The "Super Patron" grant was announced today as a kind of extension of Patreon, a crowdfunded membership platform where artists can gather fanbases and subscribers and post exclusive content.
Patreon CEO Jack Conte wants the yearly $50,000 grant to be an opportunity for creators on the cusp, providing an opportunity for artists to quit their job and focus fully on creating.
Watch Conte's video explaining the grant below.
The “Super Patron: a creator arts endowment fuck yeah!” is, according to Conte, inspired by the story of author Harper Lee, who was finally able to focus on writing when a friend gave her money enough to survive for a full year. She was able to write To Kill a Mockingbird.
The application process is fairly simple, and creators can submit writing, artwork, or other media to showcase what they would do with the grant.
The application's one rule is that the submission should take no longer than three minutes to review. Videos, songs, podcasts, or written pieces must be reviewable in that timeframe.
Submissions should demonstrate a clear artistic vision and voice.
The team members are also looking for creators who have been publishing or creating consistently over the past year, and there is public evidence of that work somewhere -- think regular blog posts, artwork, or music published online. There are no age or location restrictions.
Credit: Jack Conte
Conte is not on the judging panel. The "2019 Super Patron Selection Team" includes comedian Hannibal Buress, YouTuber Grace Helbig, Patrick Hinds and Gillian Pensavalle from True Crime Obsessed, YouTuber Molly Burke, and artist Danielle Corsetto.
Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 21.
The grant recipient will be announced on Dec. 19, 7:00 a.m. PST (10:00 a.m. EST) on superpatron.org. The creator will receive a monthly stipend for the following year.
Visit superpatron.org for more information.
Source: SuperPatron.org
