

1. **Application**
   * Startups apply through the **Excalibur Grant Submission Form** (not Raven Message).
   * This form is specifically for projects aiming for strategic, high-impact funding rather than the regular monthly grants.
   * A submission fee in **MRLN tokens** equivalent to **100 USDC** is required to complete the application.
2. **Core Team Review**
   * All submitted proposals go through a **manual review** by the Project Merlin Core Team.
   * The review checks **strategic alignment, project readiness, and long-term potential**.
3. **Conditional Agreement**
   * Selected applicants sign a **future-binding grant agreement** that becomes active only if the project wins the community vote.
4. **Community Voting**
   * Holders of Project Merlin Community NFTs vote **Yes / No / Abstain** on each Excalibur Grant proposal.
   * Voting takes place on-chain via the DAO’s governance interface.
5. **Grant Award**
   * If approved, the project receives funding from the **Merlin Grant Pool**.
   * The funding amount is determined in the proposal and may be supplemented by the DAO Treasury if needed.
6. **Frequency**
   * A maximum of **one Excalibur Grant per quarter** is allowed.
   * It may not occur every quarter—only when qualified proposals are submitted and pass review.

#### **B. Excalibur Governance Proposal (Decision Component)**

1. **Proposal Creation:**
   * Originates from the Core Team or from community suggestions posted in the DAO forum.
2. **Voting Process:**
   * Community NFT holders vote on-chain.
3. **Execution:**
   * Approved proposals are binding for the Project Merlin team.
4. **Examples of Decisions:**
   * Adding a new platform like a DeFi lending module
   * Changing reward formulas for Vote2Earn
   * Allocating budget for special events

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### Advantages over Other DAO Governance Models

* **Dual Purpose:** Handles both funding and high-level governance in one mechanism.
* **Quality Control:** Includes an initial Core Team review for strategic alignment, unlike purely open proposals that can flood the system.
* **Binding Decisions:** Approved governance proposals must be implemented—ensuring community votes have real impact.
* **Reward Incentives:** Voters earn Vote2Earn points, turning governance participation into a rewarding activity.

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### Rewards & Distribution

* **For Startups (Excalibur Grant winners):**\
  Funding from the Merlin Grant Pool (amount varies depending on the proposal and budget).
* **For Community Members:**
  * Vote2Earn points for each voting action.
  * Points are converted into MRLN tokens quarterly if the Treasury exceeds 30% of total supply.
  * Priority access to presales or token/NFT rewards from winning projects.

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💡 **In short:**\
The Excalibur Proposal is the DAO’s **strategic sword**—used when the community needs to make **high-impact funding decisions** or **shape the future direction of the ecosystem**.\
It complements Camelot’s recurring grants by focusing on **quality over quantity**, ensuring that the DAO’s biggest moves are deliberate, well-reviewed, and truly community-driven.