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.
This marks at least the second major Winklevoss contribution to Shielded Labs, following a 2023 donation that helped establish a dedicated Crosslink team.
The twins have also supported Zcash through infrastructure and investment efforts, including Gemini’s early support for shielded withdrawals and the Orchard privacy protocol.
The donation comes amid turmoil in Zcash development after the Electric Coin Company development team departed in January 2026 following governance and funding disputes.
At the time of reporting, Zcash price was $364.25.