How to Enable Fan Funding on YouTube

YouTube doesn’t have a single feature literally called “Fan Funding” anymore — it’s evolved into a few distinct tools that let viewers directly support a channel. Here’s what’s actually available and how to turn it on.

Channel Memberships

Viewers pay a recurring monthly fee for perks you define — custom badges and emoji, members-only videos or posts, and early access. To enable it:

1. Go to YouTube Studio > Earn (or Monetization).
2. Select Memberships and follow the setup steps to define perks and pricing tiers.

Memberships require you to be in the YouTube Partner Program.

Super Thanks

A one-time tip viewers can leave on a specific video, shown as a highlighted comment with a colorful animation. This is enabled automatically for eligible channels in the Partner Program — there’s no separate setup beyond being monetized.

Super Chat and Super Stickers

During live streams and Premieres, viewers can pay to have their message highlighted and pinned in chat. Enable this under YouTube Studio > Earn > Super Chat & Super Stickers, subject to the same eligibility requirements as other monetization features (18+, available in supported countries).

Eligibility Requirements

All of these fan-support features require you to be in the YouTube Partner Program: 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours in the past 12 months (or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days) for the entry tier, which unlocks memberships and Super Thanks/Super Chat.

A Note on Third-Party Crowdfunding

Some creators also use external platforms like Patreon or Ko-fi for recurring fan support, linked from their video descriptions — these work independently of YouTube’s own tools and don’t require Partner Program eligibility, which can be useful for newer channels still building toward YouTube’s own thresholds.

Related: See YouTube’s Channel Memberships explained and our beginner’s guide to earning from YouTube.

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