--- description: TikTok's controversial creator fund allowed short-form content creators to earn money for their videos. The program will end in December. title: TikTok Is Shutting Down its $2 Billion Creator Fund image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt17b62ea988ebb115/698a3b2fcabb1d1a8be51396/TikTok-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [internet culture](/tag/internet-culture/) ## internet culture Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # TikTok Is Shutting Down Its $2 Billion Creator Fund ## Video: How Viral Fame Is Sitting With Brian Jordan Alvarez [Watch (HLS stream): How Viral Fame Is Sitting With Brian Jordan Alvarez](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/I8zehViS.m3u8) (3:44)  _Published 2023-10-05. Sitting truly is a wonderful thing to do, and now it has an indelible anthem in the form of the improvisational song that launched Alvarez into the TikTok stratosphere._  by [Moises Mendez](/author/moises-mendez-ii/)  ## Moises Mendez Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 6, 2023 10:30 PM CUT  FILE - The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. TikTok was dismissive Wednesday, March 15, of reports that the Biden administration was calling for its Chinese owners to sell their stakes in the popular video-sharing app, saying such a move wouldn't help protect national security. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File) FILE - The icon for the video sharing TikTok app is seen on a smartphone, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. TikTok was dismissive Wednesday, March 15, of reports that the Biden administration was calling for its Chinese owners to sell their stakes in the popular video-sharing app, saying such a move wouldn't help protect national security. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)Matt Slocum—AP  by [Moises Mendez](/author/moises-mendez-ii/)  ## Moises Mendez Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 6, 2023 10:30 PM CUT TikTok is shutting its creator fund on Dec. 16\. The fund, announced in 2020 and currently valued at $2 billion, was a way for short-form content creators to get paid for their content. On Monday, [_Fortune_ reported](https://fortune.com/2023/11/06/tiktok-creator-fund-ending-viral-video-compensation-program/?showAdminBar=true "undefined") that the company has decided to forgo the program altogether. In 2020, TikTok announced it would pay out [$1 billion from the creator fund](https://time.com/6265524/tiktok-influencers-congress-ban-interview/ "undefined") over the course of three years to creators for videos they posted that would receive hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of views. The aim of the fund afforded micro-influencers with at least 10,000 followers who had accumulated at least 100,000 views in the last 30 days to make money from TikTok. It’s not clear if TikTok paid the entire amount to the creators who qualified. Many creators have [criticized TikTok and the fund](https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-tiktokers-earn-from-creator-fund-daily-rates-2022-8?r=tiktok-creators-lp "undefined"), saying it was not that lucrative for them. Some [told _Fortune_](https://fortune.com/2023/01/23/creators-report-extremely-low-earnings-from-tiktoks-ad-revenue-sharing-initiative/?utm%5Fsource=pocket%5Fsaves "undefined") they earned “mere pennies” for their viral videos. ### More From TIME In a statement to TIME, a spokesperson for TikTok said the company is committed to creating “the best experience possible on TikTok and provide a robust ecosystem of monetization offerings to creators.” The spokesperson continued, saying, “Part of our efforts and ongoing commitment to provide requires us to evolve products and apply resources elsewhere to support creators best and explore new offerings.” The creator fund also sparked [backlash after a _Forbes_ report ](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2023/05/30/tiktok-creators-data-security-china/?sh=f17d1ed70488 "undefined")showed that the company was storing creators’ data on servers in China when they promised to do so in the United States. But it’s not an end to avenues for creators looking to make money on the app. [According to _Fortune_](https://fortune.com/2023/07/05/tiktok-paying-creators-creativity-program-beta-details/ "undefined"), TikTok rolled out a “Creativity Program” earlier this year, which requires content creators to make videos that are longer than a minute to earn money. The long-form program seems to be more promising, with creators telling _Fortune_ they have been making “thousands of dollars.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6332184/tiktok-creator-fund-ending/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6332184/tiktok-creator-fund-ending/"},"headline":"TikTok Is Shutting Down Its $2 Billion Creator Fund","datePublished":"2023-11-06T22:30:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T16:38:40.613Z","description":"TikTok's controversial creator fund allowed short-form content creators to earn money for their videos. 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