Kickstarter and Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Announce New Partnership

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Kickstarter, the world's largest funding platform for creative projects, announce a major new partnership that will support creators bringing their projects to the festival, encourage Kickstarter as the festival's preferred crowdfunding platform and support the health and wellbeing strand of the Fringe Central Programme. Since Kickstarter launched in 2009, Edinburgh Festival Fringe creators have raised over $1.5 million from nearly 20,000 backers, allowing hundreds of shows to be part of the single biggest celebration of arts and culture on the planet.

The partnership honours a long history and growing recognition of independent creators using Kickstarter to bring their productions to the Fringe, and a shared commitment amongst Kickstarter and the Fringe Society in supporting creators and their wellbeing. Benefits of the partnership include incentives for creators coming to the 2019 Fringe to use the Kickstarter platform to crowdfund for their show, Kickstarter financial support for a programme of events focused on health and wellbeing at Fringe Central during August and additional Kickstarter support for creators including an online FringeCast about crowdfunding and 1:1 coaching with Kickstarter's Senior Performance Lead.

Fringe Central is the home for the Fringe community in August and is open to anyone taking part in the Fringe. As well as hosting an unparalleled programme of creative and professional development events, it provides a place for Fringe artists to connect with each other. In 2019, the Fringe are committed to developing a Fringe Central Events programme with a specific strand focused around the themes of health and wellbeing. Working in partnership with a range of organisations the Fringe Society will deliver events which include workshops, networking and community building opportunities, drop ins and discussions. In another aspect of the partnership, Kickstarter will pledge $7,000 to help Fringe Central create a safe and supportive space where artists can escape from the sometimes overwhelming and pressurised fray of the Fringe.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:
'Supporting and empowering the risk-takers and change-makers who make the Fringe happen every year is at the very heart of the Fringe Society's work, so we are thrilled to be partnering with Kickstarter in 2019, who will provide an invaluable platform for so many artists to present their work during the Fringe.

We are looking forward to working together on a number of initiatives that will continue to support Fringe artists in 2019 and beyond. From the support of our Fringe Central health and wellbeing events programme to peer support for the artists, we know this partnership will strengthen the existing resources we already provide.'

Jessica Massart, Senior Performance Lead at Kickstarter, said:
'From our earliest days at Kickstarter, championing creativity has been woven into our DNA. In the performing arts, Edinburgh Festival Fringe has set a high bar for encouraging artists across dance, theater, comedy, circus, performance art, and more to do extraordinary things in their practices. Kickstarter couldn't be more thrilled to work alongside the Fringe to offer support to thousands of Fringe projects that will journey to the city this August.'

Hundreds of creators have brought their Kickstarter-funded productions to the Fringe. Check out all of the creators heading to Edinburgh this year, as well as past productions brought to life on Kickstarter here: www.kickstarter.com/edfringe

Photo: Guru Dudu. © Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

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