Crowdfunding Sites Transforming Arts Funding

Crowdfunding websites, such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, are transforming the way the arts in America are funded, enabling thousands of unknown artists and performers to finance stage productions, CDs and tours, The Washington Post reports.

In 2014, Kickstarter helped raise $251 million—more than the grants budget for the National Endowments for the Arts—for projects pitched by thousands of playwrights, musicians, filmmakers, choreographers and others. The site has hosted more than 30,000 successful campaigns since 2009 for projects in theater and music, the latter being the largest category on the site.