Canton Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are groups of architects, software engineers, and domain experts focused on specific technical or domain areas within the Canton ecosystem.

SIGs help coordinate expertise across the ecosystem and provide guidance on technical priorities, architecture, and grant proposals.

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Role of SIGs

SIGs work in collaboration with the Core Contributors group and the Voting group of the Technology & Operations committee of the Canton Foundation.

SIGs help support the Canton ecosystem by:

• Providing points of contact for builders and teams working in specific technical areas
• Helping the Tech & Ops Committee Core Contributors and Voting groups evaluate and champion grant proposals
• Recommending architectural vision and technical priorities
• Developing knowledge and best practices in their respective areas

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How SIGs Operate

SIGs currently operate in an ad-hoc structure and focus on three primary activities.

1. Slack Discussions

Each SIG has a dedicated Slack channel where participants can discuss technical topics, ecosystem developments, and proposals relevant to the SIG’s area.

Anyone interested in participating in a SIG discussion may request access using the SIG participation form. Access to a SIG discussion channel does not automatically make someone a listed SIG member.

2. Grant Proposal Support

SIG members may:

• Review Development Fund proposals
• Provide feedback to help applicants improve their proposals • Recommend proposals to appropriate members of the Tech & Ops Committee • Act as champions helping applicants prepare stronger proposals

Under CIP-0100, an external Development Fund proposal requires a Champion from the Tech & Ops Committee. SIG membership alone does not give an individual or organization formal Champion status.

3. Architecture and Roadmap Guidance

SIGs may also support the ecosystem by:

**• Publishing problem statements

• Advising on Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
• Contributing to long-term architecture and roadmap discussions
• Sharing technical guidance, reference materials, and best practices**

Participating in and Joining SIGs

Community members are encouraged to participate in SIG discussions before requesting formal membership. Formal SIG membership recognizes individuals who have relevant expertise and are expected to contribute productively to the SIG’s work.

Joining an Existing SIG

To request membership in an existing SIG, submit a Pull Request that adds your name, organization, and GitHub username to the applicable SIG roster in this file.

The Pull Request description must include:

• A brief introduction
• The SIG you are requesting to join
• A description of your relevant experience or expertise
• Links to relevant work, contributions, presentations, or other supporting materials, where available
• A brief description of how you expect to contribute to the SIG

Before the Pull Request may be merged:

1. One current member of the applicable SIG must post a recommendation in the Pull Request explaining why the applicant would be a productive contributor to that SIG.
2. A second current member of the same SIG must post an endorsement of the application.
3. At least one of the two endorsers must be from an organization other than the applicant’s organization.
4. A repository maintainer must confirm that the required information and endorsements have been provided before merging the Pull Request.

A current SIG member may use the following language when recommending an applicant:

I recommend [Applicant Name] for the [SIG Name] SIG because [brief explanation of the applicant’s relevant experience and expected contribution].

The second SIG member may use the following language:

I endorse [Applicant Name] for membership in the [SIG Name] SIG.

Submitting a Pull Request does not automatically grant SIG membership. The applicant becomes a listed SIG member only after the required endorsements are received and the Pull Request is merged.

Proposing a New SIG

A new SIG may not be created through the individual membership process. A proposal for a new SIG must describe its purpose, scope, and relationship to the existing SIGs and must be approved by the Tech & Ops Voting Group before a new section is added to this directory.

Scope of SIG Membership

SIG membership does not provide:

• Development Fund voting rights
• Automatic Champion status
• Preferential access to Development Fund funding
• Authority to approve proposals or milestone payments
• Authority to represent or speak on behalf of the Canton Foundation

SIG members provide technical or domain expertise and recommendations. Formal Development Fund decisions remain with the governance bodies established under CIP-0100.