whitneymcn:

This is mindblowing from a wide variety of perspectives, so I’ll just pick one:

Remember when Kickstarter hit 1MM backers a couple of months ago, and it was pointed by (first by @garychou, I believe) that the money pledged by Kickstarter backers was approaching 65% of the NEA’s annual budget? 

Well consider this: the Sundance Institute itself received NEA grants totaling $180,000 in 2011. The 14 Kickstarter-supported films appearing at Sundance received more than $370,000 from Kickstarter backers in 2011.

It’s not an apples-to-anything comparison, but it’s incredible nonetheless.

(Source: david, via fred-wilson)