We provide grants and other support to the builders of the Ethereum ecosystem.
The Ethereum Foundation's Mission
Our mission is to do what is best for Ethereum's long-term success. Our role is to allocate resources to critical projects, to be a valued voice within the Ethereum ecosystem, and to advocate for Ethereum to the outside world.
Ecosystem Support Program's Role
As the public facing allocation arm of the Ethereum Foundation, ESP provides funding and other forms of support to eligible projects working to improve Ethereum. We focus on work that strengthens Ethereum's foundations and enables future builders, such as developer tools, research, community building, infrastructure and open standards.
2021
136 projects
$26.9 million
2022
397 projects
$30.0 million
2023
498 projects
$61.1 million
* ESP grants and support are not inclusive of all EF allocations
What we support
We award dozens of grants each quarter, across a variety of categories. We support free and open source projects that strengthen Ethereum's foundations, with a particular focus on builder tools, infrastructure, research, community resources and other public goods. Funding is generally directed toward supporting builders rather than end users.
Who We Support
Our grantees come from all over the world and represent many different backgrounds, disciplines and levels of experience. We have supported individuals and teams of all kinds - companies, DAOs, nonprofits, institutions, academics, developers, educators, community organizers and more. Learn more and see a list of recent grantees.
How We Support
We aim to deploy resources, both financial and non-financial, where they will have the biggest impact. We try to keep our processes flexible and evolving in order to be open to new ideas and support builders of all kinds.
Grants are awarded through a formal application and evaluation process, while our office hours are an opportunity to explore a broad range of support through an informal conversation with a member of the ESP team, such as project feedback, advice, help navigating the ecosystem or guidance on submitting a grant application.