New Grant Will Support Up-And-Coming Female Streamers On Twitch
Image Credit: Gamebyte/Twitch
Original Article | Author: Julia Alexander
A charity organization is partnering with Twitch to promote promising female streamers on the platform, offering them a series of financial grants to help sustain their channels.
The 1,000 Dreams Fund launched in late 2015, and defines itself as a non-profit organization that supports the “dreams of talented young women in need by providing access to critical funding, resources and meaningful mentor relationships. Now, it’s teamed up with Twitch for the 1,000 Dreams Fund Twitch BroadcastHER Grant.
Image Credit: Gamebyte/Twitch
The organizations will award the grant to at least two high school or college students every semester, with funds ranging from $500 to $2,000. The grants are supposed to be used for conference travel, equipment upgrades, workshops and other tools that align with the 1,000 Dreams Fund’s mission, Twitch said in a press release.
The goal is to help illustrate the gender gap women often face in specific fields, including streaming, which is still predominantly male. A 2016 study reported that women make up 35 percent of Twitch’s streaming landscape, and there aren’t any female streamers in the current top 10 list.
“Many of the problems women face are because of lack of respect,” caster Tina “shadowfoxx086” Degenhart said. “But gaming is just another platform that we shouldn’t shy away from. The industry won’t understand how to treat women if we don’t show them how to treat women.”
Image Credit: Gamebyte/Twitch
The 1,000 Dreams Fund also announced that it will host a livestream event next week, in order to bring further awareness to the campaign. “Streams for Dreams” will kick off March 1 and run through April 1, with the intention to put the spotlight on a number of streamers.
A press release from the organization states that this is more than just an effort to spotlight casters on the platform. It’s also “raising awareness for the continued gender gap in financial funding for young women in the ever-expanding gaming and broadcasting space.”
The 1,000 Dream Fund Twitch BroadcastHER Grant’s rules states that only Twitch Affiliated or Partnered casters are eligible. More information can be found on the charity’s site.
