MARA has launched a foundation to back Bitcoin open-source development, research and education, debuting with a $100,000 community-selected grant and signalling deeper institutional support for the ecosystem.
MARA Holdings has launched the MARA Foundation to fund Bitcoin open-source development, protocol research and education, positioning the initiative as a strategic commitment to strengthen the network’s long-term security, sovereignty and accessibility.
Unveiled at Bitcoin 2026 in Las Vegas, the foundation will support open-source development, self-custody infrastructure, policy advocacy and global education, extending MARA’s role beyond mining into stewardship of Bitcoin infrastructure.
At launch, the foundation committed a $100,000 grant to be awarded through community voting. Among the three finalists is 256 Foundation, a public charity backing open-source Bitcoin mining hardware and software developers, reinforcing the initiative’s open-source focus. Other shortlisted organisations include SateNet and Libreria de Satoshi.
“MARA’s daily role in helping secure the Bitcoin network gives it a responsibility to invest in the protocol’s long term health, not just its short term economics,” said Fred Thiel, Chairman and CEO, MARA.
The launch signals growing institutional support for open-source Bitcoin infrastructure, with community-directed grantmaking adding a governance dimension to the initiative.
The move comes as MARA broadens its ambitions beyond mining. In March, the company sold 15,133 Bitcoin for about $1.1 billion to support a $1 billion debt repurchase, a step it said improves flexibility as it expands into digital energy, AI infrastructure and high-performance computing.
