Kickstarter Launches $1 Million Culture Fund to Back Independent Creators Around the World

New initiative will support hundreds of creators across Film, Fashion, Art and Music and bring on strategic partners to expand the fund's reach and impact

NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kickstarter today announced the launch of the Kickstarter Culture Fund, a $1 million fund supporting independent creators working across Art, Fashion, Film and Music. The fund is the first to be financed entirely by Kickstarter and is open to creators around the world.

The Kickstarter Culture Fund is a key expression of the company's recently launched Power of Belief brand campaign—an effort centered on the idea that belief is what sparks new ideas, and that those ideas come to life when people believe in each other. The Culture Fund puts Kickstarter's own belief into action: belief in creative independence, belief in the importance of helping more creators bring more ideas into the world, and belief in the power of community to make those ideas possible. Through the fund, Kickstarter will provide direct financial contributions to live campaigns from independent creators using its platform, helping them build momentum during the critical period when they are working to rally support for their ideas.

Creators doing work within the fund's four core categories can apply for the fund when their Kickstarter campaign is live or when they have a project page in draft.

Creators can learn more about eligibility and apply through the Kickstarter Culture Fund at https://landing.kickstarter.com/culture-fund.

Everette Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at Kickstarter said, "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."

Courtney Brown Warren, Kickstarter's Chief Marketing Officer, 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."

Kickstarter will expand the impact of the Culture Fund through partnerships with organizations that share its commitment to supporting independent creators. Through these partnerships, organizations will contribute dedicated funding to the Culture Fund, helping to reach more creators, creative disciplines, and communities around the world.

The first partner under the Culture Fund umbrella is Creative Scotland, the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland. Creative Scotland will be expanding its 2023 Kickstarter fund to provide renewed support for Scotland-based creators. The Creative Scotland Forward Fund will contribute £67,500 directly to eligible Kickstarter campaigns across film, comics, music, radio and podcasts, games, publishing, and design.

To be eligible, creators must be based in Scotland and have a live Kickstarter campaign in one of the fund's eligible categories. Projects must demonstrate a clear connection to Scotland, with primary creative activity and beneficiaries based in the country. Find more details about the Creative Scotland fund here.

Additional partners will launch dedicated funding initiatives under the Kickstarter Culture Fund umbrella in the coming months.

Learn more about the Kickstarter Culture Fund here.

SOURCE Kickstarter