Aave DAO has approved a $25 million funding package for Aave Labs, giving formal backing to the “Aave Will Win” framework after weeks of governance friction and a much tighter preliminary vote earlier in the process.
The binding Aave Improvement Proposal closed with 522,780 votes in favor and 175,310 against, according to the governance dashboard. That works out to roughly 75% support, a clear improvement from the early March temp check, which passed with only 52.58% and drew criticism from opponents who said the vote had been influenced by Aave Labs-linked addresses.
The stronger final margin matters. Not just politically, but structurally. Temp checks often test sentiment, yet this one had exposed real tension inside the DAO over how much funding Aave Labs should receive and under what terms.
This time, delegates gave the proposal a firmer endorsement. That suggests either the revised package landed better, or that governance participants were more comfortable once the terms were clarified and the initial noise settled a bit.
The grant itself is split across several streams. Aave Labs will receive an immediate 5 million aEthLidoGHO allowance, then another 5 million aEthLidoGHO streamed over six months, followed by a 15 million aEthLidoGHO stream over 12 months from the DAO’s Collector Contract.
Alongside the stablecoin-based grant, the package also includes 75,000 AAVE from the Ecosystem Reserve. That allocation will vest over 48 months, which is notably longer than the 24-month schedule set out in the original temp check.
That longer timeline looks deliberate. It gives the DAO a way to support Aave Labs while also signaling that alignment should be measured over years, not quarters.
For Aave governance, the vote does more than approve funding. It resets the tone after a divisive first round and makes clear that, at least for now, the DAO is still willing to back Aave Labs with serious capital when it decides the long-term case is strong enough.
