Twitch to Offer Grants to Female Live Streamers

Twitch, the popular live streaming service, has announced a new partnership with the 1,000 Dreams Fund charity organization. They have a new grant program for up-and-coming female streamers.

The 1,000 Dreams Fund's Twitch Broadcaster Grant (that might be a typo on their part) is focused on female streamers looking to make a career on Twitch. Each semester, two female school/college students will be rewarded with $2,000 to help with workshops, equipment upgrades, and other streaming related expenses.

Unfortunately, this grant might actually work against Twitch's favor. The live streaming service has been under scrutiny as of late with their treatment of male vs female broadcasters. Female IRL streamers with prominent self-sexualization have become more prevalent in the last few years. While this goes against the Twitch terms of service, these streamers have essentially been unpunished. Controversy broke out when a male streamer was banned for criticizing this practice. Since then, light has been shown on the site admins for unfair application of rules.

I approve of promoting more women in an otherwise male-dominated service. But when the service has a history of supporting sexualization for views and fame, it's difficult to believe they're doing this for the right reasons. Do they really want more female gamers, or just more attractive women? This grant might be intended to help create better equality, but it can too easily be perceived as further favoritism.

If you're an up and coming female streamer, or just want to learn more about this program, you can visit the 1000 Dreams Fund website. Applications will open Thursday, March 1, at 9 AM EST.