The APE Foundation serves as the steward of ApeCoin. Rather than acting as a controller, it functions as the foundational layer where ApeCoin holders in the ApeCoin DAO can develop and operate. The Foundation supports decentralized, community-driven governance and is intended to become increasingly decentralized over time. Its responsibilities include carrying out ApeCoin DAO decisions and handling day-to-day operations such as administration, bookkeeping, project management, and other work needed so the DAO community’s plans can move forward.

The mission of the APE Foundation is to guide the growth and development of the APE ecosystem in a fair and inclusive manner. To cover its expenses, it draws on the Ecosystem Fund, which is governed by a multisig wallet, based on directions from the ApeCoin DAO. It also provides infrastructure that helps ApeCoin holders coordinate through open, permissionless governance activities.

ApeCoin DAO exists because decentralized governance is essential for forming and running a globally distributed community-an outcome tied directly to the success of the APE ecosystem. Through the APE Improvement Proposal Process (see Governance), members of ApeCoin DAO can propose and decide on topics including Ecosystem Fund allocations, governance guidelines, projects, partnerships, and more. ApeCoin DAO membership is open to all ApeCoin holders.

ApeCoin is an ERC-20 governance and utility token used throughout the APE ecosystem to enable a decentralized community focused on building within web3. As the ecosystem’s open-source protocol layer, ApeCoin supports multiple functions: