The creator economy is booming right now, and social media sites such as TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest are all dishing out money to recruit you!
While these are all great platforms to grow your business, the Pinterest Creator Fund is providing essential financial help and tools to accelerate your growth.
Here’s everything you need to know before you apply!
- What is the Pinterest Creator Fund
- Pinterest Creator Fund Qualifications
- How to Apply for the Creator Fund
- What to Expect When You Join
- How Much Does the Creator Fund Pay
- Have Past Participants Found Success?
- When is the Next Pinterest Creator Fund
- Pinterest Creator Fund Countries
- Other Ways to Make Money on Pinterest
- Next Steps
What is the Pinterest Creator Fund
The Pinterest Creator Fund is a 6-week program focused on educating and equipping rising creators in underrepresented communities with tools, training and financial resources to succeed on the Pinterest platform.
The creator fund is not to be confused with Pinterest Creator Rewards / Creator hub. Both offer creators a way to make money on Pinterest, but they each have their own set of criteria and requirements.
Pinterest Creator Fund Qualifications
For the newest Creator Inclusion Fund 2023 cycle, the stated eligibility qualifications are clear cut which is a nice change from previous cycles. Pinterest has separated eligibility criteria into two categories based on the type of creator applying for the program.
Who Can Apply for the Creator Fund?
Creators and Content Producers can both apply for the Creator Inclusion Fund. Below are the application criteria for each.
Creators Eligibility Requirements
- Must have a Pinterest Business account and be based in North America (U.S. and Canada)
- Be a rising creator that identifies as being part of an underrepresented community such as: people of color, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
- 18+ years old
- Have between 750 – 10,000 followers on Pinterest
- Looking to grow content creation skills on Pinterest
- Do not monetize content over $10K
- Create content that connects to Pinterest's core verticals through the lens of sustainability: Food, Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, Wellness
- Can commit to office hours & program sessions
Content Producers Eligibility Requirements
- Be an independent publisher, digital magazine or content collective
- Content serves underrepresented communities
- Must have a Pinterest Business account and be based in North America (U.S. and Canada)
- 18+ years old
- Have between 750 – 10,000 followers on Pinterest
- Looking to grow content creation skills on Pinterest
- Create content that connects to Pinterest's core verticals through the lens of sustainability: Food, Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, Wellness
- Can commit to office hours & program sessions
As of right now, Pinterest Creator Fund program sessions are scheduled to be held on: 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22, 5/29, 6/5. These dates can be changed at any time. So make sure to keep your calendar clear during the 6 weeks to accommodate any schedule changes.
Monetization Eligibility Requirements
In the Pinterest Business Community forum, a Pinterest Community Manager answered questions related to monetization eligibility requirements.
According to Pinterest Community Manager, Jazmin:
“For those asking about the monetization eligibility requirements, if you do not normally monetize content or have not had the ability to do so on a consistent basis, we encourage you to apply!”
– Pinterest Business Community Forum
How to Apply for the Creator Fund
The Pinterest Creator Fund application is currently closed. The most recent cycle was for the 2023 Creator Inclusion Fund: Sustainability, which closed on April 13, 2023.
Each application cycle will focus on different verticals, such as: fashion and beauty, wellness, lifestyle and food. This cycle's vertical is all about ‘Sustainability.'
For this cycle, Pinterest is looking for creators who practice sustainability in some way, shape of form. This can be in areas such as upcycling, thrifting, foraging, farming, or other environmentally-conscious practices.
As stated by Pinterest, this cycle follows the trend of Pinterest users who are actively searching the platform for ways to be more eco-friendly.
Once the Creator Fund application is closed, you can stay in the loop by signing up to the creator newsletter to get email alerts.
What to Expect When You Join
As a Pinterest creator, you’ll be expected to attend six virtual educational sessions, and create 20 – 25 pieces of content as part of the fund. Weekly office hours will also be available and creators are encouraged to attend.
As part of the fund, you’ll also be required to sign an agreement of your participation.
The Creator Fund cycle originally started as a 4 week program. Now in its third year, the Fund has expanded to a 6 week cycle. That’s great news since it means creators will be given even more training from Pinterest and niche industry experts!
You’ll not only learn how to create and upload Idea Pins that inspire and attract your audience, but you’ll also learn how to use Pinterest Predicts trends to create timely content.
Learn How to Build a Profitable Affiliate Website
(Free Step-by-Step Video Tutorials to Making Money with a Blog!)
How Much Does the Creator Fund Pay
Creators accepted into the program will receive an unspecified grant amount in the form of cash and ad credits. Former cycle participants have received $25,000 in grant aid in the past. However, this time around Pinterest has kept tight-lipped about the monetary value of the grant.
You'll also receive a complimentary 6-month subscription to Headspace. This is in addition to hands on learning with Pinterest and industry experts. These rewards can really serve as a way to up your game as a Pinterest content creator!
One other benefit to your participation is that it can open up the possibility of brand sponsorship opportunities.
Just imagine if you were part of the Pinterest Creator Fund 2022 cohort focused on Fashion and Beauty. This cycle was sponsored by L’Oreal.
According to Pinterest, creators would hear directly from L’Oreal about potential partnership interests. In addition to this, creators for this cycle received complimentary beauty products to use in their content (if they so chose to).
Have Past Participants Found Success?
Past fund participants, health and fitness pro Wendy Traylor and skincare creator Chesca Ortiz, experienced significant increases in their views and follower count upon completion of the program.
Wendy Traylor – gained 75% more followers in 7 months
Chesca Ortiz – saw her monthly views increase by 47%
Need Help Creating and Designing Idea Pins?
Pinterest Marketing Expert, Nadalie Bardo, created a shortcut guide just for you! Nab the Idea Pin Starter Kit here, and use coupon code: PILAR25 at checkout for 25% off!
When is the Next Pinterest Creator Fund
The most recent Pinterest Creator Fund application opened on April 4, 2023 and closed to new applicants on April 13th, 2023 at 9pm PT.
Applicants can expect to be notified by Pinterest about their acceptance into the program approximately 2 weeks after application closes.
Creator Fund cycles are announced quarterly. Make sure to sign up for the creator newsletter to stay up to date on the next opening.
Pinterest Creator Fund Countries
The fund is currently open to creators in the countries of US, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. Each country may offer different application time frames and verticals per cycle.
The first UK Creator Fund cycle focused on LGBTQIA+ creators who create fashion and beauty-related content. The application for this cycle is currently closed.
According to Pinterest, the creator fund is also set to launch in Brazil soon! So keep an eye out for that if you live in this area.
Other Ways to Make Money on Pinterest
Not everyone will be eligible to apply for the Pinterest Creator Fund program. It’s competitive to get into and only around 10 creators are accepted per cycle.
However, the creator fund is just one way to monetize on Pinterest. So don’t feel discouraged if you're not accepted into the program. There are plenty of other ways to earn money pinning on Pinterest, including the ones mentioned below.
Pin Affiliate Links on Idea Pins
Pinterest Creator Rewards Program
Monetize on Pinterest without a Blog
Make sure to check those out and start pinning on Pinterest today!
Next Steps
One necessary requirement to join the Pinterest Creator Fund is to have Idea Pins created and pinned on your profile. Idea Pins are the evolution of Story Pins and for some creators, this can feel like a daunting task.
But as the saying goes, “great things happen outside of your comfort zone.”
In this case, those great happenings can be lucrative brand sponsorship deals, more creator rewards money, brand recognition and so much more!
Needless to say, if you want to get ahead on Pinterest, then you need to be creating Idea Pins!
My friend and Pinterest Marketing Expert, Nadalie Bardo, created a Pinterest Idea Starter kit just for this reason. And for a short time, she’s giving my readers a 25% discount on her popular tutorial.
You can check out the Pinterest Idea Starter Kit here. Use promo code: PILAR25 at checkout for additional savings. You can also watch this video to see how to apply the coupon code.
Happy Pinning!
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