Ethereum Foundation revamps grants program under new funding approach

The Ethereum Foundation just dropped a major update: they're completely overhauling their grants program. They're moving from the old open application model to a more targeted funding approach under their Ecosystem Support Program. This isn't just a tweak - it's a full strategic pivot.

According to their Monday blog post, grants will now flow through two main channels: a curated wishlist outlining the Foundation's focus areas, and specific requests for proposals (RFPs) targeting precise ecosystem needs. Translation: they're getting surgical with their funding instead of spraying and praying.

The previous open grants program - which got paused earlier this year - was stretching the Foundation's resources thin. The new model takes a more selective approach, coordinating with internal teams to direct funds toward defined ecosystem priorities. Basically, they're optimizing for impact over volume.

The first round of wishlist items and RFPs is already live, covering critical areas like cryptography, privacy, security, and community growth. This isn't just theoretical - they're putting money where their mouth is.

For context: the EF launched its grants program back in 2018 to support builders in the ecosystem. In 2024 alone, they dropped about $3 million supporting 105 projects and initiatives. That's serious backing for the ecosystem.

This grants overhaul comes hot on the heels of Ethereum's latest moves. The Fusaka upgrade just went live on Ethereum's final testnet, Hoodi, and it's packing some serious upgrades.

Fusaka introduces several EIPs including EIP-7594 (PeerDAS), which lets validators access smaller data segments from layer-2 networks instead of entire blobs. Translation: better node performance and scalability. It also includes EIPs 7825 and 7935, which raise the gas limit and enhance performance as Ethereum moves toward parallel execution - a critical part of the roadmap that'll let multiple transactions run simultaneously.

The fork already rolled out on Holesky and Sepolia testnets, and mainnet launch is scheduled for December 3rd. This follows Ethereum's last major upgrade, Pectra, which launched on May 7th and brought staking efficiency improvements and wallet upgrades for better user experience.