Fan Fund
| Synonyms: | |
| See also: | Guest of Honor, Fan Campaigns |
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A fan fund is a collection of money raised by fans, an early example of fundraising by crowdsourcing. The oldest fan fund is the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund, which dates back to the 1953 effort to bring Irish fan Walt Willis to North America for Worldcon.
One reason money is raised is to send another fan, who would otherwise not be able to afford to go, to a convention. The money is raised by direct donation or by auction. The recipient is usually nominated and voted for by fans. This sort of fan fund is sometimes sponsored by a fan club or a letterzine.
A fan fund, in the context of fans paying for something they collectively want, is also used to purchase products. One example is Truffles, "The Roddenberry Fan Fund" whose goal it was in 1986 to raise money from fans to bring the Roddenberrys to Australia for a speaking tour. A fan fund can also be a collection of money by fans who want, for example, their favorite celebrity to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.