Startnext — crowdfunding for cultural projects in Germany, Austria and neighbouring countries

Applying for a grant almost always means a deadline and a committee decision.
There is a shorter path — tell people who already care about your project, and ask them directly.
That way the money comes straight from your audience, not from a jury.
That is what Startnext, a crowdfunding platform for cultural projects, offers artists and curators.
The platform has been running since 2010, and as of the date checked, 15 September 2026, it has raised over €166 million across almost 19,000 successful campaigns.

How the commission works
Startnext only takes a cut from successful campaigns.
If a campaign does not reach its goal, there is nothing to pay.
The commission depends on the project type and the plan you choose.
Classic crowdfunding for creatives and musicians runs at 5, 11 or 14 percent.
Fundraising for NGOs and activist projects is 4, 10 or 13 percent.
Private fundraising for personal needs is 3, 7 or 10 percent.
For campaigns above €25,000 the commission drops in steps, and for those above €1 million it is cut in half.

Additional costs
On top of the platform’s own commission, the payment provider takes a separate cut.
That is another 0.5 to 3.5 percent, depending on the payment method, plus VAT.
Unlike the main commission, this one is not reduced by volume discounts.
There is also an optional contribution to the community support fund — 5 percent, which can be set to zero when you set up your campaign.

Who the platform is built for
The interface comes only in German and English, with no dedicated support for other languages.
The audience here is also noticeably smaller than Kickstarter’s.
Startnext openly positions itself around feminist, socially engaged, cultural and pro-democracy causes.
It has 2.2 million registered users, which is modest by the standards of the biggest global platforms.
For a niche cultural project, that is arguably an advantage.
There is no need to compete for attention with thousands of unrelated startups.
The audience here is actively looking for exactly this kind of campaign.

Three funding formats
The platform splits campaigns into three types.
The choice affects not just the commission, but the whole logic of the campaign.
Classic crowdfunding means rewards for backers, the standard model for musicians and publishers.
Fundraising for NGOs and activist projects works more like a straightforward donation.
There is no requirement to offer a reward in return.
The third format is fundraising for personal needs, such as medical treatment or education.
It is meant specifically for individual cases, not organisations.
You choose the campaign type at the start.
However, the Startnext team can reclassify a project mid-campaign if the wrong category was chosen.

Who can actually launch a campaign
This is where Startnext is most limiting for our audience.
Launching a campaign, rather than just backing someone else’s, is not open to everyone.
You need a legal address or payout account in one of seven places — Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg or Italy’s South Tyrol.
That is not the same as “the whole EU”.
An artist based in Poland, France or outside the EU cannot register a campaign themselves.
On top of that, you need to be over 18.
Your identity and bank details are also verified.

What you cannot fundraise for
Not everything you might want to raise money for is allowed here.
For example, gambling, political campaigning and weapons are not accepted.
Unlabelled AI-generated content is also rejected.
The platform is especially strict about projects connected to countries under US sanctions.
Payments for those simply will not go through Visa, PayPal or the platform’s other connected payment systems.

Who it is especially good for
Good fit if: you have a legal address and account in one of the countries listed above.
And you already have a small audience of your own who might back you financially.
The platform works on trust in a specific creator, not on being discovered in a general feed.
Random discovery in the feed barely works here.
May not be a fit if: you are not officially based in any of those countries.
In that case Startnext is technically not available to you as a place to launch a campaign.
It also will not help if you have no audience of your own yet.
The platform will not bring you a new audience on its own.