After funding hundreds of projects with millions of dollars, the Ethereum Foundation is temporarily break from the open subsidy application for the ECOSYSYSTEM (ESP) support program to refocus on a more proactive financing model which is better aligned with the strategic needs of the ecosystem.
The transition comes when the Foundation is faced with challenges in revising high volume of incoming applications, which, according to him, has left a “limited capacity to pursue new strategic opportunities”.
In a Friday blogThe Ethereum Foundation stressed that ESP will continue to finance new projects, but in a refined approach to the grant. More details are expected in the fourth quarter, in particular an organized methodology describing specific priorities of the ecosystem.
In 2024, ESP has granted nearly $ 3 million in 105 projects and initiatives, supporting areas such as developer tools, data and analysis, research and education. In the first quarter of 2025 only, the The Ethereum Foundation distributed $ 32.6 million in total subsidies.
As a non-profit organization created in 2014 by the co-founders of Ethereum, the Ethereum Foundation has historically played a key role in the supply of financing, coordination and long-term vision of the development of blockchain, including main network upgrades.
In June, the foundation presented A more transparent cash flow policy detailing operational costs and cash requirements. As part of the commitment, he undertook to publish quarterly and annual disclosure of his assets, investments and any important development.
In relation: No more eTh discharges? The Ethereum Foundation turns to Defi for money
The evolutionary priorities of the Ethereum Foundation
As the second blockchain in the world, Ethereum has solid support from institutional investors and developers, but faces increasing competition from faster, alternatives at lower cost such as SolanaAvalanche and BNB Smart Chain, which walks like more progressive and friendly platforms.
As such, Ethereum is directed to a renewed accent on layer 1 scaling, reducing network costs and improving the global user experience.
These priorities have been highlighted in a separate foundation blog Friday, which described interoperability as “the opportunity for the highest in the wider UX field in the next 6 to 12 months”.
Interoperability has become a central objective given the Rapid proliferation of layer 2 protocols. Although these solutions extend the functionality of Ethereum, they also introduce new challenges, in particular fragmentation, said the foundation.
Earlier this year, the Foundation also launched a security initiative of $ 1 Billion – a wide strategy designed to strengthen Ethereum resilience and position the network for a wider and non -crippip audience.
Ethereum has already performed with financial institutions, with CEO of Vaneck Jan Vaneck Call ether (Ethn) The “Token Wall Street”. On Stablecoins, he argued that the winning blockchain will be the one that attracts the most manufacturers: “It will be Ethereum, or something that uses Ethereum’s methodology.” “”
In relation: Ethereum should limit transparency for a fairer blockchain