According to foreign media, Trent Van Epps, a former contributor to the Taifung Foundation, believes that, as the Foundation draws down its expenditures and client incentive schemes expire, the funding for developing the Taifung core may fall short in the next 3 to 9 months. The debate is not about whether the network will fail immediately, but who will continue to bear the cost of the maintenance and upgrade of the bottom software.

Annual requirements approximately $30 million

In its article, Van Epps estimates that approximately US$ 30 million per year will be required to maintain a stable functioning of the ETA core development system. The funds were used mainly for client teams, researchers and coordinating organizations to support upgrade delivery and stable network operations.

In his view, the current pressure came mainly from two sides. The first is that the Treasury ' s expenditure policy is being adjusted by the Taifeng Foundation, which plans to reduce annual expenditure from 15 per cent to 5 per cent by 2030; the second is that the client incentive scheme CIP, which expired in April 2026, has not seen a clear alternative arrangement.

CIP expired in April

CIP was launched in 2021 with the objective of rewarding client teams that maintain critical software in the Taifung. It was stated at the time that maintaining customer diversity would help reduce the risk of loopholes and attacks. The scheme releases funding through a certification-related incentive mechanism to teams that continue to meet network needs.

Van Epps argues that if stabilization support breaks down, experienced developers may lose, and long-term work related to expansion, cipher studies and quantum security will be more difficult to advance.

  • CIP expired in April 2026
  • Core development annual requirements of approximately $30 million
  • Early warning time for funding gaps from 3 to 9 months

New funding paths are being revisited

The article also led the discussion to the long-standing role of the Etherak Foundation. Van Epps quoted Vitalik Buterin as saying that the Foundation was “not designed to serve as a permanent management centre”. Against this background, new institutions and funding systems may need to assume additional responsibilities.

Counsel Gabriel Shapiro stated on X that agreement-level funding may require a governance structure that is not currently available in the Taifung. Van Epps responded that his goal was not to give control to a single organization, but to establish a neutral and stable source of funding for core contributors.

In the current scheme, Protocol Guild is still considered a viable path. According to Gitcoin, this is a long-term financing mechanism for the Taig Layer 1 contributor, which distributes donated assets to active contributors through token attribution, but does not directly determine the development priorities of the agreement.

Upgrading push in parallel with funding issues

Ethershop developers are also currently advancing the Glamsterdam upgrade, which involves the Layer 1 amplification, block construction and Gas pricing adjustments. The funding discussion therefore further points to the real question of whether the teams undertaking these upgrading tasks will receive more sustained support.