A $320,000 grant program is hoping to give entrepreneurs, artists, and dreamers a help making their passion project a full-time endeavour.
The Passion Fund, created by Australian social media company Linktree in partnership with payments platform Square, has 30 grants available ranging from US$1,000 to US$20,000 and is accepting pitches from all around the world.
Grant applications are open until 7 July and you must be over 18 years old and have a Linktree profile to be eligible.
The application involves first summarising your “passion pursuit” in 150 written words before answering some questions about your project, such as what its output is and how winning a grant will impact your work.
Finally, you will be prompted to upload a 60-second video or audio clip pitching your passion to the judging panel who will be looking on five areas: creativity, innovation, personality, clear vision, and adaptability.
Applicants will also be encouraged to submit supporting documents such as a business plan or portfolio of work.
Got a passion, idea, or business that you could level up with a burst of extra cash? 🚀
— Linktree (@Linktree_) May 26, 2021
Linktree's #PassionFund is awarding grants from a pot of $250K (USD) to creators and entrepreneurs that want to turn their passion into reality >> https://t.co/RkzwiWnxaV pic.twitter.com/kwR1JaM4bJ
Aside from creating positive publicity and signing up new users to Linktree, the Passion Project is aimed at helping fuel what Linktree co-founder Alex Zaccaria calls the “passion economy” – an idea about the future of work that sees people making money directly off their passions and creative skills.
“The tremendous growth the creator economy is experiencing can make it harder for some to breakthrough and the Passion Fund provides an opportunity for creators to receive financial resources and industry expertise to bring their work and passion to a global audience," Zaccaria said in a statement.
Zaccaria is one of five judges deciding who will receive the grants.
The other four judges are US reality TV star Karamo, founder of early-stage VC firm Atelier, entrepreneur Grace Beverley, and Square’s global head of marketing Lauren Weinberg.
Along with the grant money, winners will also get access to premium Linktree features including marketing workshops and zero transaction fees on the Commerce Links product.
