[WFC] No Fellowship Removal Without Kusama Vote

Wish

Any change that removes, merges, or otherwise eliminates the Kusama Technical Fellowship as an independent on-chain collective shall require a dedicated Wish For Change referendum on Kusama, approved by Kusama token holders, before implementation.

This applies to all mechanisms — including but not limited to runtime upgrades, Fellowship whitelisted calls, or governance migration — that would result in Kusama no longer having its own Technical Fellowship distinct from the Polkadot Technical Fellowship.

Context

Issue #484 proposes retiring the Kusama Technical Fellowship in favor of the Polkadot Technical Fellowship operating via bridge. PR #1100, merged March 12 2026, is the first implementation step — making Kusama system chains recognize the Polkadot Fellowship's authority alongside Kusama's own. This follows WFC 573, which committed Kusama to an independent JAM upgrade path.

The community whose governance structure would change should decide whether that change happens.

What this WFC does NOT do

It does not oppose fellowship consolidation on its merits
It does not seek to reverse PR #1100 (both fellowships currently coexist)
It does not require a separate Kusama Fellowship to be independently funded
It does not claim fellowship removal is irreversible — Kusama OpenGov retains full sovereignty regardless

It establishes one requirement: no removal without a Kusama vote.

Edited

This is about keeping the Kusama Technical Fellowship as its own group.
A new rule says you can't remove or merge it without a special vote by Kusama token holders.
This rule is being made because some people want to combine it with the Polkadot Fellowship.
The community that would be affected should get to decide.
This does not stop the two groups from working together right now.
It also doesn't mean the Kusama group needs its own separate money.
It just says you need a vote before making it go away.

Source