Executive Summary
Ether Guild is a U.S.-based nonprofit applying for 501(c)(3) status, with a mission to support ETH, the money, in service of Ethereum, the computer. Where Protocol Guild sustains Ethereum’s technical contributors, Ether Guild funds ETH initiatives: efforts that strengthen narratives with data, clarify ETH’s value proposition and monetary policy, and educate the world that ETH is money.
Our first initiative, ethismoney.xyz, is a dashboard that brings visibility to ETH’s monetary role using clear, compelling data. This grant will allow Ether Guild to expand this work, grow a small team of contributors, and build a foundation for ongoing support and advocacy for ETH.
Problem Statement
Dozens of researchers are supported by the Ethereum Foundation, and more than 180 core developers are funded through Protocol Guild. While efforts to advance Ethereum the computer have steadily grown, few coordinated initiatives are focused on supporting ETH.
Without Ethereum, there would be no value for ETH. Without ETH, there would be no economic security for Ethereum. ETH is half the equation, it is vital to Ethereum and deserves increased focus, support, and stewardship.
Mission & Vision
Ether Guild exists to fill a critical gap in the Ethereum ecosystem: the absence of a community-driven, advocacy-focused organization dedicated to supporting ETH.
Our mission is to make ETH visible, valued, and supported through educational tools and coordinated advocacy. We envision a future where ETH is recognized as the foundational asset of the onchain economy, not just a behind-the-scenes implementation detail.
Team
Non-profit Board
- President - David Hoffman
- Secretary - Ryan Sean Adams
- Treasurer - Anthony Sassano
- Backup Chairman - everdred
Treasury Multisig
- David Hoffman - Bankless
- Anthony Sassano - The Daily Gwei
- Tobias Schreier - growthepie
- everdred - metal.build
- Grant Hummer - Etherealize
Working group
A cross-functional, cross-organizational effort from everyone listed above, as well as massive lifts from:
- Kaitlyn Smith - Bankess
- Kristi Klaudy - Bankless
- Matthias Seidl - growthepie
- Manish Gupta - growthepie
- Lorenz - growthepie
- James Dowen - Bankless
- Rachel - Bankless
- Gordon - Bankless
- a growing list of volunteer contributors and hackathon participants from across the ecosystem.
What we’ve built
ethismoney.xyz
- Launched at Devcon SEA ‘24.
- Collated onchain data highlighting ETH demand, issuance, and SoV usage.
- Educational resource making the case that ETH is money.
- 4 NFT donation tiers for ongoing support
etherguild.xyz
- Token-gated community for funders, contributors, and volunteers.
- High signal, data-driven, educational, narrative-focused newsletter.
- Quest funding platform prototype.
Community
- Our announcement post received over 160k views, and we’ve collected 200+ survey responses from interested supporters.
- Monetary donations from 92 unique contributors.
- Token-gated working group discord with 85 volunteers and core contributors.
- Socials + newsletter with over 2000 collective followers/subscribers.
- Bi-weekly community calls to coordinate volunteer efforts and discuss updates.
Roadmap & Priorities
1. Expand ethismoney.xyz
- We’re seeking grant funding to enhance ethismoney.xyz, a platform showcasing Ethereum’s economic significance. Proposed upgrades will add data and visualizations illustrating ETH’s use as a store of value, collateral, and medium of exchange, providing a comprehensive resource for the Ethereum community and driving further adoption.
- This initiative aims to educate and clarify Ethereum’s (ETH) value proposition by highlighting its monetary policy, utility, and critical role in securing the Ethereum network, ultimately promoting a deeper understanding of ETH’s significance and driving further adoption.
- This campaign will position Ethereum (ETH) as the most trustless and pristine asset in DeFi, leveraging unified messaging across dashboards and social content to promote ETH’s unique value proposition and establish it as the go-to choice for those seeking a secure and decentralized financial solution.
- We aim to expand the contributor network for ethismoney.xyz by recruiting a diverse group of developers, designers, and storytellers who can collaborate to continuously improve the site, create engaging content, and amplify its impact, ultimately growing the platform’s reach and influence within the Ethereum ecosystem.
Fund Ether Initiatives
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We aim to establish a tax-deductible vehicle that enables organizations and individuals to support Ethereum-focused initiatives, providing a secure and incentivized way to contribute to the growth and development of the ETH ecosystem.
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We will create structured opportunities for Citizens of the Ethereum Economy to contribute to the growth of the ecosystem, whether through donations, skill-based contributions, or volunteer work, providing a clear pathway for individuals to support Ethereum’s development and success.
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We will champion key initiatives that benefit the broader Ethereum community, driving efforts such as advocating for the Ethereum logo as a Unicode symbol and creating impactful animations that communicate Ether’s’s value, ultimately promoting a stronger and more cohesive Ethereum ecosystem.
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We will provide funding for grassroots initiatives that effectively communicate Ethereum’s value proposition and promote ETH to new audiences, empowering community-driven efforts to raise awareness and drive adoption of the Ethereum ecosystem.
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Guild member @ethereumintern_ launched The Posting Company, an initiative that pays people to print and place Ethereum posters around their city.
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Guild officer @sassal0x and the Ink team handed off the “Powered by Ethereum” logo initiative to Ether Guild to elevate and rally behind.
3. Expand ETH advocacy
- Launch the Ether Guild Pledge, modeled after Protocol Guild’s 1% initiative. Instead of funding core developers, this version calls on teams and DAOs to publicly commit to holding a portion of their treasury in ETH as a long-term store of value.
- Advocate for ETHs inclusion in DeFi protocols as the primary collateral and medium of exchange in their apps. Maintain a presence in related governance proposals.
- Surface and amplify ongoing community discussions about ETH’s monetary role. Conversations like those in the ETH Issuance Telegram group offer valuable insight and can be made more accessible and visible to the broader ecosystem.
- Serve as a marketing arm for Ether, unifying and amplifying its messaging across channels, events, and communities, to establish a consistent and credible voice that showcases ETH’s value proposition and promotes its role in the Ethereum ecosystem.
4. Craft and propagate narratives
- Create and promote content focused on ETH’s monetary premium, value proposition, and issuance design, its dynamic, minimum viable issuance model, and position ETH as the strongest monetary reserve asset in crypto.
- Coordinate and amplify contributions from the broader community. Several prominent writers have committed to publishing ETH-focused content from the Ether Guild blog.
- Actively challenge misconceptions around ETH’s place in the ecosystem. This includes pushing back on narratives that overstate the viability of smaller L1’s economic models and contrasting ETH with Bitcoin’s monetary characteristics and existential security flaw.
- Continue producing original essays and championing high-signal memes that clarify why ETH is money. Example: “A Case for ETH is Money” offers a narrative-driven entry point grounded in data:
5. Coordinate the community
- Engage with Guild officer communities, Bankless, The Daily Gwei, growthepie and Etherealize to amplify ETH-focused efforts and reach more advocates.
- Invite to collaborate with other values-aligned groups and contributors from across the Ethereum ecosystem to join and support Ether Guild’s mission.
- Respond to clear demand: our announcement post received over 160k views, and we’ve collected 200+ survey responses from interested supporters.
- Channel volunteer interest into meaningful contributions across ETH-focused initiatives, including content creation, research, outreach, and development.
Funding Ask
We respectfully approach the Arbitrum DAO to request an initial funding contribution of 1 Ether, to be allocated on the 30th of September 2025. Each year thereafter contingent upon the organization’s continued satisfaction with Ether Guild’s community impact, Ether Guild will ask for another 1 ether of funding. Our operational costs, including full-time community stewardship, leadership, and social presence, as well as rotating contractors for specialized services, operational overhead, and a legal reserve, necessitate annual funding. In the spirit of transparency, we will maintain an open and quarterly budget, ensuring responsible financial management. By supporting Ether Guild, we can continue to serve the broader community effectively.
Sustainability & Long-Term Plans
Ether Guild is committed to building a sustainable, long-term foundation for Ether advocacy and education. In addition to this grant, we plan to pursue diverse funding sources to ensure continuity and independence:
- Direct donations, including creative experiments like the ETH is Money NFTs and community-driven crowdfunding.
- Public goods funding through platforms like Gitcoin, Octant, and Optimism, and grants for L2s and orgs that want to signal their alignment with the broader ecosystem support.
- Strategic engagement with large ETH holders and mission-aligned entities who want to strengthen the long-term value of their investment by supporting ETH-focused public goods.
Conclusion
Ether is the lifeblood of the Ethereum ecosystem, underpinning its security, neutrality, and long-term viability. Yet, despite its crucial role, Ether often takes a backseat to the protocol it secures. Ether Guild is dedicated to reversing this trend. With this grant, we will catalyze a community-driven movement to promote Ether as a robust and reliable store of value, medium of exchange, and unit of account. By supporting our mission, you will contribute to the dedicated stewardship Ether needs to thrive, ultimately strengthening the Ethereum ecosystem as a whole.