ETHSecurity Initiatives Launches Round Two with $1.9M Funding Pool

ETHSecurity Initiatives has launched Round Two of its funding program, focusing on onchain security projects for Ethereum. The program will accept community proposals until late January 2027 and is expected to distribute up to $1.9 million in total.

The highlights of this round include a $600K grant for the Vyper compiler, which would provide formally verified code for smart contracts. This compiler underpins major protocols such as Curve, Yearn, and Lido. Additionally, $300K has been allocated for Auditware's decentralized endpoint detection system with privacy-preserving features.

The fund's curators include Vitalik Buterin and Taylor Monahan, who have selected 200 verified security experts through a rubric assisted by AI-driven processes. These ETHSecurity Badge holders will evaluate and influence which proposals get funded. The fund itself was established using approximately 69,420 unclaimed Ethereum tokens from the 2016 DAO hack recovery.

This self-sustaining funding mechanism generates an estimated $8 million annually in yield from staking, creating a reliable source of funds for Ethereum security work.