- Uniswap Foundation proposes “DUNI” under Wyoming’s DUNA to give Uniswap Governance legal status while preserving decentralization.
- The plan would appoint a ministerial agent and an administrator and allocate $16.5 million in UNI for legal and tax needs.
Uniswap Foundation has asked the Uniswap DAO to adopt a Wyoming Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association, branded “DUNI,” to give the protocol’s governance legal recognition without changing on chain control or token mechanics. The Foundation said the structure is designed to protect participants while enabling basic real world operations.
Uniswap Foundation submits RFC to establish DUNI under Wyoming’s DUNA statute
Wyoming enacted the DUNA law in 2024 to give decentralized communities a recognized legal form. The statute lets a nonprofit DAO hold property, enter contracts, appoint agents and conduct governance using distributed ledger technology while maintaining decentralized decision making.
In its request for comment, the Foundation proposes that Uniswap Governance ratify an Association Agreement that recognizes the binding effect of on chain votes, appoint the Uniswap Foundation as a limited “ministerial agent” to execute administrative tasks, and retain Cowrie as administrator with David Kerr responsible for tax filings. The Foundation emphasized that authority would remain with tokenholder governance.
Proposal allocates UNI for defense and tax compliance and sets staged vote timeline
The proposal seeks $16.5 million worth of UNI for a legal defense budget and tax compliance, plus a $75,000 UNI grant to Cowrie for administrator services. The Foundation said it expects prior period U.S. tax obligations to be under $10 million including interest and penalties, with filings handled through the new entity.
The Foundation wrote that DUNI would allow Uniswap Governance to sign contracts with service providers and could clear the way for the DAO to consider activating protocol fees, while leaving the Uniswap Protocol and UNI token mechanics unchanged.
Community discussion is scheduled this week, followed by a Snapshot poll targeted for the weeks of August 18 or 25 and an on chain vote thereafter if sentiment is supportive.
Congrats to Uniswap for setting down roots in Wyoming! Our state’s laws for digital assets are best-in-class, and I commend the Wyoming Legislature for its foresight in creating decentralized nonprofit associations. https://t.co/R8Xosti7hQ
— Senator Cynthia Lummis (@SenLummis) August 11, 2025
