The Ethereum Foundation is reshaping its 'grant system.' Since its launch in 2018, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) @ethereumfndn grant program has been a vital 'endorsement system' for ecosystem projects, supporting hundreds of development tools, research, and community projects. In 2024 alone, it allocated nearly $3 million to 105 projects. However, as the ecosystem rapidly expands, the traditional 'open application' model has started to show its limitations: limited manpower, scattered resources, and lack of strategic focus. EF has decided to take proactive measures, upgrading its grant system from 'passive approval' to 'active planning.' In November 2025, EF will introduce a new grant framework, replacing the fully open application model with a 'Wishlist + Request for Proposals (RFP)' approach. The Wishlist will focus on gaps and key directions in the ecosystem, such as privacy, cryptography, security, and community growth, encouraging developers to innovate freely around these visions. The RFP will involve EF posing specific questions and inviting teams to submit deliverable solutions, emphasizing outcome-driven and time-sensitive projects. This means EF's future funding will be more strategically allocated to key areas rather than passively waiting for applications. At the same time, EF is launching Founders Lab for the first time—a mentorship accelerator program aimed at early-stage Ethereum entrepreneurs. The inaugural session will debut at Devconnect Argentina, featuring mentors like Base lead Jesse Pollak and Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal. Founders Lab will provide selected teams with 1:1 guidance, covering market strategy, fundraising, product scaling, and industry resource connections, helping founders turn their ideas into tangible results. This reform sends a clear signal: the Ethereum Foundation is no longer just a 'check-writing' institution but is beginning to shape the strategic direction and execution of the ecosystem. EF is expanding the definition of public goods from 'funding support' to 'founder capacity building'—this might just be the key to Ethereum's continued leadership in the next cycle.