Pinterest Creator Fund

Pinterest Creator Fund Requirements | How to Apply

What is the Pinterest Creator Fund and how do you apply? I break it all down for you.

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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 (aka Pinterest Inclusion 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

The Pinterest Creator Fund is a 5-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.

Who Can Apply for the Inclusion Fund?

Independent publishers, small businesses, and boutique creator agencies based in the US and Canada that are owned and operated by, or create content and products for BIPOC, disabled, plus-size, and LGBTQIA+ communities are eligible to apply.

(Before you move on, make sure to **SAVE THIS PIN** and come back to it later for information on the next creator fund cycle!)

Pinterest Inclusion Fund Criteria

Pinterest Creator Fund Qualifications

Pinterest has separated eligibility criteria for the Creator Inclusion Fund into three categories based on the type of creator applying for the program.

Independent Lifestyle Publishers Eligibility Requirements

  • Must be a publisher that is at least 50% owned and operated by a member of an underrepresented community OR feature at least 70% of content from those communities (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disability, plus-size community or intersection of communities)
  • Must be based in the US or Canada
  • Must be 18 years or older
  • Must be on Pinterest with a business account
  • If not on Pinterest, has at least 200 pieces of content across other owned channels (blog, social media, etc.)
  • Must create content within fashion, beauty and lifestyle verticals
  • Website has RSS capabilities
  • Can commit to office hours & program sessions

Small Merchants Eligibility Requirements

  • Must be a company that is at least 50% owned and operated by a member of an underrepresented community OR have 70% or more products that support those communities (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disability, plus-size community or intersection of communities)
  • Must offer products/goods within fashion, beauty and lifestyle industry
  • Must not be a verified merchant on Pinterest
  • Must be based in the US or Canada
  • Must be 18 years or older
  • On Pinterest with a business account or has an e-commerce supported business
  • Can commit to office hours and program sessions

Boutique Creator Agency Eligibility Requirements

  • Must be owned and operated by 50% underrepresented communities (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disability, plus-size Community and/or intersection of communities) OR representing 70%+ inclusive communities within their talent/creator roster.
  • Must be based in the US or Canada
  • Must be 18 years of age or older
  • Must be a boutique agency with at least 25 and no more than 50 managed talent/creators
  • At least 40% of creators/talent are actively on Pinterest with a business account and talent/creators without Pinterest business account are willing to open one
  • Creators/talent within roster must create content within Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle verticals
  • Can commit to office hours and program sessions
Pinterest Inclusion Fund 2024
Pinterest Creator Fund 2024

The Pinterest Creator Fund program tentative sessions are scheduled to be held from October 29th through December 20th.

So if you’re accepted into the program, just make sure to keep your calendar open during those 6-ish weeks to make room for scheduled activities.

How to Apply for the Creator Fund

The application window for the latest Pinterest Creator Fund cycle is now closed.

Submissions were accepted from Monday, September 16th at 9 AM ET until Wednesday, September 25th at 9 PM ET.

In order to be considered, you must apply on the designated creator page.

Qualified creators with a focus on Pinterest’s core verticals, such as fashion and beauty, wellness, lifestyle and food, are welcomed to apply to the Inclusion Fund.

Applicants who are accepted into the program will be notified within a few weeks after applications close.

You’ll then have 72 hours to accept or decline the invitation.

Pinterest Inclusion Fund Application Form

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+ pieces of content as part of the fund.

You’ll also get 5 weeks of 1-on-1 hands on training sessions with Pinterest and industry experts.

Weekly office hours will also be available and creators are encouraged to attend. Additionally, 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 fourth year, the Fund has expanded to a 5 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.

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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.

Either way, 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%

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When is the Next Pinterest Creator Fund

The Pinterest Creator Fund application is currently open from Monday, September 16th at 9am ET through Wednesday, September 25th 2024 at 9pm ET.

Applicants can expect to be notified by Pinterest about their acceptance into the program within a few weeks after application closes.

Creator Fund cycles are generally 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.

Pinterest Creator UK Fund application

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.

Make Money with a Pinterest Blog

Pin Affiliate Links on Idea Pins

Monetize on Pinterest without a Blog

Pinterest Creator Rewards Program

Make sure to check those out and start pinning on Pinterest today!

Next Steps

The Pinterest Inclusion Fund is an awesome chance for creators to get support from Pinterest and industry pros. 

If you meet the eligibility criteria, be sure to apply on the page that matches your creator category. 

If you don’t quite qualify but still want to grow your business on Pinterest, check out the Pinterest Popular course for bloggers by Nadalie Bardo!

Happy Pinning! 

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