"A common myth regarding science crowdfunding is that only charismatic projects are funded. The topic of the research, however, is less important to the project’s success than the crowd a project engages. Almost any topic in science can be made interesting to audiences. For example, as part of the #SciFund Challenge (a science-specific crowdfunding initiative) many esoteric projects have been successfully funded. From a project researching the dormant stages of Daphnia to another investigating pure ecological statistics, projects that appear to have limited public appeal have been successful, due to the tremendous outreach campaigns by the scientists behind them."

-- Wheat et al. 2013. Raising money for scientific research through crowdfunding: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534712...