Kickstarter is no old hat when it comes to philanthropy. The online funding platform has been the go-between for raising money for everything from trans healthcare awareness to resurrecting the 90s-nostalgic educational show Reading Rainbow via web series to helping Bill Nye the Science Guy stop global warming and save the world with science. And now, Kickstarter has made philanthropy its bona fide policy by reincorporating itself as a public benefit corporation and putting it in the company charter.
Kickstarter made the announcement about its shift in direction in a statement on its website. In addition to giving a brief summary as to what a benefit corporation is (essentially a corporation that makes decisions based not only on company shareholders, but on how its decisions impact society at large), Kickstarter also proclaimed that it plans to give an annual statement on its "efforts to promote public benefits."
The actual charter, which is also available to read online, states that the company's mission will revolve around its dedication to "help bring creative projects to life," that the "operations will reflect its values," as well as underscoring a commitment to the arts and fighting inequality.
So move over, Kickstarter, Inc. Kickstarter PBC is the new normal.
