The Marmot Project creates an OnlyFans account to fund research

The Marmot Project loses US government funding

The Marmot Project, which had relied on funding from the US government, has opened an OnlyFans account. It is not, however, what you might assume.

Donald Trump’s second term has been accompanied by a substantial reduction in US grants for scientific research. The Marmot Project is among the programmes hit by this policy shift. For more than 60 years, it has monitored yellow-bellied marmots in Colorado, making it one of the world’s longest-running studies of mammals living in the wild.

According to SFGate, the National Science Foundation, a US government agency, provided most of the programme’s funding for over a decade. Yet when Daniel Blumstein, who currently leads the project, applied to renew that support, his application was rejected three times. He was then told not to submit any further requests.

OnlyMarms on OnlyFans supports marmot research

Forced to seek alternative income, the project’s researchers chose an unconventional route: OnlyFans, a platform generally associated with adult content. Its account, “OnlyMarms”, offers “unfiltered Rocky Mountain yellow-bellied marmot content”. Fans can make donations, with the money going towards The Marmot Project’s research.

A BBC report states that the account has already brought in more than $5,000. After the platform takes its commission, the project receives nearly $4,000. The account is already proving helpful, as the funds raised through OnlyFans could pay for the bait used to lure marmots close enough for detailed study.

Researchers must be creative

SFGate reports that when Daniel Blumstein took charge of The Marmot Project in 2001, securing funding was straightforward. Now, researchers need to be inventive to keep the observational work going. The project has also partnered with a brewery to sell Marmot Tears, a special-edition IPA, with part of the proceeds funding the marmot research.

This type of initiative appears to be becoming the new normal. According to SFGate, while the project currently draws on its reserves and will continue pursuing conventional funding sources, it will also keep using less traditional approaches to raise money.

In any case, Daniel Blumstein believes researchers should be spending their time writing papers rather than looking for alternative ways to secure funding.