City Nouns is a scalable framework for launching city-based generative art DAOs on Nouns Builder, each celebrating local culture through auctions, generative art, online and IRL quests, onchain governance and much more that we allude to below—including an inherent mission to create more value for token owners than just governance.
City Nouns is designed to scale the use of Nouns Builder by launching multiple city-based DAOs, each running auctions that generate protocol rewards for Builder DAO. Additionally, the network onboards entirely new communities—artists, local organizations and Web3-curious builders—into the ecosystem, growing awareness and adoption of Builder DAO as a tool.
(Yes, it’s ambitious! But we think you’ll see that we have assembled the right persons, assets and partnerships to, at least, get started!)
This proposal requests 4 ETH from Builder DAO to fund the launch of City Nouns DAO (the global parent, which has already launched) and Nouns KC on May 22, 2025—timed with Global Pizza Day, where we are Kansas City’s official hosts for Pizza DAO’s worldwide celebration. This high-visibility event will serve as a springboard for awareness, partnerships and community onboarding.
This is not a one-off project. City Nouns is a DAO factory, creating an ever-growing network of cultural DAOs, each feeding protocol rewards back to Builder DAO.
Grant Request
This 4 ETH grant funds (in part):
- Website Development (0.4 ETH): City Nouns & Nouns KC domains, webpage; development costs + design refinements
- Art Creation (0.6 ETH): Creation, editing, exporting of City Nouns & Nouns KC collections, design of special mint pieces May 22, PizzaDAO Global Pizza Day
- Flyers, Banners, Merch (0.2 ETH): Physical materials for KC event
- Marketing + Promo (0.4 ETH): Promotional content creation, email marketing, PR outreach, social media posts
- Outreach + Partnerships (0.2 ETH): Budgeting for potential collaboration incentives with local artists, cultural orgs or other Web3 builders
- Event Costs (0.5 ETH): Venue setup, AV equipment, supplies
- Event Filming / Content Creation (0.5 ETH): High-quality video production, podcasts or professional interviews documenting the process, engaging the community and providing updates
- Workshop Materials (0.4 ETH): Wallet kits, onboarding tools, dedicated onboarding staff --
- Documentation & Playbook Creation v1 (0.2 ETH): Establishing a repeatable framework for future cities.
- City Network Expansion (0.3 ETH): Outreach and partnership development for City Nouns in other cities post-launch, including promotional activities and relationship-building events.
- Ancillary Costs + Contingency Fund (0.3 ETH): Buffer for unforeseen costs, emergency changes
Revenue Potential (hypothetical forecast)
For every 10 cities launched, assuming a daily auction at an average price of 0.02 ETH and 25 tokens sold per month per city, and a $2,000 ETH price is:
- Total ETH generated per month across 10 cities: 5 ETH
- Builder DAO (2.5% share): 0.125 ETH → $250 USD*
- City Nouns Global (10% share): 0.5 ETH → $1,000 USD
- Each individual City treasury: 0.4375 ETH → $875 USD
City Nouns System Overview
1. Global Governance: City Nouns DAO
- Governs network structure, treasury splits and city onboarding.
- Provides playbook, tech templates and creative guidelines.
- Receives 10% of all city-specific auction proceeds (TBD).
- Oversees the City Nouns roadmap (we realize that a more aligned roadmap will be discovered as we find PMF, but we want to list these ideas here to show how we’re thinking about the future):
- Passport Program: gamified incentive system that rewards collectors for engaging with multiple City Nouns DAOs, unlocking exclusive perks, governance privileges and cross-city participation as they collect and support new city launches.
- Impact Quests: monthly city-based challenges where local DAOs compete for treasury-funded rewards, driving real-world civic, cultural, and social impact while engaging communities and attracting external sponsorships.
- City Nouns + Story Protocol to create a marketplace within its app where local artists and businesses can tokenize their creative works, maintain copyright protection and direct a portion of commercial usage to community treasuries.
- Merchant Onboarding & Infrastructure Development: City Nouns aims to serve as both a cultural movement and a practical onboarding hub for local merchants and creators. As we establish City Nouns DAOs, our roadmap includes a focused effort to help businesses and artists navigate the complexities of setting up merchant accounts, accepting USDC and BASE and integrating into the web3 ecosystem.
2. Local Governance: Nouns KC DAO (and future cities)
- Manages its own treasury & creative direction.
- Auctions city-themed generative PFPs.
- Funds local cultural activations & public goods.
- Works with Kansas City artists, institutions and collectors.
- Contributes protocol rewards back to Builder DAO.
Nouns KC Launch Target: May 22, 2025 (Global Pizza Day)
To maximize visibility and early adoption, Nouns KC DAO will launch on May 22, 2025, in tandem with Pizza DAO’s Global Pizza Day, where we are Kansas City’s official hosts for the worldwide celebration. Global Pizza Day is one of the largest decentralized Web3 activations, spanning hundreds of cities worldwide, engaging thousands of crypto-native participants, builders and DAO contributors. By aligning City Nouns with this high-traffic event, we will tap into an already engaged Web3 audience, onboarding local artists, collectors, and DAO-curious individuals through live minting experiences, interactive demos and real-world activations showcasing Nouns Builder’s potential for city-based governance and public goods funding.
City Nouns Timeline
Pre-Launch (Now – May 21, 2025) Launch City Nouns DAO (complete). Develop website and community channels. Establish partnerships and plan Global Pizza Day launch event.
May 22, 2025 – Nouns KC Launch (Global Pizza Day) Launch Nouns KC DAO with daily auctions. Release Special Mint Collection to onboard members and fund treasury. Host live minting + activation event in Kansas City. Announce VIP event for mint/token holders.
Optimization & Playbook Refinement (June – July 2025) Fund early City Nouns DAO proposals and refine governance. Expand community engagement and finalize onboarding playbook. Prepare for Nouns KC DAO launch, developing traits, partnerships and mint strategy. Host IRL VIP event for token holders, as well as newly web3-curious.
City-specific DAOs Launch (Late July – Early August 2025) Pass first city-specific governance proposals. New city-specific DAO auctions go live. Establish treasury funding models and roadmap. Finalize city launch playbook.
Expanding the City Nouns Network (November – December 2025) Scale to 10 active City DAOs. Fund cross-city activations, such as a global City Nouns art festival. Optimize auction cadence for long-term sustainability.
City Nouns Planned Initiatives & Deliverables
- Monthly Events: Gallery meetups, digital activations, Apr–Nov 2024, 8 events, 300+ attendees
- Podcast Launch: “City Nouns on Air” featuring builders, artists, Q2 2024, 2 episodes/month
- Art Drops / Pop-Ups: Physical + digital art (via Base), 6+ drops by Q4
- Workshops & Education: Wallet onboarding, NFT creation, Monthly, 100+ onboarded
- Viral Content & Brand Visibility: Short-form media, Nounish IRL, Ongoing, 20+ high-quality videos
Founders
- Bob “Zamees” Roth: Marketing strategist, serial entrepreneur, Builder DAO Ops Group former member.
- Mary McCawley: Independent digital art curator, founder of KC’s first digital art gallery.
- Ryan Wright: Blockchain strategist, founder of Nvlope & Venn Agency, DeFi & DAO advisor.
Summary
City Nouns is not just a DAO—it’s a DAO factory for cities, powered by Builder. Nouns KC DAO is the first case study, proving this works locally and creating a pathway for future cities to follow.
For 4 ETH, Builder DAO seeds a global cultural movement, driving: Protocol revenue. Product adoption. Visibility for Builder DAO.
This is how we help make Nouns Builder an essential tool for cultural innovation worldwide.