The EF’s Grants Program launched in 2018 and has advanced over time to develop into 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 corresponding to developer tooling, analysis, group constructing, infrastructure, and open requirements.
In 2024 alone, ESP awarded near $3M in funding to 105 tasks and initiatives that got here via our open grants program webforms. These grants, that are one a part of ESP’s bigger portfolio, supported a various vary of labor, corresponding to Commit-Enhance (developer tooling), BundleBear (knowledge and analytics), Web3Bridge (training), ZK Playbook (analysis), and Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress (group occasion).
Over the previous three years, now we have streamlined our processes to enhance effectivity. Nonetheless, as an open grants program with a lean crew 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 enable us to raised 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 adjustments to its Ecosystem Growth 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 method 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 method. As a part of this transition, now we have quickly paused open grant purposes. This transformation will allow us time to revamp in a manner 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 method to be outlined in a future submit. Our core values stay unchanged:
Allocate sources to essential tasks and initiatives that strengthen Ethereum’s resilience and usabilitySupport public items and open-source work that advances the Ethereum ecosystemFocus on domains corresponding to developer tooling, core and shared infrastructure, analysis, group sources, and different public items
What’s Subsequent
Whereas open grant purposes are paused, the ESP crew will proceed supporting our energetic grantees and stays obtainable via Workplace Hours—for these searching for non-financial help corresponding to steerage, venture suggestions, or help find helpful sources. Please word that in this era, we won’t be reviewing new grant purposes.
We’ll share an replace on ESP’s refined priorities and method in This autumn 2025. Within the meantime, you’ll be able to comply with the most recent EF grant bulletins and grantee venture progress on our socials: @EF_ESP X (Twitter), @ef-esp Farcaster, @ef_esp Lens, and @ef-esp Bluesky. For a whole listing of EF grants, take a look at 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 adjustments mark a brand new chapter for ESP, we’re energized by the alternatives forward to raised help the unbelievable 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!
