What is the Ethereum Foundation and what does it do?

The Ethereum Foundation is a nonprofit that supports the Ethereum blockchain. It pays for research and protocol development, gives grants to outside projects and runs community events. It does not own or run Ethereum, and its own site describes it as supporting the network without controlling it.

What does the Ethereum Foundation do?

Ethereum.org says co-founder Mihai Alisie helped set up the foundation in Switzerland, where it also handled the legal framework for the original ether sale. Today ethereum.org lists its main roles as managing development funds, giving grants, running events and education, and coordinating research.

The EF calls itself an unusual nonprofit that is part of a larger community of organizations and individuals. Its blog also publishes the official notices for network upgrades, such as the October 22, 2026 post postponing the Glamsterdam upgrade on a test network. For the people behind Ethereum's launch, see who created Ethereum.

Does the Ethereum Foundation control Ethereum?

No. Ethereum.org states plainly that the EF does not control the network. Ethereum.org describes the network as governed by its community with no single controlling party. Upgrades only take effect if node operators and validators choose to run the new software. The EF has influence through funding and expertise, but it cannot force a change on the chain. Our guides to who controls cryptocurrency and what decentralization means explain the wider picture.

How do Ethereum Foundation grants work?

The EF's main grant channel is the Ecosystem Support Program, or ESP. It backs free and open-source public goods, with focus areas in infrastructure, research, builder tools and community resources. The ESP site says it funded 677 projects in 2024 and 388 in 2025.

Grants are offered through a wishlist and requests for proposals curated by EF teams. Builders can also book office hours for feedback without receiving money.

Why does the Ethereum Foundation sell ETH?

The EF holds much of its treasury in ether but pays staff and grants largely in regular money. Its treasury policy, published June 4, 2025, sets a target of keeping 2.5 years of operating costs in fiat reserves. It reviews how far reserves sit from that target and decides how much ether to sell over the coming three months.

The same policy set yearly spending at 15% of the treasury, falling over five years toward 5%. It also allows staking and lending ether on established DeFi protocols.

Sales still draw attention. Cointelegraph reported that on May 1, 2026, the EF sold 10,000 ether to BitMine Immersion Technologies in an over-the-counter deal, its third such sale to that company. The foundation said the money funds protocol research, ecosystem development and community grants. A foundation sale says nothing certain about where any asset is headed.