# Kickstarter Projects & Funding Scraper (`scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Kickstarter crowdfunding projects: name, blurb, creator, category, goal, pledged, percent funded, backers, currency, country, state, launch and deadline dates, staff-pick and links. Browse with filters or look up by URL. Export to JSON, CSV or Excel.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapers\_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrapers Lat](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $6.80 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![Kickstarter Projects & Funding Scraper](https://scrapers.lat/banners/kickstarter-projects-scraper.png)](https://console.apify.com/actors/4aQAZVDwLqwxkI1c5/input)

## Kickstarter Projects & Funding Scraper

Here is one real result, with every field the actor returns:

```json
{
  "id": 1247101722,
  "name": "Harbor of Blight: Obsidian, A Board Game and RPG Hybrid",
  "blurb": "A solo or 2 player cooperative campaign board game, combining combat, exploration, social encounters, and RPG character progression.",
  "creatorName": "Cardboard King Games",
  "creatorId": 1940660538,
  "category": "Games",
  "subcategory": "Tabletop Games",
  "goal": 25000,
  "pledged": 14545,
  "usdPledged": 14545,
  "percentFunded": 58.18,
  "backersCount": 108,
  "currency": "USD",
  "currencySymbol": "$",
  "country": "US",
  "countryName": "the United States",
  "locationName": "Signal Mountain, TN",
  "state": "live",
  "staffPick": true,
  "spotlight": false,
  "launchedAt": "2026-07-28T14:01:00.000Z",
  "deadline": "2026-08-28T04:00:00.000Z",
  "createdAt": "2024-04-16T19:42:15.000Z",
  "slug": "harbor-of-blight",
  "url": "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cardboardkinggames/harbor-of-blight",
  "imageUrl": "https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/054/587/791/aea7b663c8e0196de3d8a2998903c9cd_original.png",
  "source": "Kickstarter",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-14T08:26:03.272Z",
  "error": null,
  "aiSummary": "Harbor of Blight: Obsidian is a solo or 2 player cooperative campaign board game that blends combat, exploration, social encounters, and RPG character progression. The project is currently live with $14,545 pledged of a $25,000 goal, making it 58.18% funded with 108 backers.",
  "aiTags": {
    "productType": "Board Game and RPG Hybrid",
    "themeTags": ["cooperative gameplay", "solo play", "campaign", "combat", "exploration"],
    "targetAudience": "board game enthusiasts, RPG players"
  }
}
```

> Note: `imageUrl` is a real value, shortened here by dropping the long signed query string; the actor returns the full URL. `themeTags` is trimmed from 7 real tags to 5 for display.

The most complete Kickstarter projects scraper available. It returns every field the Kickstarter discovery feed exposes for each project, plus normalized funding fields and optional AI enrichment, and gives you nine filters to target exactly the projects you need.

**📥 [Input](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper/input-schema) · 📤 [Output](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper/output-schema) · 💰 [Pricing](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper/pricing) · ▶️ [Examples](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper/examples)**

![Apify](https://img.shields.io/badge/Platform-Apify-1CE1CE?logo=apify\&logoColor=white)
![Coverage](https://img.shields.io/badge/Coverage-Global-blue)
![Output](https://img.shields.io/badge/Output-JSON%20%7C%20CSV%20%7C%20Excel-orange)
![Billing](https://img.shields.io/badge/Billing-Pay%20per%20result-brightgreen)

### Table of contents

- [What it does](#what-it-does)
- [Quickstart](#quickstart)
- [Input reference](#input-reference)
- [Output reference](#output-reference)
- [Example output record](#example-output-record)
- [Run via API and CLI](#run-via-api-and-cli)
- [Fetch results](#fetch-results)
- [Billing and limits](#billing-and-limits)
- [FAQ and troubleshooting](#faq-and-troubleshooting)

### What it does

The actor reads Kickstarter's project discovery feed, applies the filters you pass as input, paginates through matching projects, and writes one normalized record per project to the run's dataset. In `browse` mode it walks the discovery feed with search, state, category, country and sort filters; in `lookup` mode it fetches specific projects by URL. Funding is normalized (`goal`, `pledged`, `usdPledged`, `percentFunded`), timestamps are returned as ISO 8601, and missing source values are returned as `null`.

Two optional AI add-ons (paid Apify plans only, off by default) enrich each record: `aiSummary` writes a plain-English overview, and `aiTags` derives product type, theme tags and target audience from the project blurb. Each is billed per record only when it produces usable output.

### Quickstart

Open the actor, paste this into the input, and press Run. It returns 3 live board game projects with both AI add-ons on.

```json
{
  "mode": "browse",
  "searchTerm": "board game",
  "state": "live",
  "sort": "magic",
  "maxProjects": 3,
  "withAiSummary": true,
  "withAiCategorize": true
}
```

Every input field is optional. With an empty input the actor browses live projects ordered by Kickstarter's magic ranking (default `maxProjects` prefill is 40). The AI add-ons stay off unless you turn them on and are ignored on free plans.

### Input reference

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `mode` | enum | no | `browse` | `browse` walks the discovery feed with filters; `lookup` fetches specific projects from `projectUrls`. |
| `searchTerm` | string | no | (empty) | Keyword to search projects for, for example `board game`, `enamel pin`. |
| `state` | enum | no | `live` | Project state: `all`, `live`, `successful`, `failed`, `canceled`, `upcoming`. |
| `sort` | enum | no | `magic` | Order: `magic`, `popularity`, `newest`, `end_date` (ending soon), `most_funded`, `most_backed`. |
| `categoryId` | string | no | (any) | Restrict to one Kickstarter category by numeric ID, for example `12` = Games, `3` = Comics, `16` = Technology. |
| `staffPicksOnly` | boolean | no | `false` | Only return projects featured as Kickstarter staff picks. |
| `country` | string | no | (any) | Keep only projects from this 2-letter country code, for example `US`, `GB`, `DE`. |
| `minPledged` | number | no | (none) | Only keep projects that have raised at least this amount in USD. |
| `minBackers` | integer | no | (none) | Only keep projects with at least this many backers. |
| `projectUrls` | string\[] | no | (empty) | In `lookup` mode, the Kickstarter project URLs to fetch. |
| `maxProjects` | integer | no | `40` | Maximum project records to collect across the whole run. |
| `withAiSummary` | boolean | no | `false` | Paid plans only. Writes a plain-English overview per project. Billed only when a summary is produced. |
| `withAiCategorize` | boolean | no | `false` | Paid plans only. Derives product type, theme tags and target audience from the blurb. Billed only when tags are produced. |

Filters combine with logical AND.

### Output reference

One dataset item per project. Types: `string`, `integer`, `number`, `boolean`, `object`, or `null` when the source value is absent.

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `id` | integer | Kickstarter project ID. |
| `name` | string | Project name. |
| `blurb` | string | Short project description. |
| `creatorName` | string | Creator name. |
| `creatorId` | integer | Creator ID. |
| `category` | string | Top-level category. |
| `subcategory` | string | Subcategory. |
| `goal` | number | Funding goal in the project currency. |
| `pledged` | number | Amount pledged in the project currency. |
| `usdPledged` | number | Amount pledged in USD. |
| `percentFunded` | number | Percent of goal funded. |
| `backersCount` | integer | Number of backers. |
| `currency` | string | Project currency code. |
| `currencySymbol` | string | Currency symbol. |
| `country` | string | 2-letter country code. |
| `countryName` | string | Country name. |
| `locationName` | string | Creator location. |
| `state` | string | Project state: `live`, `successful`, `failed`, `canceled`, `upcoming`. |
| `staffPick` | boolean | Featured as a staff pick. |
| `spotlight` | boolean | Shown in spotlight. |
| `launchedAt` | string | Launch timestamp (ISO 8601), or `null`. |
| `deadline` | string | Funding deadline timestamp (ISO 8601), or `null`. |
| `createdAt` | string | Created timestamp (ISO 8601), or `null`. |
| `slug` | string | Project slug. |
| `url` | string | Project URL. |
| `imageUrl` | string | Project image URL. |
| `source` | string | Data source. Always `Kickstarter`. |
| `observedAt` | string | ISO 8601 timestamp of when the record was collected. |
| `aiSummary` | string | AI English project overview. `null` unless the AI add-on is on. |
| `aiTags` | object | AI product type, theme tags and target audience. `null` unless the AI add-on is on. |
| `error` | string | `null` on success. On a failed run, a single item with a populated `error` field is written instead. |

### Example output record

Real record from a live run (input `{"searchTerm":"board game","state":"live","maxProjects":3,"withAiSummary":true,"withAiCategorize":true}`):

```json
{
  "id": 1247101722,
  "name": "Harbor of Blight: Obsidian, A Board Game and RPG Hybrid",
  "blurb": "A solo or 2 player cooperative campaign board game, combining combat, exploration, social encounters, and RPG character progression.",
  "creatorName": "Cardboard King Games",
  "creatorId": 1940660538,
  "category": "Games",
  "subcategory": "Tabletop Games",
  "goal": 25000,
  "pledged": 14545,
  "usdPledged": 14545,
  "percentFunded": 58.18,
  "backersCount": 108,
  "currency": "USD",
  "currencySymbol": "$",
  "country": "US",
  "countryName": "the United States",
  "locationName": "Signal Mountain, TN",
  "state": "live",
  "staffPick": true,
  "spotlight": false,
  "launchedAt": "2026-07-28T14:01:00.000Z",
  "deadline": "2026-08-28T04:00:00.000Z",
  "createdAt": "2024-04-16T19:42:15.000Z",
  "slug": "harbor-of-blight",
  "url": "https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cardboardkinggames/harbor-of-blight",
  "source": "Kickstarter",
  "observedAt": "2026-08-14T08:26:03.272Z",
  "error": null,
  "aiSummary": "Harbor of Blight: Obsidian is a solo or 2 player cooperative campaign board game that blends combat, exploration, social encounters, and RPG character progression. The project is currently live with $14,545 pledged of a $25,000 goal, making it 58.18% funded with 108 backers.",
  "aiTags": {
    "productType": "Board Game and RPG Hybrid",
    "themeTags": ["cooperative gameplay", "solo play", "campaign", "combat", "exploration", "social encounters", "character progression"],
    "targetAudience": "board game enthusiasts, RPG players"
  }
}
```

### Run via API and CLI

Start a run and wait for it to finish, then read the dataset. Replace `<TOKEN>` with your Apify API token.

Run synchronously and get dataset items in one call:

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~kickstarter-projects-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=%3CTOKEN%3E" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"searchTerm":"board game","state":"live","sort":"most_backed","maxProjects":25}'
```

Start a run asynchronously:

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/scrapers_lat~kickstarter-projects-scraper/runs?token=%3CTOKEN%3E" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"state":"successful","categoryId":"12","minBackers":500,"maxProjects":100}'
```

Apify CLI:

```bash
apify call scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper \
  --input '{"mode":"lookup","projectUrls":["https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cardboardkinggames/harbor-of-blight"]}'
```

### Fetch results

Every run writes to a dataset. Fetch items as JSON, CSV, or Excel by changing `format`:

```bash
## JSON
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/%3CDATASET_ID%3E/items?token=%3CTOKEN%3E&clean=true&format=json"

## CSV
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/%3CDATASET_ID%3E/items?token=%3CTOKEN%3E&clean=true&format=csv"

## Paginate large datasets
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/%3CDATASET_ID%3E/items?token=%3CTOKEN%3E&offset=1000&limit=1000"
```

`<DATASET_ID>` is returned as `defaultDatasetId` in the run object. Use `offset` and `limit` to page through large result sets. `clean=true` drops empty and internal fields.

### Billing and limits

- **Pay per result.** You are charged per project record returned (`result` event). See the [pricing tab](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper/pricing) for the current per-result price.
- **AI add-ons billed separately.** `withAiSummary` and `withAiCategorize` are charged per record only when they produce usable output, and only on paid plans.
- **No charge on failure.** If a run errors, the actor writes a single item with a populated `error` field and does not charge for it. Empty runs cost nothing.
- **Spend cap respected.** Set `maxTotalChargeUsd` on the run; once reached, the actor stops emitting and charging further billable results.
- **Free Apify plans** are capped at 10 records per run, and AI add-ons are ignored. Upgrade for higher `maxProjects` and AI enrichment.

### FAQ and troubleshooting

**A run returned 0 records. Why?**
The filter combination matched nothing. Loosen filters (widen `state` to `all`, remove `minPledged` or `minBackers`, or broaden the search term). Zero-result runs are not charged.

**How do I look up a specific project?**
Set `mode` to `lookup` and pass the project URLs in `projectUrls`.

**Why are `aiSummary` and `aiTags` null?**
The AI add-ons are off by default and ignored on free plans. Turn on `withAiSummary` and `withAiCategorize` on a paid plan to populate them.

**What does `usdPledged` mean versus `pledged`?**
`pledged` is in the project's own currency; `usdPledged` is the same amount converted to USD for cross-project comparison.

**Can I filter by category?**
Yes. Pass the numeric `categoryId`, for example `12` for Games or `16` for Technology.

**Is this an official Kickstarter tool?**
No. This actor is independent and has no affiliation with Kickstarter. It reads only data that is publicly available on Kickstarter. Use it in accordance with Kickstarter's terms of service.

### Related scrapers

- [Product Hunt Products, Upvotes & Makers Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/product-hunt-scraper): Product Hunt launches, upvotes and makers.
- [Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/crunchbase-scraper): Company profiles, funding rounds and investors.
- [Patreon Creators Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/patreon-creators-scraper): Patreon creators, membership tiers and prices.

### More scrapers at scrapers.lat

Built and maintained by [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat), where we publish scrapers for US and Latin American public platforms: company registries, government data, finance, e-commerce and more. Browse the catalog or request a custom scraper at [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat).

***

> Independent tool, not affiliated with Kickstarter. Accesses only publicly available Kickstarter data. Use in accordance with Kickstarter's terms of service.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Browse the discovery feed with filters, or look up specific projects by URL.

## `searchTerm` (type: `string`):

Optional. Keyword to search projects for (e.g. 'board game', 'enamel pin').

## `state` (type: `string`):

Which projects to return: live, successful, failed, canceled, upcoming, or all.

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Order results by Kickstarter's magic ranking, popularity, newest, ending soon, most funded, or most backed.

## `categoryId` (type: `string`):

Optional. Restrict to one Kickstarter category by numeric category ID (e.g. 12 = Games, 3 = Comics, 16 = Technology).

## `staffPicksOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Only return projects featured as Kickstarter staff picks.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Optional. Keep only projects from this 2-letter country code (e.g. 'US', 'GB', 'DE').

## `minPledged` (type: `number`):

Optional. Only keep projects that have raised at least this amount (in USD).

## `minBackers` (type: `integer`):

Optional. Only keep projects with at least this many backers.

## `projectUrls` (type: `array`):

In 'lookup' mode, the Kickstarter project URLs to fetch.

## `maxProjects` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of project records to collect across the whole run.

## `withAiSummary` (type: `boolean`):

Off by default. When on, writes a concise English overview of each project (what it is, who it's for, and its funding status). Requires a paid Apify plan. Billed only when a summary is produced.

## `withAiCategorize` (type: `boolean`):

Off by default. When on, derives the product type, fine-grained theme/genre tags and target audience from each project's blurb. Requires a paid Apify plan. Billed only when tags are produced.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "browse",
  "state": "live",
  "sort": "magic",
  "staffPicksOnly": false,
  "maxProjects": 40,
  "withAiSummary": false,
  "withAiCategorize": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxProjects": 40
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxProjects": 40 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxProjects": 40
}' |
apify call scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapers_lat/kickstarter-projects-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/4aQAZVDwLqwxkI1c5/builds/InSeqphm7UzPv9nmD/openapi.json