Ethereum Foundation backs $1 million audit subsidy program for mainnet builders

Ethereum Foundation’s Trillion Dollar Security Initiative is backing a $1 million audit subsidy program aimed at helping Ethereum mainnet builders access security audits at lower cost.

The initiative brings together Areta Market, Nethermind, and Chainlink Labs as part of a broader push to make professional security reviews more accessible across Ethereum’s builder ecosystem.

The program is open to Ethereum mainnet teams and is intended to support projects building under the Ethereum Foundation’s CROPS principles, which stand for censorship resistance, open source, privacy, and security.

Security audits are widely seen as a best practice for crypto projects, but they can be costly and difficult for smaller teams to secure early in development. The subsidy program aims to reduce that barrier by helping selected builders cover part of their audit expenses.

Applications will be reviewed by an expert committee, and approved projects will receive their awarded subsidy automatically through Areta Market. Builders can then submit requests, receive quotes from participating providers, and begin the audit process.

The program is launching with access to more than 20 audit providers active in the Ethereum ecosystem, including firms such as Certora, BlockSec, Quantstamp, Spearbit, Sherlock, Zellic, Hacken, Cyfrin, Dedaub, and Nethermind Security.

Areta Market said the initiative is designed to support builders of all sizes on Ethereum mainnet and strengthen the network’s security standards by widening access to high quality audits.