Tubi commits $250,000 to a fund for emerging creators

Fox's Tubi is committing $250,000 to a Fandom Fund for emerging television and film creators, Business Insider reported. Kickstarter will recommend creators for the fund, while Tubi will provide the financing and premiere projects through its free streaming service. The program targets fan-driven work and gives Kickstarter a formal role in finding projects.

How is the $250,000 structured?

Tubi said $150,000 of the commitment will be spread across about eight to 15 creators. One project will receive $100,000 in matching funds to produce a full film or series.

If the $150,000 pool were divided evenly, each creator would receive $10,000 at 15 recipients or $18,750 at eight. That calculation illustrates the fund's base support before the larger matching award. The structure backs several projects while giving one production a larger financing package.

What kinds of projects will the fund support?

Tubi said Kickstarter will help identify creators working in areas that already have audience traction on the platform. The target categories include:

• Independent horror
• Young adult
• Stories centered on Black characters and experiences
• Reality
• True crime
• Fan-driven films

Tubi and Kickstarter described the Fandom Fund as an expansion of their 2025 FilmStream Collective Fund. That earlier fund helped creators finish films and bring them to Tubi's free streaming service. The new program keeps Kickstarter's role focused on creator recommendations and Tubi's role focused on money and distribution.

What do creators keep, and when can they stream?

Fandom Fund recipients will own their intellectual property. They will also gain access to Tubi's 110 million monthly active users.

Tubi will premiere the projects and run them for exclusive windows lasting a varying number of months, starting in 2027. Creators gain production financing and platform distribution while retaining their IP. Tubi secures a limited period of launch exclusivity on its service.

Why does Tubi need an exclusive-content pipeline?

Tubi already has more than 700 creators distributing nonexclusive content on the platform. Yet the company also wants new exclusive fare.

Business Insider reported that the Fandom Fund is part of Tubi's broader effort to strengthen its standing with creators as audiences move their attention toward social media. Netflix and Disney are competing for YouTubers and other creators, too.

The fund adds limited exclusivity to a catalog that already includes nonexclusive content. It also gives Tubi a direct route to creator-led exclusive premieres without requiring a permanent purchase of the underlying intellectual property.

Who is the fund designed to reach?

“This is an opportunity for more emerging creators, versus bigger, more established creators, who, even with this big push across media to do more with creators, aren't necessarily getting those opportunities,” Rich Bloom, GM of Tubi's creator programs and EVP of business development, said.

The fund's structure matches Bloom's emphasis on emerging talent. It divides $150,000 among about eight to 15 creators and earmarks $100,000 in matching funds for one production.

Everette Taylor, Kickstarter's CEO, said cuts to programming spending across Hollywood have left a dearth of funding for independent creators.

“What I'm hearing from creators is, I have my own audience, I have a great idea, I want to shoot this thing, but I don't know how I'm going to monetize it after,” Everette Taylor, Kickstarter's CEO, said.

Taylor's diagnosis places the financing gap after the production decision. Creators may have an audience and a concept, but they still lack a clear route to recoup costs and earn revenue. The fund supplies capital, and Tubi supplies a route to 110 million users.

What will determine whether it works?

The test begins in 2027, when Tubi plans to start the exclusive streaming windows. The $100,000 matching award supports a full film or series, so completing a production is the first operational checkpoint. The distribution plan then provides a defined launch window on Tubi's service.

The broader test is whether Kickstarter's recommendations can produce enough finished creator projects to make exclusivity repeatable. For Tubi, the benefit is a pipeline of exclusive premieres without permanent IP ownership.

For creators, the trade is capital and audience reach in exchange for a temporary launch window. Results will show whether the $250,000 Fandom Fund can become a repeatable sourcing strategy rather than a limited grant cycle.