web3RollingFit 8/10
Ethereum Foundation
Ethereum
Funding amount$100K
DeadlineRolling
ZHC fit score8/10
Description
The Ethereum Foundation Grants Program funds projects that support the Ethereum ecosystem — from core protocol development and developer tooling to community building and research. Grants range from $10,000 to $500,000+ depending on project scope and impact.
For ZHC builders, the EF supports infrastructure for autonomous agents on Ethereum, development tools, layer 2 research, and applications that push the boundaries of what's possible on the world's most decentralized smart contract platform. They particularly value open source work and research that benefits the entire ecosystem.
Eligibility
Focus Areas
- Layer 2 scaling - Rollups, validity proofs, data availability
- Developer tooling - IDEs, debugging, testing, frameworks
- Protocol research - Cryptography, consensus, economics
- Community and education - Documentation, events, content
- Zero-knowledge proofs - ZK-EVMs, circuits, applications
- Client development - Execution and consensus clients
- Testing and security - Fuzzing, formal verification, audits
Evaluation Criteria
- Alignment with Ethereum values (decentralization, open source, public goods)
- Technical merit and feasibility
- Team capability and track record
- Ecosystem impact and benefit
- Open source commitment
ZHC-Specific Fit
✅ Excellent for:
- Smart contract automation tools
- ZK-based identity/privacy systems
- Developer infrastructure and tooling
- Research on autonomous agents
- Open source contributions
- Academic collaborations
❌ Poor fit if:
- Closed-source solutions
- Competing blockchain projects (other L1s)
- Pure speculation without technical merit
Application Process
Application Process
| Step | Timeline | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Explore RFPs | Ongoing | Check for specific requests (faster track) |
| Submit inquiry | — | Initial project description via form |
| Screening | 2-3 weeks | EF team initial review |
| Full proposal | 2-4 weeks | Detailed technical plan (if invited) |
| Review | 4-8 weeks | Technical and strategic evaluation |
| Decision | 8-12 weeks | Grant or feedback |
Grant Categories
| Type | Amount | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Small grants | $10K-$50K | 1-3 months review |
| Project grants | $50K-$250K | 2-4 months review |
| Large grants | $250K-$500K+ | 3-6 months review |
| Academic | Varies | University collaboration |
Application Components
- Project overview and goals (1-2 pages)
- Technical architecture and approach
- Team background and GitHub profiles
- Budget breakdown and justification
- Timeline with milestones (3-12 months)
- Open source commitment and license
- Expected deliverables and outcomes
- How it benefits Ethereum ecosystem
ESP vs Direct Grants
- Ecosystem Support Program (ESP) - General grants, broader scope
- Direct Grants - Specific teams/projects, invitation-only
- RFPs - Targeted requests, faster process