We're delighted to announce [Josi Baker](https://github.com/josibake) as our

newest LTS grantee.

Josi will receive long-term support from OpenSats for his continued work on

Bitcoin Core. His work will consist of pull-request reviews,[^fn-reviews]

supporting major release cycles, and his own contributions.[^fn-prs]

[^fn-reviews]: [PR reviews by @josibake](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pulls?q=is%3Apr+reviewed-by%3Ajosibake)

[^fn-prs]: [PRs by @josibake](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pulls/josibake)

In the next couple of months, Josi plans to work on the [libbitcoinkernel

project](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/27587) as a reviewer, tester,

and contributor. The `libbitcoinkernel` project is an attempt at modularizing

the Bitcoin codebase and extracting consensus logic into something other

applications can reuse. This has a number of benefits, namely improved testing

and code separation of consensus code within Bitcoin Core and enabling

application-specific programs to be written outside of the Bitcoin Core project

with increased confidence these applications will be in consensus.

In addition to his work on Bitcoin Core, he will continue to work on [BIP-352:

Silent Payments](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1458), focusing on

adoption in wallets outside of Bitcoin Core and supporting mobile clients.

Silent Payments are a privacy and UX improvement for Bitcoin wallets that allows

static, reusable payment codes without address reuse. The key improvements over

existing reusable payment code solutions are improved privacy for the sender and

receiver due to eliminating the need for a notification transaction and no

additional cost for senders. The proposal also separates sending and receiving,

which enables broader adoption. These improvements are particularly relevant for

activists wishing to use Bitcoin as a means of raising funds in a private and

censorship-resistant way.

The mission of OpenSats is to support and maintain a sustainable ecosystem of

funding for free and open-source projects and contributors, especially

Bitcoin-related projects and projects that help Bitcoin flourish. Regular

contributors reviewing and maintaining Bitcoin Core are critical to the

project's continued success. Sustainable funding allows contributors to build

expertise over multiple years, which is why we introduced the [OpenSats LTS

program](https://opensats.org/blog/announcing-lts-grant-program-to-support-bitcoin-core-contributors).

You can apply for the program here:

- [opensats.org/apply/lts](https://opensats.org/apply/lts)

Support for Josi's work is sourced from our General Fund and made possible by

generous donors like you. If you would like to support work like Josi's,

consider [donating to the fund](https://opensats.org/projects/general_fund).