ZK Grants Round

Introduction

The Ethereum Foundation, in collaboration with Aztec, Polygon, Scroll, Taiko and zkSync, is launching this grants initiative to encourage research and development for Zero-Knowledge proofs and standards for ZK L2s. This collaborative grants round is a first for the Ecosystem Support Program and will draw on both the funding support and the technical expertise of the participating L2s. Each of the funders and the Ethereum Foundation contributed $150K to the shared prize pool, which totals $900K.

Ideas

These are some high level topics, please review the entire wishlist for a complete list of ideas.

• Performance benchmarking (prover time, verifier time, proof size) for different types of proof systems as well as prover/verifier client implementations
• ZK DevX and further improvement in efficiency and ergonomics of ZK-DSLs & associated libraries + tooling
• Publicly accessible and easy-to-understand security and risk benchmarking for ZKRs and bridges (à la L2beat)
• Forced inclusion tools and frontend(?) for ZK and validity-proof based L2s
• zkDSL <> Solidity transpilers
• Hardware acceleration
• Multi-prover systems (validity/ZK + fraud proof)

Check out the full wishlist

Application requirements

• All applications must have a written proposal in PDF format
• Proposals must be in English
• Proposals must include a detailed description, budget, and timeline for the proposed scope of work
• Proposals must include an applicant profile
• Proposals must include a public repository or link to published work
• Here is a template for a proposal
• Ideas and projects at any stage of development are welcome:
• Idea phase
• Proof-of-concept
• Work in progress
• Fleshed out project
• Applications are open to individuals, teams, and organizations. We welcome proposals from newcomers to Ethereum, established projects, past grantees and previous applicants of all areas of expertise. We work with developers, researchers, academics, designers, educators, communicators, community organizers, and more. We encourage builders of all ages, origins, identities, and backgrounds to apply
• Applications are selected for funding on a case-by-case basis. You may submit more than one application as long as each proposal is unique and meets the requirements and goals of this round.

Deadline

The application window opens for 4 weeks from Wednesday, February 21st, 2024, and closes on Monday, March 18th, 2024.

We will follow-up regarding your submission by email. Decisions will be emailed 6-8 weeks after the application deadline.

Eligibility criteria

• Projects must be open source with a free and permissive license
• Projects must be aligned with the stated goals and wishlist for this round
• Projects should be public goods that benefit the growth and development of the Ethereum ZK L2 ecosystem

What is not eligible

• Anything that is not legal within the jurisdiction where the work is taking place
• Financial products and services (trading platforms, investment products, stablecoins, lending or betting platforms, etc.)
• Art projects or social impact projects
• Projects requesting retroactive funding
• Projects with a planned token launch or public funding round

Selection criteria

Applications to this round will be reviewed and selected for funding by evaluators from Aztec, Ethereum Foundation, Polygon, Scroll, Taiko, and zkSync focusing on the following criteria. Note: depending on the proposal, some criteria might not be applicable:

• Potential impact on the Ethereum ZK L2 ecosystem
• Overall value and benefit of project to multiple L2s within the ecosystem
• Clarity, conciseness, and organization of documentation
• Individual or team profile demonstrates an experience and expertise capable of executing project described
• Timeline of project and requested budget reasonably match the scope of work

Next steps and support

For general support questions about your submission, please email grant-rounds@ethereum.org.

Frequently asked questions