Credits: UNHCR/ Giles Duley

At the end of December 2015, three asylum and migration experts belonging to the EurAsylum research and consultancy group launched a new crowdfunding project called Migfunder.

Migfunder is an online platform that supports crowdfunding campaigns aiming to gather funds for initiatives in the fields of migration, asylum, humanitarian, development and human rights. Borrowing the pattern adopted by the thematic crowdfunding websites common mostly on the online art scene – where, for instance, musicians crowdfund to record their next album – Migfunder has created an unprecedented unique tool where every organization or individual willing to start a project in the areas mentioned above can campaign to raise money for its implementation.

In fact, Migfunder does not only address organizations but also migrants and asylum seekers who want to create a start-up or any other kind of initiative, both in their country of origin or in their new country of arrival. Thanks to the intuitive usability of the website, creating a fundraising campaign is made possible for everybody. Just a few steps and one can virtually start receiving funds for a new idea. Among the project’s promoters which are already featured on the Migfunder website are the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), Somali Human Rights Association, the Refugee Pastoral Care – Durban, and many yet to come.

Registering a campaign is completely free of charge. A low fee will only be applied if the campaign successfully raises the full target amount. For donors, donating is even simpler and the money is held by the card processor until the funding period has ended.

During a period of harsh budgetary cuts and mounting migratory waves, could initiatives like Migfunder be the new resource for endorsing migration-related projects?