Zcash holders to vote on pulling 50,000 ZEC from grants treasury

Zcash holders and community panels will vote from November 16 to November 30, 2026, on a draft proposal authored by co-founders Sean Bowe and Zooko Wilcox to transfer 50,000 ZEC from the Zcash Community Grants treasury into the Network Sustainability Mechanism for gradual payout to miners. The plan also seeks to redirect the grants program's 8% block reward stream—currently 144 ZEC daily—into a locked Future Dev and Legal Defense Fund, leaving ZCG with an estimated 41,453 ZEC and $8.8 million in cash. Implementation requires community consensus and a future network upgrade.

ZCG treasury vote

• ▪The draft Zcash Improvement Proposal to transfer 50,000 ZEC into the Network Sustainability Mechanism was authored by co-founders Sean Bowe and Zooko Wilcox alongside Jason McGee
• ▪Zcash coinholders and community panels are scheduled to vote between November 16, 2026, and November 30, 2026, on a draft proposal to transfer 50,000 ZEC out of the Zcash Community Grants treasury
• ▪Under the 50,000 ZEC transfer proposal, Zcash Community Grants would move the coins within 30 days of activation to the Network Sustainability Mechanism, which gradually releases funds to miners through future block rewards

ZEC price funding trigger

• ▪Using an assumed ZEC price of $1,300 and first-half 2026 spending rates, Bowe and Wilcox's draft proposal estimates Zcash Community Grants could cover approximately 13 years of expenses, which would drop to roughly six years if 50,000 ZEC is removed
• ▪A rally in the price of ZEC increased the fiat value of Zcash Community Grants' existing holdings, prompting community calls to stop automatic block reward inflows to a treasury already deemed sufficient for years of operation

Future Dev Legal Fund

• ▪Withdrawals or spending from the Future Dev and Legal Defense Fund would be initially prohibited and would require a separate, dedicated proposal to establish withdrawal rules
• ▪A draft proposal by Bowe and Wilcox would redirect Zcash Community Grants' 8% share of newly created ZEC into a locked Future Dev and Legal Defense Fund until the next Zcash halving