Ikigai Fund for Creative Purpose

Seeking creators at the very beginning of a new chapter, ready to explore where their passion, their talent, and what the world needs finally meet.

The Ikigai Fund supports creators in the earliest, most tender stage of their work: the moment when a project is still forming and a person is still discovering what they are truly called to make. Ikigai is the Japanese idea of a life well aimed, the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what can sustain you. Fund director Paige Donner knows the territory firsthand: in 2018 she walked away from her role as a Paris lifestyle editor for USA Today to build a company in emerging technology, and she has spent years since helping founders and creators navigate their own pivots toward more aligned work. This fund extends that mission with microgrants for people in career transition who want to express themselves through art, science, literature, or music, giving them just enough breathing room to create from curiosity instead of financial stress. Funded creators join a cohort that builds trust together, including through The Ikigai Game, with in-person gatherings on the horizon, because finding your purpose is easier in good company.

Eligibility

This fund is for creators at the start of something new, not the polished end of it.
To qualify for this fund, projects must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Early stage: Projects should be in the earliest phases of development. Works in progress, sketches, and evolving ideas are welcome; a fully defined outcome is not required.
- Purpose alignment: The project should be a sincere step toward the creator's ikigai, expressed through art, science, literature, or music.
- Creators in transition: Priority goes to creators navigating a career or life pivot who are actively exploring a more aligned creative path.
- Cohort participation: Funded creators should be willing to engage with the fund's cohort, including community activities like The Ikigai Game, designed to build trust among the group.

Projects (29)

26 curated · 3 submitted

Project	Status	Raised
CL-057 Inner Alchemy	curated	$5,569
HOPE	curated	$20,814
Healing Through Art: The Wellness Workshop	curated	$1,522
Wild Women Collective	curated	$2,726
Repeat Offender - Short Film	curated	$71,525
Akuya	curated	$234
OpenSentry	curated	$89,384
MetaGraff Gallery & Hall of Fame	curated	$120
Alfhacker - Hacker Literacy	curated	$20
Artisanal Intelligence — Exhibition Tour	curated	$5,915
The new album Peace Of Mind by Marie Chain	curated	$41,998
Origin	curated	$6,553
Vibe at Dusk	curated	$13,575
Lines of us	curated	$942
Goodfella Game	curated	$35,082
Comunicação Sustentável	curated	$209
Moon Gear	curated	$10,888
Education Through Absurdism	curated	$0
Sending Aryeh (PDKU) to France	curated	$0
The Channeling Salon	curated	$10
Guardians of Nature	curated	$4,631
AI Safety En Masse	curated	$0
Comfy Critters: Make a Cozy Home	curated	$50
Dive Dojo Floating Community Lab	curated	$46,485
Overset Literary Magazine: The Greatest Stories from East Africa	curated	$34
Sao Mateus Pico Arts and Research Residency	curated	$111
Rainbow Spider	submitted	$111,620
Bioarchitectural Center for Movement Arts in Antalya	submitted	$80
Tara Heals through Art: Make the Invisible Visible	submitted	$289