Small Business Support: Companies, Investors & News

BESTSELLER Foundation is a Danish commercial foundation established in 2015. It is funded by BESTSELLER, the family-owned fashion company, but operates as a separate legal entity from both BESTSELLER A/S and HEARTLAND A/S. The foundation's current strategy focuses on expanding economic opportunity for women, particularly their ability to create, work, and own. Its work is organized around three areas: Creative industries, including fashion, craft, music, and the arts Future of work, including reskilling, childcare, and workforce participation Ownership, including assets, businesses, income, and financial decision-making BESTSELLER Foundation uses both donations and impact investments and describes itself as a long-term, evergreen investor. Over its first 10 years, it reports making more than 25 impact investments and 100 donations across 25 countries. Its geographic focus includes South Asia, especially Bangladesh, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. Current and recent partnerships have supported women artisans, small businesses, workforce participation, water resilience, and recovery efforts following major disruptions. The foundation's legal purpose is broader than its current public strategy. Its statutory mandate includes humanitarian work, poverty reduction, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and nature conservation. Earlier investment strategies also placed significant emphasis on circular economy and climate technology. Financial Snapshot At the end of 2024, the foundation reported: - DKK 109.7 million in total assets - DKK 85.9 million in equity - DKK 88.4 million in long-term investments - Approximately DKK 20 million distributed during the year - Approximately DKK 18 million invested during the year BESTSELLER's board also approved a preliminary DKK 250 million commitment for the foundation's 2024 to 2029 strategy. This represents committed future support, not capital already deployed. The foundation does not publish a standard grant size, investment check range, or formal scored application process. Potential partners can contact the team through its website.

Mastercard Impact Fund is the charitable fund Mastercard established in 2018 with an initial $500 million commitment following U.S. tax reform. It finances philanthropic programs that advance inclusive growth. The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth describes and helps activate the portfolio, but the Center is the company's social-impact hub and thought-leadership platform; it is not an interchangeable legal or canonical name for the Fund. The current official Fund page reports $432 million “at work” in 104 countries. That is an organization-reported deployment description, not current AUM, independently audited beneficiary impact or proof that the full original commitment has been disbursed as grants. The portfolio works through large nonprofit, research, financial-inclusion and implementation partners on financial health, small-business resilience, data and technology for good and economic mobility. The Fund does not present a general public grant application or a broadly applicable cheque range. Programs such as Mastercard Strive are delivered through selected global and regional partners and may create downstream opportunities for small businesses or local organizations, but participation in those programs is not the same as receiving a direct Impact Fund grant. This profile therefore leaves application and cheque fields empty.