# Ethereum Foundation Publishes EF Mandate, Defines Role As 'Network Steward'

*Author: Jack Inabinet*
*Published: Mar 13, 2026*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/read/news/ethereum-foundation-publishes-ef-mandate*

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In its latest [blog post](https://blog.ethereum.org/2026/03/13/ef-mandate), the Ethereum Foundation outlined the *EF Mandate*, a document designed to clarify the organization’s mission, principles, and responsibilities as a steward of the Ethereum ecosystem. 

### What's the Scoop?
- **Principles First:** The EF Mandate is a principled document, reminding teams that Ethereum's goal preserve user self-sovereignty. It emphasizes that Ethereum must remain censorship-resistant, open source, private, and secure (CROPS), properties which are essential for preserving user self-sovereignty and that **must not be compromised** for convenience or short-term growth.
- **Role Clarification:** The EF stresses that it is not Ethereum’s ruler or central authority, but rather one steward among many. In this capacity, the EF must safeguard Ethereum’s founding promise, while ensuring the network can evolve without becoming dependent on any single institution.
- **Renewed Role: **In a world where opaque systems increasingly control life, political conflict is intensifying, and AI-mediated environments become more pervasive, Ethereum’s original promise more than ever. The EF must help Ethereum keep its original promise, and nothing else.
- **Published Onchain: **The EF has also [published](https://etherscan.io/tx/0x5dd574df963a1df1f064791e0f6ff41ec972cdbba12293b7e1ece582052ba855) its mandate onchain to the "World Computer," where it is free for anyone to read, reinterpret, and remix, forever.

> Today, the Foundation’s Board released the EF Mandate.This document, which was first intended for EF members, reaffirms the promise of Ethereum, and the role of EF within this ecosystem.— Ethereum Foundation (@ethereumfndn) [March 13, 2026](https://twitter.com/ethereumfndn/status/2032460726728573298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
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