Kickstarter to back independent creators with new 1 million US dollar fund

Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has launched a new 1 million US dollar fund to support independent creators working across fashion, art, film and music, which will be open to creators worldwide.

The new ‘Kickstarter Culture Fund’ has been designed to support hundreds of creators and marks the first fund to be financed entirely by Kickstarter, as part of the company’s recently launched ‘Power of Belief’ brand campaign, centred on the idea that “belief is what sparks new ideas, and that those ideas come to life when people believe in each other”.

Through the fund, Kickstarter will provide direct financial contributions to live campaigns from independent creators using its platform, designed to help them “build momentum during the critical period when they are working to rally support for their ideas”.

Creators in the fund’s four eligible categories can apply once their Kickstarter campaign is live or after creating a project page in draft.

Everette Taylor, chief executive officer at Kickstarter, said in a statement: "Creators across all industries, especially artists, musicians, filmmakers, and designers, are facing increasing challenges finding the resources and support they need to bring their ideas to life.

“The Kickstarter Culture Fund is our commitment to addressing that problem because when fewer ideas have the opportunity to break through, culture, the economy, and society all suffer. By putting resources directly behind creators, we're helping more ambitious ideas find the support they need to become reality. This is just the beginning."

Kickstarter also added that it will expand the impact of its Culture Fund through partnerships with organisations “that share its commitment to supporting independent creators” as it looks to “reach more creators, creative disciplines, and communities around the world”.

The first partner is Creative Scotland, the public body that supports Scotland’s arts, screen, and creative industries. Through the Creative Scotland Forward Fund, the organisation will contribute 67,500 pounds to eligible Kickstarter campaigns across film, comics, music, radio and podcasts, games, publishing, and design, which demonstrate “a clear connection to Scotland, with primary creative activity and beneficiaries based in the country”.

Courtney Brown Warren, chief marketing officer at Kickstarter, added: "The Kickstarter Culture Fund is a meaningful expansion of the ways we have historically supported creators on their journey.

“This time, we're reaching into our own pockets to provide additional resources to creators at a critical moment when it feels harder than ever to bring a creative idea to life. We believe every creator deserves the opportunity to share their ideas with the world, and the Culture Fund gives us another way to help make that possible."