Solana DAO Tools & Governance: The Complete Guide (2026)
How to create, manage, and vote in DAOs on Solana. Covers Realms (SPL Governance), Squads multisig, MetaDAO's futarchy markets, Jupiter governance and ASR rewards, major Solana DAOs, and why Solana's low fees make it the best chain for on-chain governance.
MadeOnSol·· 16 min read
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Use an existing token:
If your project already has a token (from a launch, airdrop, etc.), you can designate it as the governance token in Realms.
NFT-based governance:
If your community is organized around an NFT collection, use NFT Community DAO on Realms. Each NFT = 1 vote (or weighted by traits/rarity).
DAOs on Ethereum have a fundamental problem: it costs $5–$50 in gas to cast a single vote. When governance participation requires spending real money on every proposal, only whales vote. Small holders are economically locked out of the governance process they're supposed to be part of. This isn't theoretical — Ethereum DAO voter turnout averages 3–5% of token holders.
Solana fixes this. Voting costs less than $0.01. A DAO member can vote on every proposal, delegate their tokens, create proposals, and participate in discussions without thinking about gas. The result: Solana DAOs consistently see higher participation rates than their Ethereum equivalents.
This guide covers the full landscape — the tools for creating and managing DAOs on Solana, the major DAOs worth participating in, and a practical walkthrough for setting up your own.
Why Solana for DAOs?
Before diving into tools, here's why Solana's architecture is particularly suited for governance:
Sub-cent voting costs. The average Solana transaction costs ~0.000005 SOL. At $150/SOL, that's $0.00075 per vote. A DAO member voting on 100 proposals per year pays less than $0.10 total. On Ethereum, the same 100 votes would cost $500–$5,000 in gas.
Fast finality. Solana confirms transactions in ~400ms. Vote results update in real-time. No waiting 12 seconds for block confirmation, no worrying about reorgs. Governance interfaces feel as responsive as Web2 apps.
Composability. DAO governance programs on Solana can compose with DeFi protocols in a single transaction. A DAO could vote to rebalance its treasury across Marinade staking, Kamino vaults, and Jupiter DCA — and execute it atomically.
Token extensions. Solana's Token-2022 program supports transfer hooks, metadata, and confidential transfers. DAOs can use these for vote-escrowed tokens, non-transferable governance NFTs, and privacy-preserving voting.
Realms is the primary governance platform on Solana. Built on the SPL Governance program (an official Solana Program Library program), it's the most battle-tested on-chain governance framework in the Solana ecosystem.
What it does:
Create DAOs with custom governance rules
Token-weighted voting (SPL tokens or NFTs)
Proposal creation, voting, and execution
Time-locked execution (proposals execute after a configurable delay)
Multi-governance structure (different rules for different proposal types)
Council-based governance (a smaller group with elevated powers, useful for early-stage projects)
Treasury management (the DAO controls a wallet through governance)
How it works:
Every Realms DAO has:
A governance token — an SPL token that represents voting power. Holders deposit tokens to receive voting weight.
One or more governance accounts — each governing a specific wallet or program. You might have one governance for treasury spending and another for protocol parameter changes, with different voting thresholds.
Proposals — any token holder meeting the minimum threshold can create a proposal. Proposals specify the exact on-chain instructions to execute if passed.
Voting period — a configurable window (typically 3–7 days) during which token holders cast votes.
Execution delay — after a proposal passes, there's a mandatory delay before execution, giving opponents time to exit.
A smaller group (core team, multisig) with elevated permissions
Can fast-track proposals or manage day-to-day operations
Common pattern: council handles operational decisions, community votes on major changes
Fund the treasury:
Transfer SOL, tokens, or NFTs to the governance-controlled wallet
All treasury movements require a passed proposal
The entire setup costs less than $0.10 in transaction fees.
Squads Protocol (Multisig)
Squads is the leading multisig solution on Solana. While Realms handles broad community governance, Squads excels at team-level treasury management — the "3-of-5 signers to move funds" pattern.
Key features:
M-of-N multisig: Require M signatures out of N total members to execute a transaction
Transaction batching: Queue multiple instructions in a single proposal
Program management: Upgrade authority for Solana programs can be assigned to a Squad, ensuring no single developer can push malicious upgrades
Spending limits: Set per-member spending limits for routine expenses without full multisig approval
Sub-accounts: Create dedicated wallets for specific purposes (payroll, grants, marketing) within the same Squad
Authority management: Transfer program upgrade authority, token mint authority, or any PDA authority to the Squad
Why Squads matters for DAOs:
Most DAOs use a hybrid model:
Squads multisig for the core team's operational wallet (paying developers, covering server costs, managing liquidity)
Realms governance for community-facing decisions (protocol parameters, grant allocations, major treasury movements)
This separation is practical. You don't want the community voting on whether to pay a $500 hosting bill. But you do want the community voting on a $2 million treasury allocation.
Any member can propose a transaction; the required number of members must approve before it executes
Squads is used by major Solana projects including Marinade, Tensor, Jito, and many others for their operational treasuries. If you're deciding between Squads, Realms, and a manual setup for your team's funds, our best Solana multisig wallets comparison breaks down the trade-offs.
Governance Aggregators and Interfaces
Tribeca was an earlier governance framework focused on vote-escrowed tokens (veTokens). While less active than Realms today, some legacy DAOs still use it. The key concept: lock tokens for longer periods to get more voting power, aligning long-term holders with governance influence.
MonkeDAO tools — MonkeDAO (the Solana Monkey Business community) built custom governance tools including delegation, off-chain signaling, and tiered voting. Some of these patterns have been adopted more broadly.
Jupiter is the largest DEX aggregator on Solana and runs one of the most active DAOs in the ecosystem.
Structure:
Governance token: JUP (airdropped to active Solana users in multiple rounds)
Voting mechanism: Token-weighted, with vote-locking for increased power
Key decisions: Protocol fees, grant allocations, token emissions, new product launches
Participation: Active Governance section on jup.ag with proposal discussions and voting
Jupiter's DAO is notable for its transparency. Major decisions — like the approval of the Jupiter mobile app, changes to the fee structure, and the allocation of the Jupuary airdrop — go through governance votes with detailed forum discussions.
How to participate:
Hold JUP tokens
Visit the Jupiter governance portal (vote.jup.ag)
Deposit JUP to activate voting power
Vote on active proposals
Jupiter regularly sees 50,000+ unique voters on major proposals — one of the highest participation rates in all of crypto governance.
Unique feature: Marinade's stake delegation algorithm is partially governed by MNDE holders — they influence which validators receive stake
Marinade's governance is particularly interesting because its decisions directly impact Solana's decentralization. By voting on validator delegation criteria, MNDE holders shape the distribution of stake across the network.
How to participate:
Hold MNDE tokens
Visit Marinade's governance page on Realms
Deposit MNDE for voting power
Vote on proposals and participate in forum discussions
Jito DAO
Jito, the largest MEV protocol on Solana, launched its DAO alongside the JTO token airdrop. The DAO governs:
Jito's governance model uses Realms with a council structure — the core team retains some operational authority while community votes govern strategic decisions.
Other Notable Solana DAOs
Helium DAO — Governs the decentralized wireless network (HNT token), one of the largest real-world DAOs on Solana
Assign program upgrade authority to the Squad (critical for protocol security)
Step 5: Fund the DAO Treasury
Transfer funds to the governance-controlled wallet created by Realms. This wallet can only be spent via passed proposals.
Common treasury allocation patterns:
40% protocol development and audits
25% community grants and ecosystem growth
20% liquidity incentives
10% operational expenses (via Squads sub-account)
5% emergency reserve
Step 6: Write Your First Proposal
A good first proposal sets the tone. Common inaugural proposals:
Ratify the DAO's mission statement and operating principles
Approve the initial budget allocation
Elect or confirm council members
Set up a grants committee
Proposals on Realms include:
Title and description (written in markdown)
On-chain instructions (the exact transactions that execute if the proposal passes)
Discussion link (to a forum post or Discord thread)
Step 7: Establish Governance Practices
DAOs that work well have clear practices:
Forum discussions before on-chain votes. Don't surprise the community with proposals. Discuss ideas in Discord or a governance forum first, refine them, then submit an on-chain proposal with broad support.
Temperature checks. Use off-chain polls (Discord polls, Snapshot-style signaling) to gauge sentiment before committing to a formal proposal.
Regular updates. Council members or core contributors should post regular treasury and development updates.
Delegation. Allow token holders to delegate their voting power to active participants. This improves participation rates — passive holders don't need to vote on every proposal, but their tokens still count.
Participating in Governance
If you're not creating a DAO but want to participate in existing ones, here's how to get started.
Follow projects you use: If you use Jupiter, Marinade, Jito, or Orca, you're already part of their ecosystem. Get their governance tokens and vote.
Check governance forums: Most DAOs maintain discussion forums or Discord channels where proposals are debated before going on-chain.
The Voting Process
Acquire governance tokens — buy on Jupiter, earn through participation, or receive via airdrop
Deposit tokens into the DAO — on Realms, you deposit tokens to activate your voting power. Tokens are locked during active votes (you can withdraw after).
Review proposals — read the proposal description, the forum discussion, and the exact on-chain instructions
Cast your vote — "Yes," "No," or "Abstain." Costs ~$0.001.
Wait for execution — if the proposal passes and the execution delay expires, anyone can trigger the on-chain execution
Delegation
Don't have time to vote on every proposal? Delegate your tokens to someone who does. On Realms, you can delegate your voting power to any wallet address. Your tokens stay in your account, but the delegate votes on your behalf. You can revoke delegation at any time.
Good delegation practices:
Delegate to active community members who share your values
Check the delegate's voting history before delegating
Revoke and re-delegate if the delegate stops participating or votes against your interests
Why You Should Participate
Beyond the civic duty angle, governance participation often comes with tangible benefits:
Airdrop eligibility: Projects increasingly reward governance participants in subsequent token distributions. Jupiter's Jupuary airdrops weighted for active voters.
Protocol direction: If you're a heavy user of a protocol, governance lets you influence its roadmap.
Reputation: Active governance participation builds your on-chain reputation. Some projects grant NFTs or badges to consistent voters.
Financial alignment: If you hold governance tokens, the protocol's success affects your holdings. Voting for good proposals protects your investment.
MetaDAO replaces yes/no voting with futarchy: every proposal spawns two conditional markets — "what will the token be worth if this passes?" and "what if it fails?" — and after a trading period, the higher market price decides the outcome. Traders are financially incentivized to be right, which sidesteps voter apathy, uninformed voting, and whale sentiment in one move.
Participating means trading, not voting: connect a wallet, buy in the pass or fail market of an active proposal, and settle after resolution (winning-market trades fill at the closing price; losing-market trades are refunded). Two practical warnings: futarchy puts capital at risk — unlike a free Realms vote — and MetaDAO markets can be thin, so large trades move prices. Watch a few proposals resolve before trading one.
Jupiter Governance: ASR Makes Voting Pay
Jupiter runs the most active governance on Solana, and it pays participants directly. Stake JUP at vote.jup.ag, vote during each cycle, and claim Active Staking Rewards (ASR) — a share of protocol fees and emissions distributed to active voters. The key mechanic: staking without voting earns less; full ASR requires voting in each governance cycle. Historical airdrop rounds have also weighted allocations toward active governance participants, which makes Jupiter the clearest case on Solana where voting has a measurable financial return.
Advanced Governance Patterns
Vote Escrow (veToken) Model
Lock tokens for longer to get more voting power. If you lock JUP for 1 year, you might get 4x the voting weight compared to someone who locks for 3 months. This aligns voting power with long-term commitment and reduces governance attacks from short-term holders.
Optimistic Governance
Proposals pass by default unless enough members vote against them. This reduces voter fatigue for routine decisions — only controversial proposals need active opposition. The execution delay acts as the safety mechanism.
Gauge Voting
Used by protocols that need to allocate resources across multiple options (e.g., which liquidity pools receive incentives). Token holders allocate their voting weight across options proportionally rather than voting yes/no.
Marinade uses a form of this for validator delegation — MNDE holders influence how stake is distributed across validators.
Sub-DAOs and Working Groups
Large DAOs often create sub-DAOs with specific mandates:
Grants committee: Evaluates and funds ecosystem projects
Security council: Emergency powers for critical vulnerabilities
Marketing/growth: Manages partnerships and content budgets
Each sub-DAO can have its own Squads multisig with a budget allocated by the parent DAO.
Security Considerations
DAO governance is a high-value target for attacks. Key risks and mitigations:
Governance attacks (51%): An attacker buys enough tokens to pass malicious proposals (drain treasury). Mitigation: time-locked execution (gives defenders time to react), quorum requirements, and vote-escrow models that make short-term accumulation less effective.
Flash loan attacks: Borrow tokens, vote, return tokens in the same block. Mitigation: Realms requires token deposits before voting, and the voting period prevents same-block attacks. Some DAOs add a "warm-up" period — tokens must be deposited for N hours before they can vote.
Council key compromise: If the council multisig keys are compromised, the attacker has elevated permissions. Mitigation: use hardware wallets for all council members, set high thresholds (4-of-7 rather than 2-of-3), and limit council powers to time-sensitive operations.
Voter apathy: If quorum is low, a small group of active voters controls everything. Mitigation: delegation (passive holders delegate to active participants), vote incentives, and reasonable quorum thresholds.
The Bottom Line
Solana's low fees don't just make DeFi cheaper — they make governance actually work. When voting costs nothing, participation goes up. When proposals execute in seconds, governance feels responsive. When the DAO treasury can compose with DeFi protocols atomically, treasury management becomes sophisticated rather than just holding tokens in a multisig.
The tools are mature. Realms handles community governance. Squads handles operational multisig. Phantom and Solflare make participating frictionless from any wallet.
Once your governance structure is live, our step-by-step Squads multisig setup guide covers configuring the operational treasury vault in detail, and our governance voting guide walks through casting your first vote across Realms, MetaDAO, and Jupiter.
If you're building a project on Solana, plan for governance from day one. If you're holding governance tokens for any Solana protocol, use them. The cost of participation is literally less than a penny — and the protocols you use every day are making decisions that affect your experience and your holdings.
Start by visiting app.realms.today, exploring the active DAOs, and casting your first vote. It takes 30 seconds and costs nothing. That's the power of doing governance on Solana.
