One professor is struggling with funding cuts and getting grants for his students to research one of the oldest long-term studies in the world. So, he turned to a platform that many try out when they're looking to make some extra cash from user generated content: OnlyFans.
But it's not exactly what you're thinking of.
Dan Blumstein is a professor at UCLA in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and runs a long-term study of marmots in Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab.
The lab has been running since 1962, and since 2001, Blumstien has been running the project. However, his decades worth of research is facing funding cuts. He said he's been struggling to get grants to run an undergraduate research education program.
So, he
and his students started an OnlyFans to help raise money for research — but it's not the kind of raunchy content OnlyFans is known for. There are accounts out there that don't post provocative content; for example, one DJ posts his live sets and exclusive streams to his OnlyFans account.
This one just happens to be about marmots.
Lovingly known as OnlyMarms, the account features adorable videos of marmots, well, doing their thing (but not that thing!). There's videos of scuffles, marmots walking in snow, maintaining their burrow and just sitting there in all their glorious cuteness.
What started as an account crafted by one of his graduate students spun off into a viral sensation that has already raised thousands of dollars within about two months.
Marmots' OnlyFans makes thousands
Funding towards these marmots is usually short, since long-term research is underfunded. Before the Trump administration, Blumstein said he had trouble receiving grants. Now, Blumstein said this program is at risk because the administration is cutting funds to universities and reallocating money from life sciences to computer sciences.
Blumstein was thinking about funding cuts, taxes at UCLA, fewer grad students and the possibility of losing the undergraduate program at the lab since he couldn't get federal grants directly.
Then, Blumstein and his wife watched "Margo's Got Money Troubles," a series where a young mother started an OnlyFans that featured her father's wrestling advice. He said he was spending some of his thousands of hours watching marmots with his colleague and it came to him.
"I'm like, 'Huh, Margo's got money troubles... Marmots have money troubles,'" said Blumstein.
Blumstein brought up the idea of a marmot OnlyFans to his students, who weren't all convinced of the concept.
But when one of his grad students made the account, Blumstein ran with it.
He submitted his social security number and bank account into OnlyFans, along with a verification of his identification. At first, OnlyFans rejected his request, since a photo of a marmot didn't exactly match a photo of Blumstein.
However, Blumstein emailed the company explaining the situation, and then they were in.
Enter OnlyMarms.
From there, it took off. Since early June, the account earned about $5,500 and 2,000 subscribers. But Blumstein said that wasn't all. While OnlyFans has only generated so much revenue, minus the 20% it takes from creators, Blumstein said a cryptocurrency platform known as meme coins also created a fundraiser for them that earned about $55,000.
"I think it's getting people more interested in reading more from our sites and other sites about what marmots are and just opening people's awareness to the value of long-term research," said Blumstein.
The money is going toward all facets of the research project, from travel costs to housing, tuition, field equipment and everything in between. In total, Blumstein is hoping to raise between $75,000 to $100,000 each year to support graduate students.
And as for OnlyMarms, he doesn't see an end in sight.
"I think there's hope. I think that the interest that this has raised, particularly about long-term research, particularly about field studies and marmots to some extent. You know, I think people are voting with their pocketbooks and saying... We don't approve of what the federal government's doing. There's stuff out there that we would prefer our tax dollars go to support," said Blumstein.
But why ... marmots?
This research is a lot bigger than marmots.
Yes, they are adorable, curious creatures, but Blumstein said they're specifically interesting to study because they are different socially from other mammals. Some marmots have generations living together in family groups.
Blumstein said that looking at marmots in general is a good way to study sociality because a foundational question in ecology and evolution is why animals are social and how they benefit from it.
This program is particularly special because long-term studies are rare. Blumstein said this is the second longest study of individual identifiable mammals in the world. To put it into perspective, Jane Goodall started her research into chimpanzees and other biodiversity in 1960, and his colleague Ken Armitage started the lab in 1962.
While these studies are rare and underfunded, Blumstein said they're essential.
Long-term research is important because it helps us understand how organisms respond to changes, Blumstein explained. Through the research of marmots, Blumstein said they're using this study to gain insights into bigger questions around wildlife and environmental biology.
"I'm emphasizing the importance of long-term ecological studies more than I'm emphasizing the importance of this marmot study," said Blumstein.
Blumstein said the best way to donate to the graduate students' research is through UCLA, where he can get tax-deductible donations directly to his lab now, which, while less fun, is a preferable way of getting it rather than via OnlyFans.
Nothing's stopping you from following their OnlyFans page, although perhaps a few suspicious credit card bills.
The page is free to subscribe — it's just asking for tips as donation toward the research.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A UCLA professor faced funding cuts. His solution? Marmot OnlyFans
