Ethereum Foundation Grants Program Revamp: A New Approach to Funding

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The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has reworked its Ecosystem Support Program (ESP) to fund projects through two clear tracks: a Wishlist of priority areas and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) with specific deliverables.

The goal is to make funding more transparent, proactive, and aligned with Ethereum’s long-term needs after pausing open applications in late August to redesign the process. The first Wishlist items and RFPs are now live.

What changed and why it matters

Old model: Open-ended applications year-round. This helped hundreds of projects but overwhelmed reviewers and made it harder to target strategic gaps in the ecosystem.

New model:

Wishlist: EF teams publish priority topics (e.g., protocol research, client performance, security, privacy, education, community growth). Builders propose solutions that fit those goals.
RFPs: EF publishes scoped problem statements with expected outcomes, timelines, and evaluation criteria. Teams apply to deliver those outcomes.

This shift makes funding clearer for applicants (you know what EF wants) and more efficient for reviewers (apples-to-apples comparisons against explicit goals). External coverage from major crypto outlets and finance media confirms the pivot.

Click here to visit the Application portal link

How the new grants work

1. Find your fit

Read the live Wishlist to see EF’s priorities. If your idea solves one of those problems or you can improve an existing tool submit a proposal that explains how you’ll do it and why it matters. If your idea maps to an RFP, follow its scope and milestones.

2. Apply and be evaluated

The Grant Management (GM) team and domain experts jointly review proposals. They may ask for an interview, suggest rescoping, or negotiate budget and milestones. Decisions are tied to the Wishlist/RFP criteria, which improves predictability and fairness.

3. Build with support

Beyond funds, ESP continues Office Hours and non-financial help (feedback, connections, guidance on alignment). That increases the odds your project ships and is adopted.

What kinds of projects is EF prioritizing?

While the Wishlist evolves, early items and media reporting highlight areas such as:

Core protocol & clients: performance, testing, security, MEV mitigation.
Cryptography & privacy: applied research, tooling, safe-by-default patterns.
Security & reliability: fuzzing, auditing tools, incident response practices.
Developer experience: tooling, documentation, education, localization.
Ecosystem health: community building, research translation, public goods.

This focus addresses public-goods gaps that may not be funded by token incentives or short-term commercial models. It also encourages complementary work—multiple teams can propose different approaches to the same Wishlist goal.

Why the pause and what the revamp fixes

EF paused open applications in August 2025 to shift from reactive intake to proactive grantmaking. The foundation noted that the old queue made it difficult to chase high-impact, time-sensitive opportunities and to coordinate funding across EF teams. The revamp restarts grants with a structure that channels effort where it matters most.

Transparency: Applicants can see what EF wants before writing a grant.
Speed & signal: RFPs reduce back-and-forth and clarify deliverables.
Strategic alignment: Funding lines up with protocol roadmaps and ecosystem risks, not just what happens to be in the inbox.

What builders should do next

Step 1: Read the official announcement and pages

Start with EF’s blog post and the ESP site to understand the two tracks, current priorities, and application expectations.

Step 2: Map your idea to a Wishlist item or RFP

If you don’t see an exact match, propose a solution that advances a Wishlist goal (e.g., client performance, tooling). Keep proposals specific: scope, milestones, metrics, risks, team CVs.

Step 3: Use Office Hours

Ask for alignment feedback before submitting. EF explicitly invites questions to save time for both sides.

Step 4: Show sustainability

Highlight maintenance plans, documentation, hand-off options, and how your work benefits multiple stakeholders (core devs, app devs, researchers, educators).

How this could impact the ecosystem

Better public goods: Structured funding for clients, testing, and education can reduce fragmentation and improve reliability for everyone.
Faster response to risks: RFPs let EF spin up focused efforts (e.g., security tooling) quickly.
Clearer path for newcomers: The Wishlist is a roadmap of problems worth solving, making it easier for new teams to contribute meaningfully.
Accountability: Milestone-based grants tied to RFP outcomes improve measurability and post-grant maintenance.

Key FAQs

Is the program still open to anyone?

Yes, open to all, but applications now flow through Wishlist or RFP tracks rather than a completely open intake.

Will EF still run special rounds (e.g., academic grants)?

Yes, EF historically runs themed rounds (e.g., Academic Grants). Expect future rounds to reference Wishlist goals or run as targeted RFPs.

Where do I apply?

Use the ESP portal; review criteria and process are described on the Applicants page.

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