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In the midst of internal reorganization, the Ethereum Foundation continues to pour various grants into the ecosystem. Far from withdrawing into itself, it bets on supporting new ideas, advanced technologies, community events, and open-source projects. From the smallest local hackathon to post-quantum crypto protocols, its funding covers a wide range. Through its ESP program, Ethereum wants to ensure that the future of blockchain remains fertile ground. And apparently, it is ready to put the means into it.
In brief
- Ethereum Foundation distributed $32.6 million in Q1 2025 through its ESP program.
- 32 educational and community projects were supported across several countries around the globe.
- 14 initiatives in ZK and post-quantum cryptography were funded, while Vitalik has already bet on STARKs.
Ethereum: $32 million for projects around the globe
In the first quarter of 2025, the Ethereum Foundation, which has just changed pace and leadership, distributed $32.6 million to more than 90 projects. Its ESP program targeted several priorities, including education, developer tools, and cryptography. Among the 101 grants, 32 were awarded to educational or community initiatives. Bootcamps, conferences like ETHPrague or ETHiopia, video content, and summer schools are involved. These projects reflect the Foundation’s educational ambition, notably on a global scale.
Programs have been supported in India, Greece, Japan, and South America. This approach favors a more inclusive and decentralized adoption of the Ethereum ecosystem.
Among other supported fields: advanced cryptography, SDK tools, language libraries, and EIP accessibility. These grants show that the Foundation wants to democratize innovation without abandoning technical rigor. And despite a lack of project-by-project financial details, the thematic distribution says a lot about its current priorities.
Post-quantum security and developer ergonomics at the heart of the agenda
Zero-Knowledge (ZK) technologies and crypto also receive a large slice of the pie. Fourteen ZK projects have been supported, ranging from the development of ZK-proofs to post-quantum cryptography. This is part of a long-term network security strategy. Vitalik Buterin himself reminded us:
I coded quantum-resistant wallets as early as 2017.
His May 2024 tweet goes further. He advocates sustainable solutions: STARK infrastructures and signature aggregation. The execution and consensus layers have not been forgotten: seven projects each are dedicated to them. These layers are crucial for Ethereum’s robustness as it evolves towards more scalability.
Only one Layer-2 project was funded: L2 Beats, a data platform on Ethereum sidechains. The developer experience remains a priority, with sixteen projects supporting SDKs, validators, and analytics.
The strategy is clear: to make sure Ethereum is as pleasant to build on as it is to use.
Ethereum Foundation: new transparency and global strategies in numbers
Overall, the distribution of grants is as follows:
- 32 projects for community and education;
- 16 projects for developer experience;
- 14 projects on cryptography and ZK-proofs;
- 7 for the execution layer, 7 for the consensus layer;
- 9 projects oriented to general support and protocols;
- 13 projects classified “others”: DeFi, stablecoins, DApps, etc.
This transparency is recent: it is the fourth public report since August 2024. Buterin encourages it, seeing it as a way to be accountable without heavy bureaucracy. Projects like Amber Group or SunSec have praised this openness. Their contributions to EVM security, for example with Mothra or PebbleDB, have been rewarded.
Behind these numbers emerges a more attentive Ethereum Foundation, more concerned with building a solid base. Even if some would like to know the amounts allocated to each project, the general direction seems appreciated.
In this dynamic, the Ethereum Foundation is not alone. The Human Rights Foundation also supports crypto, with donations in twenty countries. It makes bitcoin a lever of emancipation, a tool of hope in fragile contexts. Proof that sometimes, blockchains become more than protocols: they become concrete promises.
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La révolution blockchain et crypto est en marche ! Et le jour où les impacts se feront ressentir sur l’économie la plus vulnérable de ce Monde, contre toute espérance, je dirai que j’y étais pour quelque chose
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
