Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has made the news again with a big donation to a Swiss project called Zuitzerland. According to the report, Isla, a Web3 researcher developing the project, received 274 ETH, worth around $500,000 from Buterin. The donation was identified by Onchain Lens, a blockchain monitoring site that tracks fund transfers.
This step is no surprise to anyone who knows about butaline’s philanthropy and experimental associations. Zuitzerland is said to be the product of Buterin’s previous Zuzalu experiment. The aim was to unite like-minded people and engage in proposals on technology, lifespan and decentralized regimes.
Ethereum Donation: What is Zuizerland?
The Zuitzerland initiative is based on ideas launched in the Zuzalu experiment, a short-term community project launched in Montenegro between March and May 2023. Zuzal attracted about 200 participants and worked together for two months and lived together. They exchanged ideas and combined projects in workshops, discussions and social gatherings.
Just: vitalik (@vitalikbuterin) 274.1 has been sent $ eth ($500,000) as a grant or donation to the contract deployed @0xislaWho is building it? @zuitzerland.
Vitalik address: 0xD8DA6BF26964AF9D7EED9E03E53415D37AA96045
Contract address: 0x69649512C97C630C4F06A21E09E71F0362CA74EC… pic.twitter.com/nuszdsp7tn
– On-chain lens (@onchainlens) April 1, 2025
Zuitzerland furthers this concept by hosting residencies, hackathons and citywide events for people with a common interest. The platform highlights the development of collaboration between “thinkers and builders.” Though Buterin is not the founder of the project, he is mentioned as a speaker and curator on the official website, showing his support and engagement.
Funds from token sales
Buterin’s contributions were funded in part by selling tokens he previously received as gifts from other crypto projects. According to on-chain statistics, Buterin sold 5,000 Dohrnii (DHN) tokens on March 31, 2025 for $16,569 with $93,882 and 2 trillion LEDOG (DOG) tokens. Revenue from these sales was aggregated and sent to ISLA as 274 ETH.
ETHUSD trading at $1,873 on the daily chart: TradingView.com
This is not the first time Buterin has sold him a talented token for a cause. In 2022 he sold a Shiba Inu (Shib) token to the extent that was given to him to donate to India’s Covid-19 relief fund. Buterin also makes public token issuers to hand the token directly to charities in exchange for donating the token to him.
History of token donation
Dohrnii Labs, the developer of DHN tokens, sent 10,000 tokens to Buterin in January 2025. Similarly, the LEDOG developer sent him 10 trillion dog tokens in August 2024. These tokens are usually given as tokens for evaluation, but are also marketing strategies for visibility. Buterin uses funds for donations and other things to sell these tokens gradually over time.
For now, Buterin still holds 2 trillion dog tokens, following blockchain data. Nevertheless, his actions reveal clear orientation to leverage such assets and support initiatives such as Zuitzerland. This is consistent with his belief in community-led decentralized governance and innovation.
Gemini Images Featured Images, TradingView Charts
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