Ethereum Foundation Releases Q1 Funding List: Continuing Support for ZK, Cryptography, and Protocol Infrastructure

The Ethereum Foundation announced the list of grants and ecosystem support projects for the first quarter of 2026, focusing on cryptography, zero-knowledge proofs (ZK), protocol security, and core infrastructure development, continuously strengthening Ethereum's underlying technology stack and long-term scalability.
Funding this quarter covers several key areas. At the protocol and client level, including Geth and Erigon client optimizations, Lighthouse client upgrades, and network monitoring tools following Pectra upgrades, with an emphasis on improving network performance and resistance to attacks. Additionally, projects such as HSM key management, validator security tools Vero, and DISC-NG node discovery mechanisms are supported to enhance node reliability and institutional compliance capabilities.
In cryptography and ZK directions, the foundation continues to invest in Poseidon hash function analysis, Gröbner basis attack research, quantum-resistant and homomorphic encryption exploration, and formal verification of RISC-V zkVM projects, further strengthening the security boundaries of zero-knowledge proofs and cryptographic infrastructure.
In developer ecosystem development, upgrades to the BuidlGuidl educational system, ERC standards community building, WalletConnect signature library, and Open Creator Rails toolchains are ongoing to lower development barriers and improve user interaction security. Meanwhile, L2BEAT continues to provide Layer 2 transparency analysis, reinforcing the data infrastructure for scaling ecosystems.
Additionally, the foundation supports privacy technologies (such as Tor integration and Privacy Pool SDK), decentralized identity (did:ethr standard upgrades), DAO governance research, and public product experimental projects, covering the entire ecosystem from protocol layer to application layer. Overall, this round of funding continues Ethereum’s long-term investment in the three core areas of “cryptography + ZK + protocol engineering,” emphasizing infrastructure and standardization to support future multi-layer expansion and institutional applications.