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Good afternoon, and Happy Pride.
To say that this year has been an important one is a bit of an understatement. It’s been nine years now, since we relaunched as a fully reader-supported publication. At the time, we had set out with a mission, to become a publication that would pay fair rates to our editorial team and writers, while maintaining a sustainable publication cycle.
And, in those nine years, we’ve worked tirelessly to live up to those ideals, while we keep expenses down, and steadily raise the floor on article rates. It’s been a long, slow march, but we’ve been able to dedicate the majority of our funds to the folks who help make Anime Herald into the publication you enjoy today.
Today, we’re in a pretty good place. Earlier this year, we were able to raise our rates to $60 per article, and we’ve been making moves to restart our short-form columns later this year.
Last year was the first where we were able to break even for much of the year, which was a cause for celebration. We’re hoping to continue that this year, so that we can continue to fund amazing stories and articles for fans of all ages.
Our Annual Fund Drive
This month, we’ll be pushing to do the following:
- Break even on our financial costs
- Raise our rates to $75 per article, for both our team and the writers we work with
- Add a new monthly feature or article series to Anime Herald
In that order. And to reach those goals, we’ll need to reach the following milestones:
- Break-Even (Articles): $500
- Break-Even (All Costs): $577
- Pay Raise: $675
- New Article Series: $1,000
In more practical terms, our most popular subscription, according to our backer wall, is the $5 Discord Tier. To reach our $500 article break-even, we need just twenty people to subscribe at that level. To hit the pay raise, we’ll need 50 subscribers at the Discord tier.
For a new article series, we’d need 120 new backers.
Pride Month Donation Drive
To celebrate Pride month, we’ll be hosting our annual donation drive alongside our subscription drive. Specifically, I’ll be making a donation to The Trevor Project in Anime Herald’s name, equal to what we raise through Patreon and Ko-fi this month, up to $750.
We’re a publication founded and operated by a trans woman, which works closely with many writers and staffers in the LGBTQIA+ community, so this means a lot to me. Now, more than ever, with everything that’s occurred in the past few years, all of us in the community need to lend our support when we can. I should note that I’m not a fan of rainbow capitalism or rainbow-washing in general, given how we’ve all seen just how quickly the many self-proclaimed corporate allies backtrack at the slightest hint of pressure.
Frankly speaking, I’d rather do something that can actually do some good in the world, in the way that I can, and making a progress flag-themed social media icon then calling it a day ain’t it. The Trevor Project has been an amazing lifeline for queer youths, especially as the national environment grows increasingly toxic and dangerous for LGBTQIA+ people. Their work saves countless lives, and we’re happy to partner with them again this year.
In Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading this to the end. If you’re not a subscriber, I urge you to back us, and to support independent anime journalism as a whole. All the work we do each day is only possible thanks to the support of readers like you.
If you are a backer, I want to offer my deepest, most humble thanks. I hope that we’re able to bring you more of our very best over the course of the year.
Anime Herald’s 2026 Funding Drive Kicks Off – Samantha Ferreira