- Published on
Eleventh Wave of Bitcoin Grants
- Authors
- Name
- OpenSats
- Name
- Arvin
- @arvin
In this eleventh wave of grants from our General Fund, we're proud to support a diverse set of contributors advancing Bitcoin's infrastructure, tooling, and accessibility.
From open-source mining hardware and protocol-level scripting improvements to peer-to-peer exchange protocols and privacy-preserving payment tools, these projects are building critical components for a more robust and decentralized Bitcoin ecosystem.
The three first-time project grants in this wave are:
In addition, OpenSats has renewed project grants for:
All of the above grants are sourced from our General Fund, made possible by the generosity of our donors. Help us support free and open-source projects by donating to the fund:
Let's take a closer look at these projects to discover their purpose, impact, and the value they bring to the Bitcoin ecosystem.
BitShoka
BitShoka builds on the BitAxe project by focusing on reverse engineering MicroBT ASIC chips. The goal is to document and implement the communication protocols used in these chips, helping to make Bitcoin mining more accessible and transparent. Beyond technical progress, the project is also connected to grassroots efforts to expand mining globally. In Kenya, members of the African Bitcoin mining community have been assembling BitAxe devices since December 2024, reflecting a growing interest in locally-built, open-source mining tools.
With support from this grant, BitShoka will dedicate the next year to decoding the MicroBT KF1950 ASIC protocol, integrating support into ESP-miner, and producing a new BitAxe variant that runs on these chips. This work will make MicroBT-based mining viable for solo miners, especially in regions where durable ASICs are needed to handle high temperatures or other climate-related challenges.
Repository: kuenrg153/bitshoka
Licenses: GPL v3 & CERN OHL S v2
Great Script Restoration
Great Script Restoration (GSR) is a research and development project aimed at reintroducing disabled opcodes to Bitcoin Script in a safe and measured way. These opcodes were removed early in Bitcoin's history to prevent denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, but advances in network design make it possible to reconsider them. GSR proposes a new "Varops" (Variable Operations) budget model—similar to Tapscript's Sigops limit—to regulate resource use while restoring these capabilities. In addition, the project explores removing other restrictions, such as limits on stack element size, to make Script more flexible for developers.
Support from this grant will help GSR progress through the research phase into implementation, benchmarking opcodes, drafting a proposal for community review, and building extensive test coverage. A testnet-ready implementation will follow, including activation methods and extended testing on environments like Inquisition or dedicated sidechains. The ultimate goal is to make Bitcoin Script more expressive while maintaining robust network protections.
Repository: jmoik/bitcoin/tree/varops
License: MIT
256 Foundation
The 256 Foundation is creating a fully open-source Bitcoin mining stack to replace proprietary mining solutions. Through four core projects—Ember One, Mujina Mining Firmware, Libre Board, and Hydra Pool—the Foundation is developing everything from standardized hashboards to modular control boards and open-source mining pools. These efforts aim to lower barriers to entry, increase hardware flexibility, and give developers more control over how mining infrastructure is built and operated.
With support from this grant, Ember One will expand support to Intel ASICs, Mujina will evolve into a full-featured miner, Libre Board will complete its control board design, and Hydra Pool will launch with initial support for solo mining and payout mechanisms. Together, these projects will help shift Bitcoin mining toward open standards, giving builders and miners new tools to operate independently of proprietary systems.
Repositories: 256-Foundation
License: GPL v3 & CERN OHL S v2
Each of these projects contributes to a more decentralized, censorship-resistant, and globally accessible Bitcoin ecosystem. Whether advancing protocol capabilities, building critical infrastructure, or improving user privacy and sovereignty, they represent the kind of work that strengthens Bitcoin's long-term utility and integrity.
As with every funding wave, OpenSats evaluated proposals based on clearly defined criteria that are aligned with our mission. We remain committed to supporting builders who uphold the principles of free and open-source software.
If you're developing something aligned with these goals, we encourage you to apply for funding.
To support the Bitcoin ecosystem through open-source projects like these, please consider donating to the General Fund.