Ethereum Foundation Halts Open Grant Applications for Ecosystem Support Program

Ethereum pulls the plug on its open funding pipeline—just as the ecosystem needs capital most.

The Foundation's Ecosystem Support Program quietly froze new applications this week. No warning. No timeline for reopening. Just radio silence from one of crypto's biggest grant distributors.

Behind the Pause

Speculation runs wild. Is this a strategic pivot toward curated grants? A response to regulatory pressure? Or simply—budget constraints? The Foundation isn't saying.

Timing couldn't be worse. Builder momentum's accelerating post-merge, yet early-stage projects now face a funding cliff. Typical—foundations talk decentralization while pulling financial strings.

Market observers note the irony: pausing grants while VCs dump ETH bags. Because nothing says 'ecosystem support' like cutting off oxygen during a bull run.

Funding Ethereum’s builders

Evolving the funding model aligns with Ethereum’s growth, which currently sees over $91 billion in total value locked in decentralized finance and more than $148 billion in stablecoin market cap. Scaling this network amid developer activity aimed at accelerating adoption necessitates that the funding approach mirrors the traction.

“As part of this transition, we have temporarily paused open grant applications. This change will enable us time to redesign in a way that redirects our focus toward strategic initiatives, moving from a reactive model to a more proactive one that also supports the priorities of other EF teams,” the Ecosystem Program Support team wrote.

In 2024, the grants program saw nearly $3 million in funding awarded to 105 projects, including across developer tooling, data and analytics, research and education. Specific projects that benefited included Commit-Boost, BundleBear, Web3Bridge and Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress.

Although open grant applications are temporarily paused, the Ethereum Foundation through the ESP team plans to continue support for all active grant beneficiaries. The team will also share more details for the new model and refined priorities  in the fourth quarter of 2025.