What GSR Foundation does

GSR Foundation is a UK-registered charitable foundation (CIO, charity number 1199228) established in 2022 with donations and pledges from GSR, a cryptocurrency capital markets firm. Headquartered at GSR's London office on Curzon Street, the foundation operates with a board of five trustees plus an Executive Director and functions as an independent global grantmaker despite its strategic connection to its founding donor.

The foundation focuses on three verticals: Blockchain for Good, Education Infrastructure, and Internet Provision, with the stated mission of ensuring no one is excluded from the benefits of technology. Its core technical platforms are Impact Stake, which channels Ethereum staking rewards via the Lido protocol to fund the Mercy Corps Venture Fund, UNICEF Venture Fund, and UNICEF Giga, and the Stablecoin For Impact dApp, which routes stablecoin lending yield powered by Aave toward UNICEF Giga's mission to connect every school in the world to the internet. To date, $415,895 (225 ETH) has been staked and $100,000 deposited in stablecoins via these mechanisms.

GSR Foundation makes all funding decisions independently of GSR and runs three grantmaking programmes: Enable (flexible multi-year unrestricted grants), Empower (larger partnerships to scale proven approaches), and Expert (thought leadership). It funds nine NGO partners across Southeast Asia and East Africa, including UNICEF ($750,000), Mercy Corps Ventures ($750,000), The Majurity Trust ($200,000), Silverleaf Academy ($150,000), and Relay Funder / Akashic ($225,000). Distribution relies on proactive outreach combined with an online Eligibility Checker; the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation monetises nothing commercially: its revenue model is philanthropic, depending on continued donations from GSR and yield generated through the Lido and Aave integrations.

Name

GSR Foundation

Legal name

GSR Foundation

Website

https://gsrfoundation.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GSR Foundation is a London-based UK-registered charity founded in 2022 that uses Lido ETH staking and Aave stablecoin yield to fund global grants across Blockchain for Good, Education Infrastructure, and Internet Provision, supporting NGOs such as UNICEF and Mercy Corps Ventures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Charitable grantmaking
• Crypto philanthropy
• Blockchain for good
• Impact investing
• Social impact funding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations from GSR: GSR Foundation was created using donations and pledges from GSR, crypto's capital markets partner. The foundation is an independent grant-maker that deploys these funds as grants to partner organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GSR Foundation is an independent global charity that deploys donations from GSR (a cryptocurrency trading firm) as grants to nonprofit partners working on technology inclusion. It routes ETH staking rewards via the Lido protocol and stablecoin lending yield via Aave's Stablecoin For Impact dApp to fund partners such as UNICEF, Mercy Corps Ventures, UNICEF Giga, The Majurity Trust, Silverleaf Academy and Relay Funder across the Blockchain for Good, Education Infrastructure and Internet Provision verticals. It also publishes open educational playbooks, a Web3 Impact Toolkit and a terminology glossary for the charity sector.

Product overview

GSR Foundation is a global charitable grantmaker focused on ensuring technology reduces exclusion rather than deepening it. Their product ecosystem centers on two interconnected platforms: Impact Stake, which channels Ethereum staking rewards (via Lido protocol) into social impact funding for the Mercy Corps Venture Fund, UNICEF Venture Fund, and UNICEF Giga; and the Stablecoin For Impact dApp, which routes stablecoin lending yield (powered by Aave) to connect schools to the internet. Their three grantmaking programmes—Enable (flexible multi-year grants), Empower (larger scaling partnerships), and Expert (thought leadership and research)—complement these platforms. GSR Foundation Expert serves as the umbrella for their open knowledge library, delivering educational playbooks (Where to Start: AI, Where to Start: Web3), a blockchain terminology glossary, and the Web3 Impact Toolkit developed with Crypto Altruists. The Eligibility Checker tool helps organisations self-assess alignment with their three verticals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GSR Foundation Expert: A thought leadership initiative that shares practical learning through research, case studies, and updates to help others in the sector advance further, faster.

Products and services

• Stablecoin For Impact dApp Decentralised application (dApp) that routes stablecoin lending yield powered by Aave protocol into real-world impact funding, specifically for UNICEF Giga's mission to connect every school in the world to the internet.
• Impact Stake Platform that channels ETH staking rewards through the Lido protocol to fund the Mercy Corps Venture Fund, UNICEF Venture Fund, and UNICEF Giga.
• GSR Foundation Expert Open knowledge library of research, case studies, playbooks, updates and terminology guides on technology, inclusion and innovation for the social sector, serving as the umbrella for GSR Foundation's thought leadership.
• Enable grant programme Standard grant programme awarding flexible multi-year, unrestricted grants to help partners test, implement and scale technology-driven solutions that reduce exclusion.
• Empower partnership programme Partnership programme providing larger, multi-year funding packages to established organisations for scaling proven approaches and broadening delivery of technology-driven solutions.
• Expert thought leadership programme Programme encompassing research, reports, convenings and tools designed to help the social sector adopt technology responsibly.
• Where to Start: AI Playbook Practical playbook for charities on AI adoption, covering responsible use, practical applications, governance considerations and links to free AI training from Charity Excellence developed with Microsoft.
• Where to Start: Web3 Playbook Playbook introducing Web3 and blockchain concepts for charities, explaining decentralised technologies, cryptocurrency, and practical applications for social impact.
• Where to Start: Terminology Glossary Glossary of key AI, blockchain and Web3 terminology including definitions and practical examples for charities and social innovators.
• Web3 Impact Toolkit Free, modular onboarding resource developed with Crypto Altruists for nonprofit professionals, social innovators, educators and civic teams to understand and apply Web3 technologies for social and environmental good.
• Eligibility Checker Online questionnaire tool that helps organisations determine if their project aligns with GSR Foundation's three focus areas: Blockchain for Good, Education Infrastructure, and Internet Provision.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 NGO partners funded
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Relay Funder (Akashic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Blockchain-enabled platform transforming humanitarian aid by enabling displaced communities to access funding, identity, and governance tools directly. Piloted in Kenya and Uganda with plans to expand across Africa and Asia. Uses digital identity, mobile wallets, and community-led crowdfunding with DAO-based governance.
• Silverleaf AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2024Education Infrastructure partner receiving 150,000 USD to unlock a $200,000 matching grant. Funding deploys across four priority areas: school enrolment and sustainability, AI-driven EdTech systems (PowerSchool and PowerBuddy), classroom digital infrastructure, and teacher digital literacy competency framework.
• The Majurity TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Education Infrastructure partner receiving 200,000 USD funding to invest in fundraising capacity, enabling creation of The Foundry - a pioneering impact space for socially purposed organisations in Singapore.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2023Empower partner for 3 years with 750,000 USD investment in UNICEF Venture Fund with specific focus on UNICEF CryptoFund. Supports equity-free capital for early-stage startups in emerging markets working on blockchain, AI and digital public goods that advance outcomes for children worldwide.
• Mercy Corps VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmpower partner focused on advancing tech-enabled solutions that strengthen resilience of people and communities in frontier markets. Supports entrepreneurs at intersection of financial inclusion, climate resilience and emerging technologies including responsible blockchain applications.
• LidosupportingTechnology or IntegrationLido protocol used for Ethereum impact staking. GSR Foundation directs staking rewards through Lido to fund Mercy Corps Venture Fund, UNICEF Venture Fund, and UNICEF Giga.
• AavesupportingTechnology or IntegrationAave protocol powers the Stablecoin For Impact dApp used to generate yield for funding UNICEF Giga's mission to connect every school in the world to the internet.
• Crypto AltruistssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSR Foundation sponsors Crypto Altruists' Web3 Impact Toolkit - a free modular onboarding resource for nonprofit professionals on blockchain for social and environmental good.
• Charity ExcellencesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partner that collaborated with Microsoft to develop free AI training designed specifically for the charity sector, covering AI fundamentals, responsible use and practical applications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Starknet Foundation: Crypto ecosystem foundation channelling grants for Starknet development and ecosystem public goods. Similar architecture of foundation + DeFi network + grantmaking programme, though focused on protocol-level rather than social-impact grants.
• Celo Foundation: Foundation stewarding the Celo blockchain ecosystem, with a strong 'ReFi' (regenerative finance) and financial-inclusion mandate. Comparable crypto-native philanthropic grantmaker targeting frontier markets with mobile-first inclusion.
• Filecoin Foundation: Independent foundation supporting the Filecoin ecosystem and decentralised storage public goods. Operates a comparable model of crypto-token-anchored grantmaking for ecosystem and impact objectives.
• Ethereum Foundation: Largest crypto ecosystem grantmaker, funding Ethereum protocol research, infrastructure and ecosystem public goods. Comparable as a crypto-capital-markets-linked foundation distributing grants for ecosystem and social impact, but at vastly larger scale and broader remit.

Others

• UNICEF Innovation: Anchoring GSR Foundation's largest grant relationship; broader UNICEF Innovation programme coordinates frontier-tech funding for children. Comparable as a large institutional grantmaker with overlapping social-impact verticals (Internet Provision, Education), but not crypto-native.

Direct peers

• Octant: DeFi-native public goods funding mechanism that channels staking/yield from staking ETH to grants. Closest functional twin to GSR Foundation's Lido Impact Staking and Stablecoin For Impact dApp architecture.
• Gitcoin: Crypto-native grants platform running quadratic funding rounds and a public-goods focus. Most direct competitor — also channels digital-asset capital to nonprofits and frontier-tech builders, but distributes via open rounds rather than proactive outreach.
• Giveth: Decentralised philanthropy platform using blockchain to coordinate giving and impact projects. Comparable as a crypto-native grantmaking layer with a community-oriented, public-goods mandate.
• UNICEF CryptoFund: UNICEF vehicle that receives, holds and disburses cryptocurrency for early-stage startups in emerging markets. Direct functional overlap: GSR Foundation is an existing funder of UNICEF CryptoFund, and both share 'blockchain for good' and frontier-tech mandates.

Emerging players

• Regen Foundation: Foundation supporting Regen Network and the ecological-asset / climate-finance token ecosystem. Comparable crypto-native, mission-driven grantmaker overlapping with GSR Foundation's interest in blockchain for climate, inclusion and public goods.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gsr-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GSR Foundation