The EF’s Grants Program launched in 2018 and has developed over time to grow to be the Ecosystem Assist Program (ESP), offering grants and assist to builders that assist the Ethereum ecosystem thrive. Our mission is to allow work that strengthens Ethereum’s foundations and empowers future builders, in domains resembling developer tooling, analysis, group constructing, infrastructure, and open requirements.
In 2024 alone, ESP awarded near $3M in funding to 105 initiatives and initiatives that got here by way of our open grants program webforms. These grants, that are one a part of ESP’s bigger portfolio, supported a various vary of labor, resembling Commit-Enhance (developer tooling), BundleBear (knowledge and analytics), Web3Bridge (schooling), ZK Playbook (analysis), and Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress (group occasion).
Over the previous three years, we’ve got streamlined our processes to enhance effectivity. Nevertheless, as an open grants program with a lean workforce and broad scope, the excessive quantity of inbound purposes has consumed most of our time and sources, leaving restricted capability to pursue new strategic alternatives. As we glance forward, we’re getting into a brand new chapter the place we’ll discover adjustments that permit us to higher focus our efforts, assist the group extra meaningfully, and proceed rising along with the ecosystem.
Evolving with Ethereum’s Progress
The EF just lately articulated its imaginative and prescient and launched adjustments to its Ecosystem Improvement construction, reflecting a broader shift in the way it engages with the Ethereum ecosystem. This second provides a well timed alternative to discover the following iteration of ESP. Because the Ethereum ecosystem grows in scale, complexity, and visibility, our funding method should evolve alongside it.
To align extra carefully with the EF’s up to date ecosystem growth technique, we’re refining ESP’s priorities and method. As a part of this transition, we’ve got briefly paused open grant purposes. This transformation will allow us time to revamp in a means that redirects our focus towards strategic initiatives, transferring from a reactive mannequin to a extra proactive one which additionally helps the priorities of different EF groups.
We’ll proceed funding Ethereum public items and accepting purposes, however with a brand new method to be outlined in a future put up. Our core values stay unchanged:
Allocate sources to essential initiatives and initiatives that strengthen Ethereum’s resilience and usabilitySupport public items and open-source work that advances the Ethereum ecosystemFocus on domains resembling developer tooling, core and shared infrastructure, analysis, group sources, and different public items
What’s Subsequent
Whereas open grant purposes are paused, the ESP workforce will proceed supporting our energetic grantees and stays obtainable by way of Workplace Hours—for these looking for non-financial assist resembling steerage, undertaking suggestions, or help to find helpful sources. Please notice that in this era, we is not going to be reviewing new grant purposes.
We’ll share an replace on ESP’s refined priorities and method in This fall 2025. Within the meantime, you possibly can comply with the most recent EF grant bulletins and grantee undertaking progress on our socials: @EF_ESP X (Twitter), @ef-esp Farcaster, @ef_esp Lens, and @ef-esp Bluesky. For an entire listing of EF grants, try the quarterly Allocation Replace posts printed on the ESP weblog.
We stay deeply dedicated to supporting the Ethereum ecosystem and the general public items that maintain it. Whereas these adjustments mark a brand new chapter for ESP, we’re energized by the alternatives forward to higher assist the unimaginable builders, researchers, and contributors driving Ethereum’s progress. The way forward for Ethereum is a shared journey, and we’re excited to maneuver ahead with you!
