With CAB voting now running on the SIP Tracker, it is easier and more transparent to review governance data. Going forward, we will be compiling running metrics that will roll up into the end-of-year Governance Health Report (along with other data points):

• SIP throughput: how many proposals advance to CAB or community vote in the given period.
• CAB voting participation: turnout across CAB members on each proposal, plus time-to-decision from CAB assignment to recorded vote.
• Community vote turnout: number of voters and votes cast on each proposal that reaches a community vote.
• Governance cadence and attendance: Governance Office Hours (biweekly) and Town Halls (monthly), with attendance over time.

This post is “v1” of that scorecard, but we will continue to refine the data points included and methods for gathering information as needed.

Governance Tooling, Voting
CAB voting moved onto the SIP Tracker. Live tallies, participation tracking, and email notifications have replaced the manual, email-based coordination we used before. Two significant proposals went through CAB review and a community vote. Across those two reviews, CAB participation ran at approximately 88.2%, with an average time-to-decision of approximately 2 weeks – the baseline we'll measure future reviews against.

The weekly SIP call became biweekly Governance Office Hours, co-hosted with Zero. The change created room to look ahead at priority areas for governance rather than only working through the immediate queue. Average attendance was roughly 10 participants per session.

A Stacks Forum upgrade is in progress, with a security audit running ahead of the upgraded forum going live. We'll share results once the audit wraps.

Foundation Operations
On operations, spending on integrations and software subscriptions came down from Q1, a reduction of approximately 54% over the quarter, helped by better use of existing tooling. That discipline is deliberate. A lean overhead model keeps the Foundation focused on governance rather than expanding into other lanes, and the Foundation works closely with the board to hold that line. The Digital Subledger accounting process was documented in the same spirit, and it feeds into financial framework materials being designed for Stacks builders, so operational groundwork becomes a resource the community can reuse.

Protecting the Stacks name is also an ongoing priority for the Foundation. The Stacks name is what the ecosystem builds and votes under, so keeping it protected keeps governance anchored to something durable. In Singapore, two applications for the "STACKS" mark are in process, filed in 2019 and 2024, and the Foundation is in active dialogue with the trademark registry to refine the scope of protection across the relevant classes: software platforms, blockchain infrastructure, and digital asset services.

We're working closely with the Stacks Foundation board to continuously assess Foundation operations, with the goal of maintaining a lean overhead model that keeps the organization focused on governance as its core function. Board decks are available under 'Recaps & Reports' on the Foundation website.

Refreshing Governance bylaws and groups
During each SIP lifecycle, observations are collected to review areas for governance updates and adjustments. The current Stacks CAB members have served for long periods of time and, in many cases, have expressed interest in rotating out to give new community members a chance to serve. In light of this, we’ve set up a self-nomination page for anyone who would like to learn more and be considered for a CAB group.

Self-nomination is open.
If you've wanted a more formal role in shaping Stacks governance, this is the on-ramp. Note that any nominations will be reviewed by their respective current CAB groups and any additions to CAB groups will be voted on by current members.

Additionally, community members are actively assembling recommended updates to Steering and CAB bylaws. These updates will be put forth in a SIP in the coming weeks. Here is a look at a few areas that are being discussed:

• Term-rotation norms/standards
• Nomination processes
• Alternates across CABs and Steering

More projects and priorities in queue:

• The Governance Roadmap goes live on the website this month, so the direction of this work is public and trackable rather than internal.
• We're finalizing the Foundation's updated Mission and North Star, with a dedicated post to follow.
• Two new resources launch in the back half of the year: The Ecosystem Directory kicks off this month, and the Bitcoin Builder Platform, built with Zero Authority, is targeted for October.
• The year closes with the 2027 budget, end-of-year financials, and our first EOY Governance Health Report; a candid look at what worked, what needs work, and where we go next.
• Monthly Town Halls and regular SIP activity continue throughout.

The through-line across all of this is governance. Everything the Foundation takes on, from the SIP pipeline to the Stacks name to how it spends, is meant to serve it. We'll keep these updates coming monthly with the same set of metrics, so progress stays concrete and easy to follow.

A few ways to get involved right now:

• Join the biweekly Governance Office Hours (look for slots on the community cal).
• Come to the monthly Town Hall.
• Put yourself forward for a CAB seat -- self-nomination is now open.