Ethereum Foundation researcher Devansh Mehta proposed a new idea at EthCC: VRR (Validator Redirected Revenue). Validators could set it up so that a portion of their staking rewards is automatically redirected to public goods projects, like Gitcoin, Octant, or security audit firms and protocol research teams. Validators would send a signal at the consensus layer, specifying what percentage they’re willing to redirect and to which contract. Then the funds would automatically flow to the designated contract on the execution layer—no need to manually withdraw and donate. According to him, this could be implemented with just two changes to the execution client. It’s not mandatory, not a protocol-level tax, and definitely not “generosity at someone else’s expense.” If you don’t signal, 0% is redirected, and your rewards stay exactly the same as they are now. If you signal 10%, then only your 10% reward gets automatically sent to your chosen public goods contract—other validators won’t be affected at all. If this proposal actually moves forward, Ethereum might, for the first time, directly link “validator earnings” with “funding for ecosystem public goods.”