Former Ethereum Foundation developer Dankrad Feist proposed the creation of a new, independent advocacy group backed by a $1 billion raise to prioritize the market performance and economic alignment of the Ethereum network. In a social media post on May 21, 2026, Feist argued that the community must establish an entity capable of actively driving the value of ETH, which currently has a market capitalization of roughly $258 billion. The proposal comes amid a wave of high-profile departures from the Ethereum Foundation, including researchers Carl Beek and Julian Ma, who resigned just this week.
Dankrad Feist, the co-creator of the Danksharding scaling design and a prominent researcher at Tempo Labs, expressed concern that the current institutional structure is insufficient to maintain Ethereum’s competitive edge. He noted that the Ethereum Foundation (EF) now holds less than 0.1% of all ETH and does not benefit from staking or fee revenue flows. This lack of financial skin in the game, according to Feist, has left the protocol’s primary steward disconnected from the asset’s price performance.
The developer’s call for action highlights a growing rift between the EF’s mission and the expectations of investors. While the Foundation focuses on core values like censorship resistance and security, critics such as Ryan Sean Adams have become increasingly vocal about the need for a more aggressive commercial force. Adams, the co-founder of Bankless, publicly backed Feist’s concept, stating that the future of the ecosystem cannot depend on a non-profit that is not designed to ensure the asset “wins” in the global market.
Dankrad Feist targets one billion dollars for Ethereum advocacy
The proposed $1 billion fund would theoretically provide the new organization with enough capital to operate on a long-term horizon without relying on the EF’s dwindling reserves. Feist suggested that the entity should be funded through permanent staking revenue streams, creating a self-sustaining financial model. This independent group would be tasked with “fighting for Ethereum’s competitive position” against rivals like Solana and Bitcoin, both of which have outperformed ETH over the last two years.
This push for a more commercial approach follows periods where Ether enters rare accumulation phase territory, yet struggles to reclaim its previous market dominance. Feist believes that without an organization specifically held accountable for the price of ETH and its economic health, the network risks falling behind more nimble competitors. He characterized the current process of upgrading the blockchain as “broken,” specifically calling for more aggressive scaling efforts.
The proposal suggests that initial capital could be sourced from major ETH holders, venture capital firms, and established ecosystem projects. By operating outside the constraints of the EF’s non-profit mandate, this new body would be free to engage in institutional marketing and direct advocacy for the protocol’s market value. This strategy mirrors the recent move by former researcher Danny Ryan, who left the EF to co-found Etherealize, a division focused on promoting Ethereum to institutional investors.
Executive exodus at Ethereum Foundation fuels structural concerns
Feist’s proposal is gaining traction largely due to a perceived leadership vacuum at the Ethereum Foundation. In 2026 alone, at least eight senior researchers and leaders have announced their exits from the organization. Five of those departures occurred in May, including protocol coordinators Tim Beiko and Barnabé Monnot, who have stepped back from their roles. Even the recent leadership reshuffle, which saw Bastian Aue and Hsiao-Wei Wang named as Co-Executive Directors in February 2026, has not stemmed the tide of resignations.
The EF has recently doubled down on its “CROPS” mandate—focusing on censorship resistance, open source, privacy, and security—which some developers feel neglects the economic realities of a multi-billion dollar asset. As geopolitics affects Bitcoin and Ethereum in increasingly complex ways, the community’s demand for a professionalized advocacy arm has intensified. Many stakeholders see the EF as an academic institution rather than a market leader.
The resignation of Tomasz Stańczak after only 11 months as Co-executive director earlier this year served as an early warning sign of internal friction. Feist’s exit to join the Layer 1 network Tempo in late 2025 similarly signaled that top-tier talent was looking for more ambitious environments. Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s creator, previously praised Feist’s contributions, but the growing consensus among former staff suggests the current roadmap is “way too unambitious.”
Market pressure and the future of the ETH roadmap
Since the completion of the Dencun upgrade in March 2024, Ethereum has faced criticism for its economic shifts. The introduction of “blobs” successfully lowered transaction costs on Layer 2 networks but simultaneously reduced the fee-burn mechanism that previously supported ETH’s deflationary pressure. On May 21, 2026, ETH was trading near $2,100, a price point that many advocates feel does not reflect the network’s underlying utility or total value locked.
Feist’s proposed $1 billion organization would likely focus on reversing these trends by championing upgrades that balance scalability with token value. The group would operate as a parallel track to the EF, ensuring that while the protocol remains secure and decentralized, the asset itself remains attractive to global liquidity providers. This dual-track approach could address the long-standing tension between the network’s technical ideals and its financial performance.
Whether the community can successfully coordinate such a massive capital raise remains to be seen. However, the backing of influential figures like Ryan Sean Adams suggest that the appetite for a “pro-ETH” organization is at an all-time high. For many, Feist’s proposal is not just about a new company, but a necessary evolution to ensure Ethereum remains the premier smart contract platform in an increasingly crowded blockchain landscape.