Updated on:12/25/2025 06:32 PM 
The Ethereum Foundation has significantly bolstered its commitment to blockchain innovation by distributing over $32 million in ecosystem grants during the first quarter of 2025. This substantial funding represents a remarkable 63% increase from the $11.6 million allocated in Q4 2024, demonstrating the Foundation's strengthened dedication to advancing the Ethereum blockchain infrastructure.
According to the May 8 update, these grants were channeled through the Foundation's Ecosystem Support Program, benefiting an impressive 94 diverse projects. While the comprehensive report categorized recipients by their thematic focus areas, specific grant amounts for each initiative remain undisclosed.
The largest allocation of blockchain development grants was directed toward projects in the Community and Education category, with 32 initiatives receiving vital funding. These encompassed research initiatives, educational workshops, industry conferences, and developer bootcamps—all designed to enhance knowledge sharing and strengthen community engagement within the Ethereum ecosystem.
This strategic emphasis on educational outreach and community development underscores the Foundation's mission to improve Ethereum users' understanding and encourage broader participation in the network's growth.
Recognizing the critical role of developer experience in blockchain evolution, the Foundation allocated 16 grants specifically to Developer Experience and Tooling projects. Among the notable beneficiaries was CertiK, a leading blockchain security firm, which secured two grants to advance its work on simplifying verification processes for zkVM (Zero-Knowledge Virtual Machine) circuits.
CertiK's innovative efforts focus on enhancing modular arithmetic operations and optimizing scenarios where multiple values are stored in a single field element—contributions that promise to strengthen the security and efficiency of Ethereum's blockchain infrastructure.
In line with Ethereum's trajectory toward enhanced privacy and scalability, the Foundation dedicated substantial resources to Cryptography and Zero-Knowledge Proofs, supporting 14 pioneering projects in this critical technological frontier.
The Consensus Layer received targeted support through seven grants, while both Execution Layers and Protocol Growth and Support categories were each backed by five innovative initiatives. General Growth and Support secured four additional grants, with two more awarded through indirect funding mechanisms.
The remaining 10 projects were recognized under the "Others" category, which included entities advocating for decentralization principles, conducting in-depth research on stablecoins, and developing solutions to bridge the traditional financial system with Ethereum's blockchain capabilities.
Notably, L2Beat, a prominent Layer-2 data aggregator, also received crucial funding. This grant continues the Ethereum Foundation's ongoing support for the platform's data provision activities, which are increasingly vital for enhancing the transparency and scalability of Ethereum's layer-2 solutions—a key component in the network's evolution toward broader adoption and improved performance.
