California scientists turn to OnlyFans in desperate bid for funding of research
A team of scientists in California have turned to OnlyFans in a desperate bid to find funding for their research.
An account on the NSFW platform called OnlyMarms popped up when researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) uncovered an unlikely way to raise funds for their study.
This came after funding cuts impacted the marmot project, which has been running since 2001.
In return for paying a monthly subscription to the profile, followers can expect to receive regular updates about the rodents in the form of photos and videos.
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While the project has been running for the last 25 years, the actual research stretches all the way back to 1962.
Decades of observations have allowed researchers to examine everything from social relationships and communication to how the species responds to environmental change over multiple generations.
However, according to Daniel Blumstein, who is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA and leading the study, the project was receiving substantial support from the National Science Foundation for many years until the team’s application to extend funding for another decade was rejected.
Now, it looks like there might be an alternative way for the group to secure their funding, and it is through an unconventional method - OnlyFans.
Speaking to The New York Times about the team’s plans for OnlyFans, Blumstein said: “It’s going to be G-rated, and we’re not going to sexualize this. We’re just going to have fun with sharing.”
Subscribers will be able to watch videos of individual marmots with names including Staple, Pawprint and Cabinet, while also leaving tips that help support the project.
Graduate student Emily Renkey, who manages the account, added: “Most people give around $10, which tells me there’s real and growing interest in what we’re doing.”
Renkey first joined the project as a volunteer in 2022 before deciding to base her master’s research on marmots, studying behavioural and cognitive differences between individuals and how those differences could affect conservation efforts.
However, despite the team’s best efforts, the page doesn’t appear to be bringing in the tens of thousands of dollars that they rely on to continue their work as it has currently only generated a few hundred dollars.
The amount raised so far is just enough to cover the cost of bait used to safely attract marmots for observation.
The scientists are now exploring other fundraising ideas in the hopes of saving the future of their research.