The Ecosystem Support Program's Next Chapter

The EF’s Grants Program launched successful 2018 and has evolved implicit clip to go the Ecosystem Support Program (ESP), providing grants and enactment to builders that assistance the Ethereum ecosystem thrive. Our ngo is to alteration enactment that strengthens Ethereum’s foundations and empowers aboriginal builders, successful domains specified arsenic developer tooling, research, assemblage building, infrastructure, and unfastened standards.

In 2024 alone, ESP awarded adjacent to $3M successful backing to 105 projects and initiatives that came done our unfastened grants programme webforms. These grants, which are 1 portion of ESP’s larger portfolio, supported a divers scope of work, specified arsenic Commit-Boost (developer tooling), BundleBear (data and analytics), Web3Bridge (education), ZK Playbook (research), and Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress (community event).

Over the past 3 years, we person streamlined our processes to amended efficiency. However, arsenic an unfastened grants programme with a thin squad and wide scope, the precocious measurement of inbound applications has consumed astir of our clip and resources, leaving constricted capableness to prosecute caller strategical opportunities. As we look ahead, we’re entering a caller section wherever we’ll research changes that let america to amended absorption our efforts, enactment the assemblage much meaningfully, and proceed increasing unneurotic with the ecosystem.

Evolving with Ethereum's Growth

The EF precocious articulated its vision and introduced changes to its Ecosystem Development structure, reflecting a broader displacement successful however it engages with the Ethereum ecosystem. This infinitesimal offers a timely accidental to research the adjacent iteration of ESP. As the Ethereum ecosystem grows successful scale, complexity, and visibility, our backing attack indispensable germinate alongside it.

To align much intimately with the EF’s updated ecosystem improvement strategy, we are refining ESP’s priorities and approach. As portion of this transition, we person temporarily paused unfastened assistance applications. This alteration volition alteration america clip to redesign successful a mode that redirects our absorption toward strategical initiatives, moving from a reactive exemplary to a much proactive 1 that besides supports the priorities of different EF teams.

We volition proceed backing Ethereum nationalist goods and accepting applications, but with a caller attack to beryllium outlined successful a aboriginal post. Our halfway values stay unchanged:

• Allocate resources to captious projects and initiatives that fortify Ethereum’s resilience and usability
• Support nationalist goods and open-source enactment that advances the Ethereum ecosystem
• Focus connected domains specified arsenic developer tooling, halfway and shared infrastructure, research, assemblage resources, and different nationalist goods

What's Next

While unfastened assistance applications are paused, the ESP squad volition proceed supporting our progressive grantees and remains disposable done Office Hours—for those seeking non-financial enactment specified arsenic guidance, task feedback, oregon assistance successful uncovering utile resources. Please enactment that during this period, we volition not beryllium reviewing caller assistance applications.

We volition stock an update connected ESP’s refined priorities and attack successful Q4 2025. In the meantime, you tin travel the latest EF assistance announcements and grantee task advancement connected our socials: @EF_ESP X (Twitter), @ef-esp Farcaster, @ef_esp Lens, and @ef-esp Bluesky. For a implicit database of EF grants, cheque retired the quarterly Allocation Update posts published connected the ESP blog.

We stay profoundly committed to supporting the Ethereum ecosystem and the nationalist goods that prolong it. While these changes people a caller section for ESP, we are energized by the opportunities up to amended enactment the unthinkable builders, researchers, and contributors driving Ethereum’s growth. The aboriginal of Ethereum is simply a shared journey, and we’re excited to determination guardant with you!