The Ethereum Classic Cooperative (ETC Cooperative) is a non-profit organization that was established in 2017 with the aim of supporting and promoting the development of the Ethereum Classic (ETC) blockchain platform.
The ETC Cooperative is funded by donations from individuals and organizations that support the ETC community, and it is governed by a board of directors who oversee the organization's activities and initiatives.
The main focus of the ETC Cooperative is to support the development of the ETC ecosystem by providing funding, resources, and support for developers, researchers, and other stakeholders. This includes grants programs, research projects, and supporting the development of tools and infrastructure for the ETC platform.
The ETC Cooperative also plays a role in promoting the use of ETC as a cryptocurrency and raising awareness of its potential benefits, such as its security and immutability features.
Overall, the ETC Cooperative is a key player in the ETC community, working to support and promote the development of the ETC platform and its ecosystem.
Mission
Mission of the ETC Cooperative
The mission of the ETC Cooperative is to steward the development of the Ethereum Classic protocol and to support the growth of a mature ecosystem around that protocol. There are three pillars to this mission
Accelerate
Accelerate the adoption of ETC technology by individuals and enterprises through effective branding, marketing, and education.
Foster
Foster collaboration between ecosystem participants including developers, miners, investors, enterprises, and end-users.
Governance
Mature governance and transparency – efficient and transparent governance framework, including the use of funds.
Donations to ETC Coop are tax deductible under IRC Section 170 for US taxpayers, both individual and corporate. Enterprises investing in infrastructure or other “public goods” within the ETC ecosystem can do so in a more tax-efficient manner by donating to the ETC Coop rather than investing directly. Private foundations often fulfill a similar function in other ICO-funded cryptocurrency projects, along with holding ICO funds, trademarks, driving roadmap, and other centralized functions.
In that sense, ETC is quite unique (along with Bitcoin) in having none of those centralizing functions. There is no ETC Foundation (very intentionally). There was no ICO for ETC. The abandoned chain we now call ETC was picked up and kept alive by volunteers following the DAO Fork.
Just over a year later the ETC Coop was formed, to provide some much-needed (but non-exclusive) funding and support for the ETC ecosystem. There is nothing “official” in ETC, including the role of the ETC Coop within the ecosystem. The ETC Coop and its staff have no special influence within ETC other than whatever respect our actions have earned. Earning that respect is a “forever process”. Any other group of individuals or other legal entity could displace the ETC Coop tomorrow if we cease to be good citizens.
Wanna learn more?
Discover Ethereum Classic at the ethereumclassic.org website.