my main issue is that on Core (and derivatives!), there is not as much focus as there should be on solving important issues like LevelDB or until recently the kernel separation

the kernel being separated is a good thing. but I feel like a good chunk of efforts outside of that context is a waste of time compared to other improvements…

funding helps but it does not solve it, it needs to be managed (dumping $1m per person on a small amount of people is not really effective) and I guess donors need to set some objectives they want like reliability improvements