Key Takeaways
- The first video made for EAT's $1 million clipping fund is live. Danah Kim (@doopyssi) posted it on Instagram on October 17, 2026, after sharing meals with people in downtown Seattle.
- Kim has 2,479 Instagram followers. EAT picks creators on content and fit, not follower count.
- WYDE Newsroom's interview with Dr. Smiles, a dentist with more than 125,000 followers, shows the same model: a real skill plus a creator's reach.
- EAT's next focus is brands. Creator applications close October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific at fund.eat.ong.
Apply to the $1M Clipping Fund before October 31 →
The first creator content made for EAT's $1 million clipping fund is out. Danah Kim, a creator in Seattle, partnered with EAT to share meals with people in downtown Seattle and posted the video on Instagram on October 17. It is marked as a paid partnership with EAT, and Kim notes that everyone in it agreed to be filmed.
Three weeks ago EAT opened the fund, and last week it extended applications to October 31. This is the first fund video. It is also the clearest picture yet of what the fund is for.
Danah Kim's EAT video: meals and strangers in downtown Seattle
Kim's video is about the people more than the plates. In her caption she wrote that the food was only part of it.
"Beyond the food, it was the conversations, stories, and connections with people I’d never met before that TRULY stayed with me."
Danah Kim, Seattle creator, on Instagram
Kim's account has 2,479 followers and 44 posts. She also hosts a live show three nights a week. That is a small account by creator economy standards, and that is the point. The fund does not pick creators by size. It picks them by what their content does. Creators who have applied range from a few thousand followers to nearly six million, and together they bring more than 45 million followers, EAT said when it extended the deadline.
Kim also wrote that the week "reaffirmed my passion for making food more accessible to everyone." The fund now pays clippers to cut her video into short clips, so one week in Seattle can reach far past her own followers.
Dr. Smiles: what a professional with a phone can do
The newsroom's best creator story this month is not a food video. It is a dentist. Dr. Ammon Kaopua, the Washington dentist behind Instagram's Dr. Smiles, answered WYDE Newsroom's questions by email. He has fixed teeth for free for about 20 people. His first eight videos have about 10.7 million views.
"What excites me about social media is the reach," Kaopua wrote. "Something that might otherwise impact one person at a time can reach thousands or millions."
A dentist brings a skill. A creator brings reach. Kim brought a camera and a willingness to sit down with strangers. In each case the help is real and the video carries it further. Read the full Dr. Smiles profile.
WYDE has also refilled the guest list for its podcast, built around creators and founders whose work has a result behind it. Guests can apply at newsroom.wyde.org/podcast.
Why EAT wants feeding people to be a way to get ahead
EAT's bet fits in one line: make feeding people a way for people to get ahead. Goodwill alone tends to fade after the first burst. When helping others also moves your own life forward, more people can afford to keep doing it.
- A creator wants income and an audience. Kim's video was paid, and the fund pays to clip it.
- A restaurant wants customers. A meal shared on camera puts the restaurant in front of the creator's audience.
- A clipper wants paid work. The fund pays $1 per 1,000 verified views on clips, which is how $1 million becomes 1 billion impressions.
Each of those people has a reason to come back next week. That is what keeps the meals coming.
Next for EAT: brands
The fund has creators, clippers and restaurants. The next piece is brands. A brand that backs an EAT creator gets its name on content that feeds people, carried by clippers across TikTok, Reels, Shorts and X. EAT is now turning its focus to bringing brands in alongside the creators it funds. Brands that want to talk about a partnership can start at fund.eat.ong.
EAT does not promise earnings, views or followers. The fund pays clippers for clips and challenge work only, and no one earns for signing people up. Restaurants that donate meals to an EAT creator can claim a food donation receipt from the WYDE Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, at foundation.wyde.org/receipt.
How to apply to the EAT clipping fund before October 31
- Go to fund.eat.ong.
- Add your handles, your total followers and your monthly impressions.
- Add your city and country. EAT matches creators with restaurants near them.
- Accept the terms and submit. EAT reviews every application and replies by email.
People Also Ask
What was the first EAT clipping fund video?
Danah Kim's Instagram video of sharing meals with people in downtown Seattle, posted October 17, 2026, is the first content made for EAT's $1 million clipping fund. It is marked as a paid partnership with EAT.
Do I need a big following to join the EAT clipping fund?
No. The first fund creator, Danah Kim, has 2,479 Instagram followers. EAT reviews each application on content, monthly impressions and fit with ending hunger.
When does the EAT clipping fund close?
Applications close October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Apply at fund.eat.ong. Applying is free.
Can brands work with EAT creators?
Yes. Brands are EAT's next focus, backing creators whose content feeds people. Brands can start a conversation at fund.eat.ong.
Get the EAT app:
Apply to the $1M Clipping Fund before October 31 →
Sources: Danah Kim on Instagram, October 17, 2026, @doopyssi profile, WYDE Newsroom interview with Dr. Ammon Kaopua, WYDE Newsroom on the October 31 extension, fund.eat.ong.