What Happened to the YouTube Shorts Fund
The Creator Fund — a fixed $100 million pool YouTube distributed to Shorts creators between 2021 and 2023 — has long been retired. It was always a stopgap: payouts were calculated opaquely, RPM floated between $0.01 and $0.06 per thousand views, and you could join the fund without Partner status. By 2026 nothing remains of that model except mentions in outdated guides. Today money for short videos flows exclusively through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) and the ad-revenue-sharing model.
The difference is fundamental: the fund paid from a shared pot and capped total payouts, whereas revenue sharing ties a creator's income directly to the ads served in their Shorts feed. The more monetizable views, the higher the payout — with no artificial ceiling.
How Revenue Sharing for Shorts Works in 2026
The sharing model is multi-step. All ads served between videos in the Shorts feed are collected into a common pool. A slice goes to music rights holders, and the remainder is split among creators proportionally to their share of views. The creator keeps 45% of the amount allocated to them — a fixed percentage, identical for everyone regardless of channel size.
- Revenue pool — gathered from all ads in the Shorts feed over a period.
- Music deduction — a portion is withheld for licensed tracks.
- Distribution — the rest is split by share of monetizable views.
- Creator share — 45% of their personal allocation.
Crucially, only views from the Shorts feed itself count. Looped clips, spam, and non-original content are excluded — which cuts off view inflation.
Monetization Requirements in 2026
To access sharing at all, a channel must join YPP. Two alternative thresholds apply for Shorts.
| Parameter | Via long videos | Via Shorts |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Watch hours (12 mo.) | 4,000 hours | — |
| Shorts views (90 days) | — | 10 million |
| Ad revenue access | Yes | Yes |
You also need Google two-step verification enabled, no active strikes, and a linked Google AdSense account for payouts. Any failure during verification blocks payments, so a clean account history is critical.
Fund vs Sharing: A Creator Comparison
For a working creator or media buyer, the difference in approach is tangible.
- Transparency. The fund was a black box with unpredictable RPM. Sharing follows a clear formula: view share × 45%.
- Ceiling. The fund capped total payouts. Sharing has none — income grows with reach.
- Entry barrier. The fund let you in without YPP. Sharing requires full Partner status.
- Stability. The fund was temporary. Sharing is a permanent part of the Google ecosystem.
Bottom line: in 2026 the only legitimate way to earn on Shorts is to grow a channel past YPP thresholds and enable revenue sharing. That requires a base of ready Google accounts with clean reputations.
Where to Source YouTube and Gmail Accounts
To scale Shorts projects and arbitrage, media buyers rely on a pool of YouTube and Gmail accounts with verified mail and history. YTMarket (ytmarket.pro) offers autoreg, aged, and monetized YouTube channels, plus Gmail fresh/aged/PVA — all geared toward SMM and arbitrage. Payment runs in USDT and via CryptoBot, with no bank details required. Every account carries a 24-hour warranty for replacement if invalid.
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