The EF’s new structure

The Ethereum ecosystem has transformed substantially from its early genesis days into a complex, resilient, and multi-layered global network. As the protocol's footprint deepens across decentralized finance, layer-2 scaling architectures, and open-source public goods, the mechanisms supporting its development must adapt in tandem. In response to this growth, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) has finalized a comprehensive restructuring process, aligning its internal operations, leadership cadre, and resource distribution models with the long-term demands of the decentralized ecosystem.

A Co-Leadership Model for a Maturing Protocol

At the center of this structural evolution is a reimagined leadership framework designed to balance deep technical acumen with operational scale. The EF has established a co-Executive Director model, welcoming Hsiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz Stańczak to lead executive operations. Both leaders bring extensive backgrounds in protocol engineering, client development, and community coordination, reinforcing the Foundation’s dedication to technical excellence and neutral stewardship.

Simultaneously, the transition establishes a distinct Office of the President. In this capacity, the outgoing Executive Director steps into the role of President, shifting focus toward managing institutional relationships, global outreach, and strategic representation. By separating day-to-day operational execution from high-level institutional diplomacy, the Foundation ensures that both internal technical roadmaps and external ecosystem partnerships receive dedicated, specialized oversight.

Operational Execution and the EF Mandate

The updated structure marks the culmination of an intensive review process guided by the EF Mandate and a modernized Treasury Management Policy. As Ethereum scales, managing financial reserves and internal human capital requires disciplined operational clarity. The Foundation has systematically restructured its core initiatives into dedicated functional units, ensuring that internal teams possess the resources and autonomy required to execute high-priority technical mandates.

Key technical priorities—including statelessness research, state management solutions, consensus layer optimizations, and security verification—are now organized to minimize operational friction. This realignment ensures that long-standing technical workstreams, such as those pioneered throughout the historical 1.x research efforts, transition smoothly into production-ready upgrades on the mainnet.

Modernizing Grants and Ecosystem Support

Beyond internal organizational shifts, the Foundation’s restructuring directly reshapes its external capital allocation through the Ecosystem Support Program (ESP). As decentralized teams worldwide assume greater responsibility for protocol development and developer tooling, the EF’s grant-making framework is evolving from centralized funding toward targeted, high-impact public goods allocations.

The new grants strategy emphasizes:

• Decentralized Infrastructure: Expanding recurring support for diverse consensus and execution client teams to preserve network resilience.
• Targeted Research: Funding independent cryptographic research, zero-knowledge tooling, and formal verification frameworks.
• Community-Driven Initiatives: Streamlining direct support channels for local builder communities, educational portals, and localization efforts across global regions.

By refining the ESP, the Foundation continues to practice the philosophy of "subtraction"—stepping back where autonomous community initiatives flourish, while stepping in to fund critical, non-commercial infrastructure that market incentives might otherwise overlook.

Tending the Infinite Garden

Ethereum has frequently been described as an "infinite garden"—an evolving, living ecosystem that cannot be governed by top-down command, but must instead be cultivated through careful curation, open collaboration, and shared values. The EF’s structural transformation reflects an acute understanding of this dynamic. The Foundation does not exist to control Ethereum; it exists to safeguard its core ethos and provide the scaffolding upon which global open-source developers can build.

With an updated leadership hierarchy, robust treasury policies, and a modular operational structure, the Ethereum Foundation is well-positioned for its next chapter. As Ethereum continues to serve as the foundational settlement layer for a decentralized internet, the EF’s new structure ensures it remains an agile, neutral, and effective steward for the decades ahead.