The Ecosystem Support Program’s Next Chapter

The EF’s Grants Program launched in 2018 and has developed over time to change into the Ecosystem Support 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, neighborhood constructing, infrastructure, and open requirements.

In 2024 alone, ESP awarded near $3M in funding to 105 tasks 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, corresponding to Commit-Boost (developer tooling), BundleBear (knowledge and analytics), Web3Bridge (schooling), ZK Playbook (analysis), and Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress (neighborhood occasion).

Over the previous three years, we now have streamlined our processes to enhance effectivity. Nonetheless, as an open grants program with a lean group and broad scope, the excessive quantity of inbound functions has consumed most of our time and assets, leaving restricted capability to pursue new strategic alternatives. As we glance forward, we’re coming into a brand new chapter the place we’ll discover modifications that enable us to raised focus our efforts, help the neighborhood extra meaningfully, and proceed rising along with the ecosystem.

Evolving with Ethereum’s Progress

The EF just lately articulated its vision and launched modifications to its Ecosystem Development structure, reflecting a broader shift in the way it engages with the Ethereum ecosystem. This second gives a well timed alternative to discover the subsequent 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, we now have briefly paused open grant functions. This modification will allow us time to revamp in a means 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 are going to proceed funding Ethereum public items and accepting functions, however with a brand new method to be outlined in a future put up. Our core values stay unchanged:

• Allocate assets to crucial tasks and initiatives that strengthen Ethereum’s resilience and value
• Assist public items and open-source work that advances the Ethereum ecosystem
• Concentrate on domains corresponding to developer tooling, core and shared infrastructure, analysis, neighborhood assets, and different public items

What’s Subsequent

Whereas open grant functions are paused, the ESP group will proceed supporting our energetic grantees and stays obtainable by means of Office Hours—for these in search of non-financial help corresponding to steerage, mission suggestions, or help to find helpful assets. Please observe that in this era, we won’t be reviewing new grant functions.

We are going to 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 mission progress on our socials: @EF_ESP X (Twitter), @ef-esp Farcaster, @ef_esp Lens, and @ef-esp Bluesky. For a whole checklist of EF grants, take a look at the quarterly Allocation Replace posts revealed on the ESP blog.

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 raised help 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!