How it works

If you're a creator

1. 01

   Sign up + link a guardian

   Under 18? Invite a parent or legal guardian. They co-sign your account, complete identity verification through Stripe, and connect a payout account in trust for you. Adults can skip this step.

2. 02

   Build your project

   Title, pitch, funding goal, deadline, reward tiers, and milestones that add up to 100%. Everything you write is checked for language that could turn your campaign into a securities offering — we'll catch it before backers see it.

3. 03

   Submit, get approved, get backed

   Staff reviews drafts within a couple business days. Once live, backers pledge through Stripe and their cards are authorized — not charged — until you hit your goal.

4. 04

   Ship + get paid in tranches

   Hit your goal at the deadline → pledges are captured. Each approved milestone proof releases its share of the funds to your guardian's account. Miss a milestone deadline → backers get a proportional refund automatically.

If you're a backer

1. 01

   Browse

   Filter by category, tag, search, or sort — find creators making things you'd love.

2. 02

   Pledge

   Pick a reward tier, enter your card. Stripe authorizes the amount but doesn't charge you until the project hits its goal.

3. 03

   Get rewarded — or refunded

   Project funded? You're charged and the creator starts delivering. Each approved milestone releases the next tranche. Project misses goal or a milestone? Your card is refunded for the unreleased portion. No PR-grade refund fights.

Things you can't do here

These rules are enforced by automated moderation, the database itself, and staff review:

• • Offer equity, revenue share, dividends, profit share, or any financial return
• • Use the words “investor” or “investment” in your campaign
• • Take loans or promise to pay backers back with interest
• • Sell crypto, tokens, or NFTs
• • Frame your project as charitable or tax-deductible
• • Run an NIL (Name/Image/Likeness) campaign

These rules exist because crossing them turns crowdfunding into a securities or regulated-finance offering. Keeping Culvita rewards-only is what makes it possible to run this for high-school creators.