Las Vegas — MARA Holdings CEO Fred Thiel unveiled the MARA Foundation at the Bitcoin Conference on Monday, presenting a new initiative aimed at reinforcing the long-term resilience of the bitcoin network beyond the company’s mining and AI operations.

“Bitcoin is the most important decentralized system ever created, but its future is not guaranteed,” Thiel said, emphasizing that the network depends on ongoing stewardship. He described bitcoin as “a public utility that nobody owns, but everybody depends on,” adding that decentralization distributes responsibility across the ecosystem.

The foundation will focus on protecting bitcoin’s core attributes as sound, durable money while advancing its open and global use. Its priorities include strengthening the network’s security budget—particularly by supporting the development of a sustainable transaction-fee market—and funding research into emerging risks such as quantum computing.

MARA also plans to invest in open-source development across scaling solutions, mining infrastructure, and user tools, while expanding access to self-custody and promoting financial sovereignty worldwide.

Education and policy engagement will be key pillars of the effort, including technical training programs, multilingual resources, and outreach to regulators.

To mark the launch, MARA will award $100,000 to one of three nonprofit organizations, with the recipient selected through a community vote—reinforcing Thiel’s call for shared responsibility across the bitcoin ecosystem.