DAO escrow
Paying a contributor, funding a grant, or hiring a vendor from a shared treasury means trusting that the work lands after the funds go out. Vaultion locks the payment in a smart contract first: the recipient sees the money is committed, and the DAO's wallet releases it once the milestone is delivered. No single member holds the funds — and if there's a disagreement, a ruling decides — Kleros jurors or a Vaultion reviewer on Ethereum, a Vaultion reviewer on every other network — not a governance brawl.
Start an escrowSpend the treasury with proof
Treasury committed, not sent blind
Instead of paying a contributor or vendor upfront on trust, the DAO locks the funds in the contract first. The recipient can see the money is committed on-chain before they start the work.
Release on delivered milestones
When a milestone is delivered and accepted, the wallet that funded the escrow releases it in one transaction. Set up one escrow per milestone so each phase is funded and released on its own.
Disputes go to Kleros, not governance
If the DAO and a recipient disagree about whether the work was delivered, either can open a dispute. The evidence is ruled on by independent Kleros jurors or a Vaultion reviewer on Ethereum, or a Vaultion reviewer on every other network — keeping it out of a drawn-out governance fight.
What a DAO payout should specify
Treasury spending needs to be authorised and auditable. Escrow lets a DAO release against delivered work while keeping the whole thing on-chain and traceable to a decision.
Multisig funding
Fund the escrow from the treasury multisig so the payment is authorised the same way as any other spend, and visible on-chain.
Deliverable acceptance
Agree who signs off that a grant or contributor deliverable is complete, and tie release to that acceptance.
Milestone tranches
For grants and long engagements, break funding into milestones so the treasury releases against delivered work rather than paying up front.
On-chain reference
Link the escrow to its proposal or vote so the payout stays auditable against what the DAO actually approved.
Check the contract before you commit
Vaultion runs on a published, open-source contract that holds the funds — not Vaultion. You can read it and the locked balance on the block explorer before you send anything.
Frequently asked
How does escrow work for a DAO?
The DAO funds the escrow from whatever wallet it chooses — including a multisig — locking the payment in the contract before work begins. When the milestone is delivered, that same wallet releases the funds. Vaultion never holds the money and never decides whether the work was done.
Who controls the release — the whole DAO or one person?
Whoever funds the escrow controls its release. If a multisig funds it, the multisig's signing rules apply — release needs the same approvals any other treasury action would. Vaultion has no key and cannot move the funds; it only provides the interface to the contract.
What if a contributor takes a grant and never delivers?
The funds stay locked until released, so a contributor who never delivers never gets paid. If they claim they delivered and the DAO disagrees, either side can open a Kleros dispute and submit evidence. The contract's timeouts also prevent funds being frozen indefinitely.
What does it cost?
A tiered platform fee — 4% on smaller deals down to 2% on larger ones — is paid once when the escrow is created. What a dispute costs depends on the network. On Ethereum you choose at creation: Kleros charges a fee, paid in ETH by the party that raises the dispute, while a Vaultion reviewer costs nothing. On every other network a Vaultion reviewer handles it and there is no charge. Either way, no dispute means nothing extra to pay.
Keep reading
Lock a treasury payment
Set up an escrow in a few steps. Funds stay locked in the contract until the deal is done or arbitration decides.
Create an escrow