Glossary
What is a creator fund?
By the KeyMo team · Updated
A creator fund is a program in which a platform pays creators from a pool of money once they meet entry rules, usually based on views or engagement. The names change, and each platform sets its own thresholds. Clips cut from other people's videos can be refused for being unoriginal.
The idea, and why the name keeps changing
A creator fund is a platform paying creators directly, instead of the creator relying on a brand deal. The platform sets who can join, which videos count and how the pool is shared. Because those rules change, a name you saw a year ago may now point to a different program.
TikTok is an example. Its Help Center address that ends in "creator-fund" opens a page titled Creator Rewards Program, so that is the program to read about today. YouTube pays through its Partner Program. Both are described below as the platforms' own pages say, read on 2026-10-11.
What the platforms' pages say
| Program | Entry rules on the page | What it pays on |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok Creator Rewards Program | Personal account, age 18+, in one of eight listed regions (US, UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea, France, Mexico, Brazil), 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days | Original videos over 1 minute with at least 1,000 views on the For You feed |
| YouTube Partner Program, Shorts path | 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days, plus the monetization policies | Shorts ad revenue pooled monthly and shared by engaged views; monetizing creators keep 45% of their allocated revenue |
Do clips of other people's videos qualify?
Both platforms ask for original work. TikTok's page says unoriginal content, meaning video copied from others or with minimal original input or edits, is not eligible, and it lists split screens and meaningless reactions as low quality. It also lists repurposing long videos into clips of a minute or more as a way to use the program, so the question is how much you add.
YouTube's reused content policy covers repurposing content from YouTube or another online source without significant original commentary, substantive modifications, or educational or entertainment value. It applies to the whole channel and applies even with the original creator's permission. For the longer discussion, see can you monetize podcast clips on YouTube and on TikTok.
Fund, rewards campaign or brand deal
- Platform program: the platform pays from its own pool. You apply, meet thresholds and follow its policies.
- Brand campaign: a brand pays for views of approved clips at a rate it sets. Whop's Content Rewards is an example. See CPM.
- Sponsorship: a brand pays you directly for a mention, outside any program.
Mistakes to avoid
- Treating a program as a salary. Payment depends on rules, review and counted views.
- Reading an old article about a fund that has since been renamed or changed.
- Skipping the originality rules and finding out when a video is marked ineligible.
- Ignoring region and age limits.
- Posting clips that carry a copyright claim. YouTube blocks Shorts over a minute with an active claim.
Where KeyMo fits
KeyMo makes the clips: up to 15 vertical, captioned clips from a video, with no watermark. It does not run a fund, pay creators or promise earnings. Whether a clip is eligible for any program depends on the platform's rules and what you add, as above.
Sources: TikTok Creator Academy: Creator Rewards Program (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Help Center: Creator Rewards Program (creator-fund address) (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Creator Academy: Originality policy (checked 11 October 2026); YouTube Help: YouTube Partner Program eligibility (checked 11 October 2026); YouTube Help: Changes to the YouTube Partner Program (checked 11 October 2026); YouTube Help: Shorts monetization (checked 11 October 2026); YouTube Help: Channel monetization policies (reused content) (checked 11 October 2026).