NFT Marketplaces: Art · Review
InactiveFoundation Review 2026: NFT Marketplace Now Offline
Foundation was an NFT marketplace for creators. As of April 27, 2026 it is offline and will not return, after a sale to a third party fell through.
By the DappsAtlas editorial team · Updated
DappsAtlas score
—/10
Not rated
Our verdict on Foundation
Foundation is no longer a usable NFT marketplace. Its team says it will stay offline indefinitely after a sale to a third party fell through. This page is useful mainly for existing creators and collectors. The main strength of its design is that it was non-custodial, so NFTs remain in wallets and the contracts remain onchain. The main caveat is that listed NFTs must be delisted manually and media files need community or personal pinning. Everyone else should look to active marketplaces.
Score breakdown
How Foundation scores
- Security
- n/a
- Ease of use
- n/a
- Fees
- n/a
- Features
- n/a
Scores run from 0 to 10 and are based only on facts we could verify. Where information was missing we mark the score n/a rather than guess.
What is Foundation?
Foundation was an NFT marketplace aimed at creators. DefiLlama lists it under NFT Marketplace, and describes it as building tools for creative people. It launched more than six years ago, according to the team.
On April 27, 2026, the team published a statement that the platform is offline. Earlier in the year it had agreed to sell the platform to a third party that planned to keep operating it. That sale did not complete, ownership returned to the team, and the team decided not to resume operations.
The team says this is a financial and operational reality: the team that built and maintained Foundation is no longer in place, and it does not believe a suitable buyer exists today. The platform will stay offline indefinitely.
How Foundation works
Foundation was an NFT marketplace where creators minted artwork as tokens and sold them to collectors. According to the team, it was a non-custodial, onchain system. Listed NFTs were held by Foundation smart contracts in escrow, which is why a listing has to be cancelled before the NFT returns to the owner's wallet.
The artwork files and metadata were stored on IPFS, a distributed file network where content is addressed by a CID. If nobody keeps a copy pinned, the file can become unavailable even though the NFT token still exists on Ethereum.
Because the contracts live onchain, they keep working without the website. That is why community members could build tools that delist NFTs directly from the contracts after the frontend went offline.
5 features
Key features
01
Non-custodial design
Foundation was built as an onchain system in which assets stay in the user's wallet and under the user's control, according to the team's statement.
02
Persistent smart contracts
Smart contracts remain onchain independent of the Foundation frontend, which is why community tools can interact with them directly.
03
Community delisting tools
Community members have built tools to delist NFTs straight from Foundation contracts without the Foundation interface.
04
IPFS media access
Foundation says it will keep its IPFS gateway running through April 27, 2027, and community efforts aim to mirror and pin media and metadata.
05
Developer guidance
The team says it will provide technical guidance to developers building directly against Foundation's contracts and infrastructure.
Pros and cons
What we like
- The team published a clear statement on what happened and what users should do.
- The system was non-custodial, so NFTs stay in users' wallets and are not dependent on the platform.
- The smart contracts continue to exist onchain independent of the frontend.
- Community members have built delisting and media pinning tools.
- The IPFS gateway is promised through April 27, 2027, giving a transition window.
Watch out for
- The platform is offline indefinitely, so you cannot list, buy or sell NFTs through it.
- The team that built and maintained Foundation is no longer in place.
- A planned sale to a third party did not complete, which left users without clear answers for a period.
- NFTs still listed through Foundation escrow contracts must be delisted manually.
- Long-term media availability depends on community pinning, and the official IPFS gateway is only promised until April 27, 2027.
Foundation fees
Foundation is offline, so no fees currently apply on the platform. The project does not publish its historical fee schedule.
The only costs users are likely to face are ordinary Ethereum network fees if they delist NFTs or interact with the contracts directly. Third-party tools may have their own terms, which are not covered publicly.
Is Foundation safe?
The platform itself is no longer a live service, so the main risks are practical. NFTs listed in Foundation escrow need to be delisted manually, and artwork files could vanish if they are not pinned. DefiLlama lists no audits for Foundation, and the project does not give audit details.
Be careful with any delisting or pinning tool, since these are independent community projects and not run by Foundation. Check that a tool is genuine before connecting a wallet, and never share a seed phrase. Foundation's statement says community tools are independent of the company.
6 steps
How to get started with Foundation
- 1
Read the team's April 27, 2026 statement on the Foundation website to confirm the platform status.
- 2
Check whether any of your NFTs are still listed through Foundation escrow contracts.
- 3
If they are, use a community-built delisting tool that interacts with the contracts directly, and verify the tool before connecting your wallet.
- 4
Back up your artwork files and metadata, and pin their CIDs using community tools or your own IPFS setup.
- 5
Do this before the IPFS gateway is due to be maintained until, April 27, 2027.
- 6
If you are a creator, look at other marketplaces for new listings; one community post says Transient supports importing Foundation creator contracts.
Who Foundation is for
This page is for people who minted, collected or listed NFTs on Foundation and need to know what happens next. It is not for anyone looking for an active marketplace, since the platform will not return.
Foundation FAQs
Is Foundation still working?
No. The team's April 27, 2026 statement says the platform is offline and will remain offline indefinitely. The team decided not to resume operations.
What happens to my Foundation NFTs?
Your NFTs are not dependent on the Foundation platform. The statement describes Foundation as non-custodial and onchain, so assets stay in your wallet. The smart contracts continue to exist onchain independent of the frontend.
How do I delist an NFT from Foundation escrow?
If an NFT is listed through Foundation contracts, you need to delist it manually. The team says community members built tools that delist NFTs directly from the contracts without the Foundation interface. Check any tool carefully before connecting a wallet.
Will my artwork files stay available?
The statement says content has been pinned, but long-term resilience needs broader redundancy. Foundation says it will maintain its IPFS gateway through April 27, 2027. Community members are building tools to mirror and pin media and metadata, so creators and collectors should back up their files.
Why did Foundation shut down?
The team says it agreed earlier this year to sell the platform to a third party who planned to keep it running. The process did not complete as expected and ownership returned to the team. The team then decided not to resume operations, citing financial and operational reasons and the loss of the original team.
Can I move my Foundation work somewhere else?
One community post from April 30, 2026 says Transient Labs lets users import Foundation creator contracts, as well as SuperRare and Manifold contracts that were indexed on Foundation. The project does not say more about how this works, so check that platform's own documentation.
Compare
Foundation alternatives
SuperRare is a curated Ethereum NFT marketplace for digital art and works paired with physical pieces, aimed at collectors and vetted artists.
Endemic is an Ethereum NFT marketplace for digital artists and collectors, offering AI-assisted curation, a creator studio and artist-led collections.
Bisket is an NFT art marketplace that works with artists, based on a single Medium post; the official site and fees are not confirmed.
NFPrompt is a Web3 marketplace where users mint AI-generated NFTs and sell them together with the prompt used to create the image.
UniqArt is an NFT marketplace for artists and collectors built on the NEAR blockchain, based on limited public information.
Hic et Nunc was a minimalist Tezos NFT marketplace for digital art, launched in 2021 and later discontinued, with its community continuing as Teia.
Same category
More Art NFT Marketplaces
HeartX is an NFT art marketplace concept for artists and collectors, combining community voting with HNX boosts and HTX governance.
Seed.Photo is described as a digital-art platform for photographers and art enthusiasts, associated with the SEED token.
Arteq is associated with the ARTEQ Ethereum token and an art-auction concept, but its current marketplace operations are unclear.
Cifipowa is described as an NFT art marketplace where artists can mint digital artwork as NFTs.
PhotoCentra is an NFT marketplace for photographers to list photo art, with $PHOTO token rewards for contributors.
ChainChum is described as an NFT platform for artists to turn artwork into digital assets, but its current availability and fees are unclear.
Same chain
More on Ethereum
Lido is a liquid staking protocol where users stake ETH and receive stETH, a reward-earning token usable across DeFi, governed by LDO holders.
Aave V3 is a non-custodial DeFi lending protocol on 21 chains where users earn interest on deposits or borrow against collateral.
Uniswap V4 is the latest Uniswap DEX version with hooks and concentrated liquidity, running on 22 chains for self-custody token swaps and liquidity provision.
Uniswap V3 is a non-custodial decentralized exchange protocol for token swaps and concentrated liquidity provision across 40+ chains.
DeFi Saver is a non-custodial tool for managing and automating leveraged lending positions across major DeFi protocols on Ethereum and layer-2 networks.
OKX is a major centralized crypto exchange for spot and derivatives trading, earn products and a Web3 wallet, with its own OKB token.
Guides
Guides about Foundation
NFT
Foundation NFT Marketplace User Growth: What the Data Shows in 2026The claim of explosive user growth on Foundation does not match the reporting available for 2026. The marketplace was taken offline in spring 2026 amid a wider slowdown in NFT trading, and this guide explains what that means for collectors, creators and anyone who held assets there.
NFT
Foundation NFT Marketplace: What Its Growth Claims Mean in 2026Foundation, an Ethereum NFT art marketplace, was taken offline indefinitely on April 27, 2026 after a failed sale. Public reporting do not confirm any recent user growth for it, so this guide explains what happened and how to judge growth claims for any NFT marketplace.
NFT
Best NFT Websites and Marketplaces in 2026The best NFT marketplace depends on what you want to buy, which blockchain you use and whether you value broad selection, curated art or a specialist community. Compare leading options by use case, then check network support, fees and transaction details before you trade.
NFT
NFT Art Marketplaces to Explore in 2026The right NFT art marketplace depends on the kind of work you want to find, the blockchain you use and how much curation or trading flexibility you need. Compare these options by audience, wallet, fees and buying process before you mint or collect.
NFT
The Most Expensive NFTs Ever Sold: Top 10 Record PricesA ranked look at the biggest reported NFT sales, from Pak’s The Merge to Beeple’s record-setting digital art and rare CryptoPunks. The figures are historical sale prices, not estimates of what these NFTs are worth today.
Blockchain
Algorand Build-A-Bull Hackathon: What It Was and What to Do NextAlgorand Foundation ran a Build-A-Bull hackathon in late 2023 with a $200,000 prize pool in USDC. This guide explains what the event was, how its prize structure worked, what happened after it closed, and what builders can do with the same playbook today.
How we checked
Sources
Last updated . Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.