In the midst of its war with the Trump administration, TikTok announced the first recipients of its $1 billion Creator Fund.
Announced earlier this year, the Creator Fund was established “further support creators of all sizes and backgrounds through earnings that reward the passion and dedication they put into inspiring, uplifting, and entertaining the TikTok community,” according to a statement from the company.
The following creators are the first recipients of the fund and will receive an undisclosed amount of money to help them with their content.
- @acooknamedmatt – Matt Broussard
- @alex.stemp – Alex Stemplewski
- @avani – Avani Gregg
- @brittany_broski – Brittany Tomlinson
- @cheyennejazwise – Cheyenne Jaz Wise
- @daviddobrik – David Dobrik
- @doctor.jess – Jess Andrade
- @dreadknotwoodshop – Darryl Jones
- @feelgoodfoodie – Yumna Jawad
- @heyeliza – Chance Moore and Kate Hudson
- @justmaiko – Michael Le
- @lgndfrvr – Justice Alexander
- @lifeofadoctor – Dr. Fayez
- @marstruck – Marissa Ren
- @mattgresia – Matt Gresia
- @onlyjayus – Isabella Avila
- @rossmith – Ross Smith
- @spencerx – Spencer Polanco Knight
- @tonyyounmd – Dr. Anthony Youn
While the first wave of recipients varies in size, content, and audience size, there are still requirements to be considered for the fund. All members of the TikTok Creator Fund must be 18 years old or older, post content in line with Community guidelines, have at least 10,000 followers, and have 10,000 video views from the last 30 days.
While TikTok marketed the fund as a way to uplift creators “of all sizes and backgrounds,” it is important to note that many of the fund members are massive parts of TikTok’s landscape. David Dobrik, one of the creators mentioned, had a successful Vine and YouTube career long before TikTok became culturally relevant and currently has an estimated net worth of $7 million, according to Business Insider. Even with smaller creators, like Dreadnot Woodshop, winning inclusion on the historic list, a majority of the winners already have successful TikTok accounts eligible for monetization. All 19 of the first recipients were hand-selected by TikTok, but the company has encouraged eligible creators to apply when applications open again in mid-August.
In the meantime, TikTok is still under a deadline to sell its U.S. operations to a U.S. company or risk a total shutdown in the states. In a recent statement from the company, TikTok claimed it would “pursue all remedies available to us” to fight the Trump ban, including legal action.
