Stewarded Pools for Relational Obligations and Unified Trust (SPROUT) License¶
Version 1.1 – Jan 24 2026
© 2025 Grassroots Economics Foundation
This license governs the creation, operation, and federation of digital Commitment Pools.
1.0 Preamble¶
This license affirms that commitment pools are living commons — not markets. They are tools for mutual aid, peer-trust, and voluntary reciprocity rooted in care, not commerce. By creating a pool under this license, you affirm that the pool will not be used for wage replacement, speculation, or hidden monetization of service labor.
2.0 License Affirmations and Definitions¶
By adopting the SPROUT License (Stewarded Pools for Relational Obligations and Unified Trust), the Pool Creator (hereinafter referred to as the "Steward") affirms the following legal and operational declarations:
2.1 Non-Commercial Intent¶
The Pool established under this License shall not operate as a for-profit enterprise, commercial business, or financial services provider. The Pool shall not: - Generate income or revenue for any individual or organization; - Offer services or goods in exchange for currency; - Engage in speculative trading, token sales, or other capital market activities.
Definitions: - “Business” refers to any organized activity undertaken with the intent to make a profit or financial return, including wage disbursement, contracting, or resale of commitments. - “Swap Loan” means a zero-interest, repayable advance of an asset from a Pool to a participant executed through a swap transaction, where the participant assumes an obligation to repay the value advanced by the Due Date, either by repayment in approved assets and/or by redemption of their own voucher at Full Value, as specified by the Pool’s “Sign-at-Swap” terms. - “Loan Voucher / Collateral Voucher” means the voucher or approved asset posted into the Pool as collateral and as a transferable record of the lender’s claim under a Swap Loan. - “Holder” means the Pool or any person/entity that has lawfully obtained the Loan Voucher / Collateral Voucher through a Pool transfer, swap, or subsequent transfer. - “Assignment” means the transfer of the right to receive repayment/redemption of a Swap Loan from the Pool to a Holder, evidenced by the on-chain transfer of the Loan Voucher / Collateral Voucher.
2.2 Voluntary and Peer-Curated Participation¶
Participation in the Pool shall be strictly voluntary and limited to individuals or groups who have been invited, approved, or validated through a transparent, peer-based governance process.
Definition:
“Peer-curated” means access to the Pool is granted through a trust-based system of community evaluation or consensus, rather than open market or anonymous access.
2.3 Symbolic Commitments; Swap Loans Create Repayable Obligations¶
Tokens, vouchers, or instruments entered into the Pool may represent symbolic, relational commitments within the commons. However, any participant who swaps assets out of a Pool (receives an Advance) agrees that the transaction is a “Swap Loan” — a zero-interest, repayable advance that creates an obligation to repay. The repayment obligation is transferable by Assignment: the participant may owe repayment/redemption to the Pool or to any Holder of the participant’s Loan Voucher / Collateral Voucher. Swap Loans are not wages, salary, or income at the time of receipt; they are advances that remain obligations until repaid/redeemed under the Pool’s Sign-at-Swap terms.
2.4 Mutual Aid Commons, Not Automated Vending or Payroll Mechanism¶
The Pool operates as a commons-based system of mutual aid and community trust. It shall not function as: - A payroll or salary disbursement mechanism; - A contract delivery platform; - An automated financial vending machine; - A marketplace for wage-equivalent or fixed-price service exchange.
Definition:
“Commons of care” means a resource system collectively maintained and governed by a defined group for mutual benefit, without the intention of private ownership or profit extraction.
2.5 Swap Loan Terms (Sign-at-Swap)¶
Pools operating under this License may require participants who withdraw assets via swaps to accept a repayable, zero-interest obligation governed by the “SPROUT Swap Loan Terms” The Swap Loan Terms are incorporated by reference for any Pool that adopts them and must be made publicly available at: SPROUT Swap Loan Terms
3.0 Core Principles of the SPROUT License¶
The following principles shall be binding for all Pools operating under this License. These principles define the legal and ethical boundaries of pool design, acceptance of commitments, and inter-pool cooperation.
3.1 Principle of Care over Commerce¶
Pools shall operate as systems of care, reciprocity, and mutual recognition. Under no circumstance shall a Pool be designed or utilized for commercial purposes, speculative gains, or personal profit.
Interpretation:
Trust, not money, is the core unit of value. All tokenized activity must reflect contribution, not compensation.
3.2 Voluntary Participation; Informed Obligations on Swap¶
Participation in the Pool is voluntary. However, when a participant chooses to execute a swap that withdraws assets from the Pool, the participant knowingly enters a Swap Loan and becomes contractually obligated to repay/redeem under the Sign-at-Swap terms. Pools must be designed so that obligations are informed, transparent, and non-coercive, including clear Due Dates, Full Value definitions, and lawful/safe redemption conditions.
3.3 Transparent Purpose-Linked Tracking¶
All token swaps and redemptions shall be recorded on a verifiable ledger with a declared, non-generic purpose (e.g., “recognition for composting,” “seed-sharing rotation”).
Requirement:
Every transaction must include metadata linking it to the contributor’s claimed commitment.
3.4 Prohibition on Wage Substitution¶
Pools may not simulate payroll structures, distribute tokens in fixed intervals for time-based work, or replace wage labor under another guise. Any behavior approximating salaried or freelance contracting may be grounds for license revocation.
3.5 Peer-Curated Acceptance¶
Only known, verified, and trusted members of the Pool may have their vouchers accepted in the Pool. The Pool must maintain documented governance procedures for who may issue, and under what limits.
3.6 Symbolic Commitments; Enforceable Swap Loan Obligations¶
Vouchers may function as symbolic representations of intent within the commons. Separately, Swap Loans are repayable obligations created when a participant swaps assets out of the Pool. The Pool’s Sign-at-Swap terms shall define the repayment/redemption mechanics, including that the loan claim may be assigned to a Holder by transfer of the Loan Voucher / Collateral Voucher. Nothing in this License permits Pools to represent Swap Loans as investments, securities, or interest-bearing credit products.
3.7 Prohibition on Fiat Redemption Services
No Pool may present itself as offering fiat, e-money, or cryptocurrency “cash-out” or redemption services to the public. Swaps that deliver stablecoins or other assets are permitted only as Swap Loans within the bounded, peer-curated mutual aid network, governed by transparent limits and obligations. Pools must not market swaps as guaranteed convertibility to cash; swaps remain subject to inventory, limits, and the participant’s repayment/redemption obligations.
3.8 Endowment Integrity (No Investor Rights)¶
All resource injections into the Pool (e.g., stablecoins, airtime, food) are gifts or irrevocable endowments to the Pool commons and do not create investor rights, ownership claims, or entitlement to interest for the donor. The Pool may deploy endowment assets as zero-interest Swap Loans to participants under the Sign-at-Swap terms. Any repayment replenishes Pool capacity and does not confer private ownership or profit rights.
3.9 Federated Governance Respect¶
When federated with other Pools, each Pool must honor the local rules, curation logic, and trust boundaries of the partner Pools. No bypassing of peer control mechanisms is permitted.
4.0 Responsibilities of Pool Stewards¶
All individuals or entities creating or operating a Pool under this License (“Stewards”) agree to:
- Maintain a publicly accessible written Charter aligning with this License.
- Document all swaps and redemptions on a permanent, auditable ledger.
- Publish and enforce Sign-at-Swap Loan Terms: Ensure every swap that withdraws assets from the Pool requires the Swapper to digitally sign the Pool’s Swap Loan Terms, and that the signature (or hash) and TermsVersion/TermsHash are recorded on the auditable ledger/on-chain.
- Publish and enforce Swap Loan Terms (if used): If the Pool uses Swap Loans, the Steward must (i) publish a public link to the applicable SPROUT Swap Loan Terms, (ii) require “Sign-at-Swap” acceptance for any swap that withdraws assets from the Pool, and (iii) store the acceptance record (e.g., Terms version/hash + signature reference and transaction reference) on the Pool’s permanent, auditable ledger.
- Clearly define and display all roles, voucher issuers, and operating logic.
- Provide provenance documentation for any seeded assets or external inputs.
- Prohibit anonymous or uncurated token acceptance or participation.
- Utilize digital or analog systems (e.g., Sarafu.Network) that support transparent and permissioned pooling.
5.0 Violations and Enforcement¶
Any Pool found to be in violation of this License, including but not limited to the following actions, may have its SPROUT License status revoked by Grassroots Economics Foundation:
- Engaging in disguised wage disbursement or payroll simulation.
- Misleading participants regarding the redeemability or liquidity of tokens.
- Facilitating speculative trading or enabling anonymous token swaps.
- Violating the federation logic or consent of linked Pools.
Upon substantiated violation, the Pool may be:
- Flagged for audit and publicly reviewed;
- Temporarily suspended from federation networks;
- Required to issue a remediation report and governance reform.
Grassroots Economics Foundation reserves the right to enforce these conditions in accordance with documented governance processes and community consensus.
6.0 Licensing Notice (Mandatory for Sarafu.Network and Affiliates)¶
By accepting this License, the Steward affirms compliance with these foundational conditions and agrees to maintain the Pool’s operations in accordance with the spirit and legal framework of the SPROUT License.
Each Pool must include the following text (or equivalent) on its public page, dashboard, or registry:
This Pool operates under the SPROUT License: Stewarded Pools for Relational Obligations and Unified Trust. It circulates symbolic commitments within a peer-curated commons of care. Any swap that withdraws assets from the Pool is a 0% interest Swap Loan that creates a repayable obligation. Loan claims may be assigned to the current Holder of the borrower’s Loan Voucher / Collateral Voucher, as recorded on the ledger/on-chain. If this Pool enables withdrawals via swaps, those swaps are governed as repayable Swap Loans under the SPROUT Swap Loan Terms.
Participation is voluntary, curated, and governed by peer trust.
License: https://docs.grassecon.org/commons/sprout Charter: [Insert link to Pool’s Charter text]