Ethereum Foundation Launches $1M Audit Subsidy Program for Mainnet Developers

Gate News message, April 14 — The Ethereum Foundation launched an Audit Subsidy Program with a $1 million funding pool to help Ethereum mainnet developers cover smart contract security audit costs, which can be prohibitively expensive for many teams.

An expert committee will review applications, and selected builders can access audit services through Areta's platform. Partners include Nethermind, Chainlink Labs, and Areta, with access to more than 20 audit firms. Developers can receive 10 to 12 quotes for one project, with platform programs averaging up to 2% lower costs even before subsidies.

The foundation also introduced a framework called CROPS (Censorship Resistance, Open Source, Privacy, and Security), alongside its Trillion Dollar Security Initiative. Subsidies are paid out in full only after teams address audit findings, tying funding to follow-through.

Foundation-led audit subsidies have become a common tool to attract developers, with ecosystems like Uniswap and Scroll also using similar marketplace setups. Scroll employs an exclusivity clause that keeps audited code exclusive to its ecosystem for a fixed period, while Ethereum's approach supports the core network without such restrictions.