Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss donated 3,221 ZEC, worth about $1.2 million, to Shielded Labs to support independent development of the Zcash protocol.
The ZEC-denominated donation was sent directly to Shielded Labs, a Switzerland-based team operating outside Zcash Foundation and block reward funding structures.
Shielded Labs is led by Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn, the original creator of Zcash, and focuses exclusively on protocol-level development.
The funds will support initiatives including the Network Sustainability Mechanism, Crosslink, and dynamic fee mechanisms aimed at improving scalability, security, and long-term incentives.
Shielded Labs said the grant accelerates critical upgrades while preserving independence from block reward taxes and foundation budgets.
“Privacy is normal and crucial for a free and open society. That’s why Cameron and I are supporting Shielded Labs and their important work and contributions to Zcash,”
Tyler Winklevoss said.
Cameron Winklevoss said strong privacy is a core property of sound money in an era of expanding surveillance.