Snap to pay 25 Black creators $120k in a new accelerator program
This program is also beneficial for Snap itself β theyβre essentially making sure that 25 emerging creators have the funding and support to make it big

On stage at VidCon, Snap announced its first accelerator program for emerging Black creators.
Over the course of a year, Snap will pay 25 selected applicants $10,000 a month ($120,000 in total) to help launch their careers, marking a $3 million total investment.
This program is part of Snapβs 523 initiative, which aims to support underrepresented creators.
Snap is also enlisting Google Pixel, UNCMMN and Westbrook Media as partners.
βBlack creators face unique systemic barriers across the creator industry β from disparities in compensation and attribution, to toxic experiences and more,β the company wrote in a press release.
βWe believe one of the ways we can help remove some of those barriers is to provide mentorship and financial resources to emerging Black creators in the early stages of their professional career,β the statement read.
Of course, this program is also beneficial for Snap itself β theyβre essentially making sure that 25 emerging creators have the funding and support to make it big, but theyβll do so as a Snap-first creator, focusing their efforts there perhaps more directly than on TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.
Patreon also recently launched Pull Up, an incubator for creators of color, noting that BIPOC creators are paid 29% less than their white peers.
These programs mark an industrywide response to inequity in the creator economy.
Last year, Black dancers on TikTok went on strike after their viral dances were consistently copied without credit, and in 2020, a TikTok βglitchβ made it so that videos tagged #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd looked like they had zero views.
Snapβs news comes at a time when the tides may be slowly changing.
As of yesterday, Charli DβAmelioβs multi-year reign as the most followed TikToker has ended, with Senegalese-born Khaby Lame taking the throne with 142.7 million followers, compared to DβAmelioβs 142.3 million.
Still, OkayPlayer noted earlier this year that Black creators were noticeably missing from Forbesβ highest-paid influencer list β DβAmelio sits at No. 1 with $17.5 million in yearly earnings, while her sister Dixie is bringing in $10 million.
Even as Black creators gain recognition on these platforms, follower numbers donβt always directly translate to money.
The DβAmelioβs fortune doesnβt come from just posting videos β they have a Hulu reality show, a clothing line with Hollister, numerous brand deals and a Snap original show of their own.
The DβAmelio sisters and their parents have also become venture capitalists themselves, investing in FaceTune maker Lightricks.
Aside from its 523 accelerator ecosystem, Snap also runs Yellow, a tech incubator that invests $150,000 into creative startups.
Snap says that seven out of nine companies funded in 2021 have at least one BIPOC or woman founder, which unfortunately remains a rarity in tech.
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