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 help 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 akin to 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 means of our open grants program webforms. These grants, that are one a part of ESP’s bigger portfolio, supported a various vary of labor, akin to Commit-Increase (developer tooling), BundleBear (information and analytics), Web3Bridge (schooling), ZK Playbook (analysis), and Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress (group occasion).
Over the previous three years, we’ve 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 assets, 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 modifications that enable us to higher focus our efforts, help the group extra meaningfully, and proceed rising along with the ecosystem.
Evolving with Ethereum’s Development
The EF just lately articulated its imaginative and prescient and launched modifications to its Ecosystem Improvement construction, reflecting a broader shift in the way it engages with the Ethereum ecosystem. This second affords a well timed alternative to discover the following iteration of ESP. Because the Ethereum ecosystem grows in scale, complexity, and visibility, our funding strategy should evolve alongside it.
To align extra intently with the EF’s up to date ecosystem improvement technique, we’re refining ESP’s priorities and strategy. As a part of this transition, we’ve quickly paused open grant purposes. This variation will allow us time to revamp in a approach that redirects our focus towards strategic initiatives, shifting 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 strategy to be outlined in a future put up. Our core values stay unchanged:
Allocate assets to crucial initiatives and initiatives that strengthen Ethereum’s resilience and usabilitySupport public items and open-source work that advances the Ethereum ecosystemFocus on domains akin to developer tooling, core and shared infrastructure, analysis, group assets, and different public items
What’s Subsequent
Whereas open grant purposes are paused, the ESP workforce will proceed supporting our lively grantees and stays accessible by means of Workplace Hours—for these searching for non-financial help akin to steering, mission suggestions, or help find helpful assets. Please word 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 strategy in This fall 2025. Within the meantime, you may observe the newest EF grant bulletins and grantee mission 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 revealed on the ESP weblog.
We stay deeply dedicated to supporting the Ethereum ecosystem and the general public items that maintain it. Whereas these modifications mark a brand new chapter for ESP, we’re energized by the alternatives forward to higher help the unbelievable builders, researchers, and contributors driving Ethereum’s development. The way forward for Ethereum is a shared journey, and we’re excited to maneuver ahead with you!
