Wouldn’t it be great if your next big art project was paid for—all your materials, all associated costs—before you even started it? Hatchfund.org is a non-profit organization that aims to do just that, and more. It’s a crowdfunding website (similar to Kickstarter, or IndieGoGo) but with a twist: it’s ONLY for artists.
So what’s it take to get on Hatchfund and get your art project promoted to the world? Read on and find out!
What is Hatchfund?
According to the website, Hatchfund is “an online community where artists can post projects for funding and connect with those who love and support artists. Our goal is to help artists successfully navigate the challenging world of online fundraising.”
That’s a great goal, but words are cheap. Hatchfund actually delivers. More than 700 artists have posted projects on Hatchfund, and together raised over $6.8 million from 40,000 individual donors. Not too shabby!
Who can apply, and how does it work?
Any kind of artist can apply, in any discipline or medium. This includes independent film-makers, dancers & choreographers, writers, etc, as well as visual artists like painters, sculptors, and so on.
BUT—and this is important—keep in mind that there IS a screening process, and not all artists who apply are accepted. Typically Hatchfund looks for “recognized artists,” meaning artists who have received an award, grant, fellowship, or residency for the quality of their work.
To me, that means you don’t have to be a successful, well-paid, professional artist to get on Hatchfund, but you DO probably need to be an active artist in your community, constantly seeking new opportunties, with a few notable successes so far.
The good news is, if you make it onto Hatchfund, you’re in excellent company, and the entire fundraising process will be much easier than if you were on your own. For those of you who are at a “tipping point” of success in your art career, this could be a fantastic chance to propel yourself to the next level. And no matter who you are, you can always create a free profile at Hatchfund to learn more.
How is it different from other crowdfunding sites?
Besides the fact that only artists can apply, Hatchfund boasts a 75% funding success rate. It does this in part by leveraging additional donations for worthy projects (called “Match Funds”) which are basically grants from individuals, corporations, foundations, partner groups like the ones seen below, etc.
Many times these grants are already available, and simply need artists or active projects to receive them. For some artists, Match Funds can cover a significant portion of the goal, right from the very start!
Hatchfund also takes any donations made to unsuccessfully-funded projects, and redistributes those funds back towards other projects to help them get funded. For some donors, this may mean their money didn’t go to the artist or goal they originally intended—which may be a drawback for anyone planning to donate.
However, for any artists in the system, this keeps potential donations from fading away, and can make a huge difference for projects that just need a little more funding to be complete.
Lastly, Hatchfund also offers educational tools for artists going through the crowdfunding process, and assigns each artist a project manager/fundraising coach to help keep your project on track and give you the best chance of success. No other crowdfunding site has this!
Want more information?
Head over to Hatchfund.org and read all about the work they’re doing, explore the current projects, and seriously consider registering for your own profile page. Or, if the time isn’t right for that, go ahead and think about donating to an existing goal—however you choose to get involved, everyone wins!
This post may contain affiliate links.