StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation share a common goal: building open, censorship-resistant, and privacy-preserving systems that empower individuals and communities around the world. Our work, rooted in zero-knowledge cryptography, is aiming to expand Bitcoin and Ethereum’s scalability and privacy. As part of this effort, we are building and maintaining the Starknet protocol and Cairo, the open-source provable programming language that enables developers to create powerful ZK-based applications.The same values are at the heart of Bitcoin: verifiability, security, and human freedom.
Today we are proud to announce joint donations to two organizations that safeguard these principles at the Bitcoin layer: The Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund and OpenSats.
The Human Rights Foundation – Bitcoin Development Fund
What It Does
The Bitcoin Development Fund is a Human Rights Foundation (HRF) program, a non-profit dedicated to protecting civil liberties and promoting human rights globally. The Fund focuses exclusively on supporting individuals and projects that enhance Bitcoin’s usability and accessibility for people living under authoritarian regimes.
Its funding goes to:
- Core Bitcoin developers
- Privacy tool creators (like mobile wallets with CoinJoin support)
- Lightning Network researchers and developers
- Bitcoin educators and activists operating in repressive countries
These initiatives are not theoretical, they serve people who are shut out of the global banking system, who face censorship or surveillance, and who use Bitcoin as a last resort for storing value or receiving funds, compensation and donations.
Why It Matters for StarkWare
StarkWare is pioneering cryptographic scalability solutions that extend the power of zero-knowledge proofs to provide scalable and private computation across Bitcoin and Ethereum. Its research and development work is led by many of the same principles that underpin the Bitcoin movement: permissionless access, resistance to financial surveillance, sound money ideals, and censorship resistance, values that are deeply reflected in both their technology and their ethos.
Donating to the HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund supports open-source development that advances financial freedom and privacy. The Fund invests in developers working to enhance Bitcoin’s usability, privacy, and resilience, goals that strongly parallel StarkWare’s own operational priorities. Through technologies like S-two and ongoing research into blockchain scalability and privacy, StarkWare is actively building systems that protect individual autonomy and strengthen decentralized infrastructure.
OpenSats
What It Does
OpenSats is a non-profit built to fund free and open-source work on Bitcoin. It exists because many Bitcoin developers, especially those working on core infrastructure are underfunded or rely on sporadic grants. OpenSats provides a clear, transparent, and sustainable pipeline for developers, educators, researchers, and maintainers to get compensated for their contributions.
Their mission covers:
- Bitcoin Core development and maintenance
- Open-source wallet development
- Lightning Network improvements
- Educational content and public goods
- Documentation and standards work
Unlike many grant programs, OpenSats does not extract equity or impose restrictions. It supports work based on merit, relevance to Bitcoin, and the contribution to the public good.
Why It Matters for StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation
Together, StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation are advancing zero-knowledge technology to deliver quantum-resistant scalability and privacy solutions for Bitcoin. StarkWare is developing underlying ZK infrastructure, while the Starknet Foundation drives its adoption and ecosystem growth. Both are committed to open-source innovation, building products in an open environment and contributing to projects such as Cashu and Nostr across the broader ecosystem. Their combined efforts aim to help shape a future where Bitcoin is widely used, secure, and fully aligned with the principles of decentralization and verifiability.
Donating to OpenSats supports the developers and maintainers who keep Bitcoin’s critical open-source infrastructure secure and reliable. Many of these contributors work independently with little funding, and OpenSats provides long-term support so they can focus on essential technical work. For StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation, supporting OpenSats reflects a shared commitment to rigorous engineering, open-source collaboration, and preserving Bitcoin as a public good built on transparency and technical excellence.
OpenCash
What It Does
OpenCash is a Swiss-based association dedicated to supporting the open-source development of digital cash and private payment systems, primarily through the Cashu protocol. Driven by a vision for digital cash that prioritizes user privacy and security over surveillance-based financial models, OpenCash provides funding to developers via grants, supports research, and organizes events within the Cashu ecosystem. By focusing on free and open tools, the organization aims to empower individuals and communities to build a more secure and scalable financial future that preserves civil liberties in the digital age.
Why It Matters for StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation
OpenCash’s commitment to developing digital cash via the Cashu protocol holds significant importance for the broader ecosystem, including organizations like StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation. While StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation primarily advance zero-knowledge technology to deliver scalable and privacy-enhancing solutions for Ethereum and Bitcoin, their core ethos is strongly aligned with OpenCash’s focus on open-source cryptography and user freedom. One excellent example of this shared commitment is the technical work done to integrate zero-knowledge proofs into the Cashu protocol using Cairo. This proof-of-concept leverages Starknet’s core computational language to enhance the privacy and enable flexible spending conditions for Chaumian e-cash, demonstrating a hands-on dedication to advancing privacy primitives across different blockchain spheres. By actively supporting projects like Cashu which utilizes Chaumian e-cash principles to ensure private, untraceable digital payments, StarkWare and the Foundation showcase a commitment to building a financial infrastructure where user control and privacy are paramount. Their combined efforts aim to help shape a future where digital transactions are not only fast and secure (via ZK-proofs) but are also fully aligned with the foundational principles of decentralization, open verifiability, and robust personal privacy, reinforcing the idea of crypto as a public good.
Here’s a link to the Demo of the POC of e-cash and Cairo:
Why a Bitcoin-Focused Organizations Should Support Non-profits Like HRF, OpenSats and OpenCash
For any company scaling Bitcoin, progress builds on the long-term work of open-source and nonprofit contributors. Bitcoin’s strength lies in its core principles: security, decentralization, and censorship resistance. Nonprofits such as HRF and OpenSats protect these principles. Supporting them is both ethical and strategic.
Strengthen the Foundation You Are Building On
Every entity advancing Bitcoin depends on the strength of its base layer. HRF and OpenSats fund the developers, researchers, and educators who maintain it. Contributing ensures that Bitcoin’s protocol, infrastructure, and security remain strong, benefiting everyone who builds on top.
Secure Talent and Community Through Shared Purpose
Bitcoin’s best engineers are motivated by principle, not profit. Supporting the nonprofits that sustain their work shows alignment with the Bitcoin standard and helps attract mission-driven talent and collaborators.
Show Long-Term Commitment to Bitcoin’s Ethos
Backing HRF and OpenSats demonstrates commitment not only to Bitcoin’s technology but also to its core ideals of privacy, censorship resistance, and open-source integrity. It builds trust with users, developers, and partners.
Advance Bitcoin’s Reach Where It Matters Most
While companies often focus on advanced markets, HRF ensures Bitcoin remains accessible in places facing censorship and financial repression. Supporting their work extends Bitcoin’s real-world impact and reinforces its global relevance.
Conclusion
StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation share a technological vision rooted in privacy, scalability, and verifiability – values that align closely with Bitcoin’s principles as a monetary network. Supporting non-profits such as HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund and OpenSats reflects a joint commitment not only to innovation but also to advancing open-source development, human rights, and financial freedom.
These contributions highlight the shared role of StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation as responsible, values-driven leaders dedicated to building decentralized finance and a private, secure and verifiable future.
