Foreign media report that Trent Van Epps, a former contributor to the Ethereum Foundation, believes that Ethereum’s core development funding may face a gap within the next 3 to 9 months as the foundation reduces spending and its client incentive programs expire. The debate centers not on whether the network will immediately fail, but on who will continue to bear the costs of maintaining and upgrading the underlying software.
Annual demand is approximately $30 million.
Van Epps estimates in the article that the Ethereum core development ecosystem requires approximately $30 million annually to operate stably. This funding primarily supports client teams, researchers, and coordinating organizations to facilitate upgrade delivery and ensure network stability.
He believes that current pressures stem from two main sources. First, the Ethereum Foundation is adjusting its treasury spending policy, planning to reduce the annual spending rate from 15% to 5% by 2030; second, the Client Incentives Program (CIP) expired in April 2026, and no clear replacement has been announced.
CIP expired in April.
CIP was launched in 2021 with the goal of rewarding client teams that maintain critical Ethereum software. At the time, the Ethereum Foundation stated that maintaining client diversity helps reduce the risk of vulnerabilities and attacks. The program provides funding to teams that consistently meet network demands through a reward mechanism tied to validators.
Van Epps believes that if stable support is disrupted, experienced developers may leave, making it harder to advance long-term work on scaling, cryptography research, and quantum security.
- CIP expires in April 2026
- Core development annual requirement is approximately $30 million.
- The funding gap warning period is 3 to 9 months.
The new funding pathway is being reconsidered.
The article also shifts the discussion toward the Ethereum Foundation’s long-term role. Van Epps cites Vitalik Buterin, stating that the foundation “was not designed to permanently serve as a central authority.” In this context, new institutions and funding mechanisms may need to take on greater responsibility.
Lawyer Gabriel Shapiro stated on X that protocol-level funding may require a governance structure that Ethereum currently lacks. Van Epps responded that his goal is not to hand control to a single organization, but to establish a neutral and stable funding source for core contributors.
In the current proposal, Protocol Guild is still considered a viable path. According to Gitcoin’s description, it is a long-term funding mechanism for Ethereum Layer 1 contributors, allocating donated assets to active contributors through token vesting, without directly determining protocol development priorities.
Upgrades are progressing alongside funding issues.
Ethereum developers are currently advancing the Glamsterdam upgrade, which includes Layer 1 scaling, block building, and gas pricing adjustments. The funding discussions have thus further highlighted a pressing issue: whether the teams responsible for these upgrades can receive more sustained support.