Zcash Community Grants Proposes $124 Million Shift to Future Block Rewards

The Zcash Community Grants (ZCG) committee has put forward a plan to move 36,200 ZEC—roughly $46 million—from its treasury into the Network Sustainability Mechanism (NSM), which earmarks coins for future mining rewards. If adopted, ZCG would keep about 55,200 ZEC (≈$70 million) and would forgo roughly 62,000 ZEC ($78.5 million) in future allocations, tapering its remaining funding until the 2032 halving. The proposal would redirect about 98,000 ZEC (≈$124 million) toward block rewards, extending the current automatic allocation—scheduled to end in 2028—by four years. Industry voices, including Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz and Gemini co‑founder Tyler Winklevoss, have criticized the move, calling for greater accountability and questioning the committee’s oversight of the treasury. The debate follows earlier suggestions by Zcash co‑founder Sean Bowe to end ZCG’s automatic 8% share of new ZEC and redirect it to the NSM while leaving the existing treasury intact.