Unveiling ESP's New Grants Program

Ethereum has matured significantly, with global builders creating tools, protocols, and public goods. Ethereum Ecosystem Support Program (ESP) paused open grant applications to redesign a more targeted, impactful, and sustainable funding model. Previous open grants supported hundreds of projects but stretched resources. New approach shifts from reactive ? proactive, aligning funding with ecosystem priorities.

New Grants Program

Two structured pathways:

Wishlist: Defines broad ecosystem goals, highlights themes (not specific projects) and encourages diverse approaches and builder creativity.
Requests for Proposals (RFPs): Addresses specific problems/opportunities, defines clear deliverables, scope, outcomes and follows prescriptive, time-bound, with application windows

Why It Matters?

ESP's new grants program is designed to be more strategic, focusing on ecosystem priorities while still welcoming diverse builder contributions. ESP will coordinate grant-making across EF teams for maximum impact. It will also support grantees with guidance, ecosystem connections, and insights from outcomes. First Wishlist items and RFPs are live with domains covering cryptography, privacy, application layer, security, community growth, and more.