It's hard to argue with how popular Twitch has become. With a viewership that rivals Netflix and HBO, several other companies have attempted to replicate its success with little luck but Twitch is far from perfect. From the beginning, the site has been plagued by issues concerning online abuse and toxicity much like many other places online. Now it seems Twitch is attempting to put some of its success to good use with a fund to help female streamers.

In celebration of Women's History Month, Twitch, in collaboration with nonprofit organization 1,000 Dreams Fund, has announced the BroadcastHER grant, designed to support female content creators and raise awareness of the gender gap in funding for female lead content in the gaming and broadcast industry.

The grant, which is available to female streamers currently enrolled in high school or college who have shown financial need, will be worth between $500 and $2,000. According to 1,000 Dreams Fund, the BroadcastHer grant will help female content creators pay for “travel to gaming conventions, educational conferences, hardware upgrades, and instructional programs related to creative or artistic pursuits.” The grant will run over two semesters, with application deadlines of May 1st and October 1st.

As part of the new collaboration and to help fund the grant, Twitch is also partnering with a group of popular female streamers for a charity event called Stream For Dreams, which will run all month from March 1st. 1,000 Dreams Fund will be offering things like t-shirts and other incentives to those who donate. Some of the streamers involved include Friskk, Gillyweedtv, and theluckmusic, with others to be announced soon.

The CEO of 1,000 Dreams Fund, Christie Garton, has expressed hope that the BroadcastHER grant, as well as the Stream For Dreams event, will help create more opportunities for female content creators in the gaming and broadcasting sphere.

As an organization committed to all dreams, we are excited to partner with members of the Twitch community on this amazing new campaign. The initiative will not only raise critical funds, but will also boost awareness around the shortage of support for these creative young women in the digital broadcasting space.

All of this will undoubtedly be an exciting prospect for many young up and coming content creators. As previously said Twitch isn't known for being a particularly welcoming place for women. On a regular basis, female streamers are faced with a lack of respect due to their gender, with sexual harassment and aggression over physical appearance running rampant. This is to say nothing of the unique financial burden many women face in the creative sphere, representative of the pay gap women experience across many industries.

Recently, toxic gaming environments and gaming inclusivity have become a popular topic of conversation in the video game industry. With developers and publisher like Riot and Blizzard pushing harder and harder against online abuse in their games, the BroadcastHER Grant looks to be a further step in the right direction of helping interesting and creative people feel safe sharing what they make with the world.

Those looking to learn more or donate to the Streams For Dreams event should do so on the events official website.