The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund to produce independent research, scale global programs and empower a community of thinkers, leaders and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth.
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund to produce independent research, scale global programs and empower a community of thinkers, leaders and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth.
Doing well by doing good
At the Center, we believe technology and business innovation play a critical role in unleashing people’s full economic potential. That’s why we are investing in actionable insights, impactful programs and cross-sector partnerships – all to ensure that technology works for people, meets their needs and makes their lives better.
Since our founding in 2014, we have been leveraging Mastercard’s core assets and competencies, along with public trust, to build inclusive and sustainable economies.
Sustainability at Mastercard
From the founding of the Mastercard Foundation in 2006 through a gift of stock at the time of the company’s initial public offering to a business strategy for advancing financial inclusion, Mastercard has a long-standing commitment to doing well by doing good.
Today, sustainability at Mastercard involves reducing our carbon footprint and offering consumers the opportunity to do the same. It means creating pathways to foster inclusive growth for underserved communities around the world. And it involves organizing ourselves around sound and ethical business practices that are guided by a clear and sustainable purpose.
Doing well by doing good
At the Center, we believe technology and business innovation play a critical role in unleashing people’s full economic potential. That’s why we are investing in actionable insights, impactful programs and cross-sector partnerships – all to ensure that technology works for people, meets their needs and makes their lives better.
Since our founding in 2014, we have been leveraging Mastercard’s core assets and competencies, along with public trust, to build inclusive and sustainable economies.
Sustainability at Mastercard
From the founding of the Mastercard Foundation in 2006 through a gift of stock at the time of the company’s initial public offering to a business strategy for advancing financial inclusion, Mastercard has a long-standing commitment to doing well by doing good.
Today, sustainability at Mastercard involves reducing our carbon footprint and offering consumers the opportunity to do the same. It means creating pathways to foster inclusive growth for underserved communities around the world. And it involves organizing ourselves around sound and ethical business practices that are guided by a clear and sustainable purpose.
Focus areas for an inclusive digital economy
In 2018, Mastercard established the Mastercard Impact Fund (the Fund), an independently-directed 501(c)(3) tax exempt private foundation, administered by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. To date, the Fund has made more than $260 million in grants to 142 organizations in 89 countries. In furtherance of its charitable purpose to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and financial inclusion, its activities are primarily focused in three key areas:
Financial security
Increase the financial security and economic mobility of individuals and workers
Small business
Improve the financial resilience and growth of micro and small businesses
Impact data science
Build capacity of nonprofits and governments to use data science to drive equitable outcomes
Focus areas for an inclusive digital economy
In 2018, the company established the Mastercard Impact Fund, an independently directed 501(c)(3) tax-exempt private foundation, which is administered by the Center. As of December 2022, the Fund has committed more than $348 million in grants to 172 organizations. These programs have enabled 5.5 million people and 25 million small businesses in 97 countries to access financial services, tools and other support.
In furtherance of its charitable purpose to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and financial inclusion, its activities are primarily focused in three key areas:
Financial security
Increase the financial security and economic mobility of individuals and workers
Small business
Improve the financial resilience and growth of micro and small businesses
Impact data science
Build capacity of nonprofits and governments to use data science to drive equitable outcomes
In addition to these focus areas, the Fund also supports Mastercard’s employee matching gift program and employee dependent scholarship program, as permitted by the IRS.
The Fund is required by law to report its itemized charitable giving (recipient, purpose, amount) in annual, public IRS form 990-PF tax filings. These filings cover charitable activities of the Fund only and do not represent Mastercard’s charitable giving enterprise wide. For fuller coverage of Mastercard’s social impact efforts and charitable giving, including financial, talent, and data philanthropy, please consult the annual Mastercard Corporate Sustainability Report.
Mastercard Impact Fund Tax Filings
2020 IRS Form 990-PF
2019 IRS Form 990-PF
2018 IRS Form 990-PF
In addition to these focus areas, the Fund also supports Mastercard’s employee matching gift program and employee dependent scholarship program, as permitted by the IRS.
The Fund is required by law to report its itemized charitable giving (recipient, purpose, amount) in annual, public IRS form 990-PF tax filings. These filings cover charitable activities of the Fund only and do not represent Mastercard’s charitable giving enterprise wide. For fuller coverage of Mastercard’s social impact efforts and charitable giving, including financial, talent, and data philanthropy, please consult the annual Mastercard Corporate Sustainability Report.
Mastercard Impact Fund Tax Filings
2021 IRS Form 990-PF
2020 IRS Form 990-PF
2019 IRS Form 990-PF
2018 IRS Form 990-PF
A model for scalable social impact
As the philanthropic hub of Mastercard, the Center advances scalable social impact through:
Insights
Design and develop actionable insights, tools and promising solutions
Impact
Make strategic, philanthropic investments in innovative models based on evidence
Influence
Amplify and replicate learnings through partnerships, convenings and thought leadership to drive impact
A model for scalable social impact
As the philanthropic hub of Mastercard, the Center advances scalable social impact through:
Insights
Design and develop actionable insights, tools and promising solutions
Impact
Make strategic, philanthropic investments in innovative models based on evidence
Influence
Amplify and replicate learnings through partnerships, convenings and thought leadership to drive impact
The Center’s insights and learnings inform the company’s business strategy to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere.
The Center’s work contributes to Mastercard’s commitment to connect 1 billion people to the digital economy.
50M
Bringing 50 million merchants and 25 million women entrepreneurs into the digital economy
$250M
Supporting small businesses with a $250 million commitment to recovery and resilience
$500M
Closing the racial, wealth and opportunity gap with a $500 million commitment to Black communities
The Center’s insights and learnings inform the company’s business strategy to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere.
The Center’s work contributes to Mastercard’s commitment to connect 1 billion people to the digital economy.
50M
Bringing 50 million merchants and 25 million women entrepreneurs into the digital economy
$250M
Supporting small businesses with a $250 million commitment to recovery and resilience
$500M
Closing the racial, wealth and opportunity gap with a $500 million commitment to Black communities
“Remember this rule of thumb: If you want to go wide, go with government. If you want to go deep, go with NGOs and academic institutions. If you want to go fast, go with the private sector. And if you want to go far, you must go together.” ”
“Remember this rule of thumb: If you want to go wide, go with government. If you want to go deep, go with NGOs and academic institutions. If you want to go fast, go with the private sector. And if you want to go far, you must go together.”
Connecting global expertise to develop solutions and scale impact
Insight networks and fellows
Insight networks and university partnerships are producing groundbreaking research on financial security, worker mobility and an inclusive digital economy. Our fellows program taps into the expertise of leading economists and researchers from around the world.
Practitioner platforms
We are building platforms that connect the ideas and expertise across public, private and NGO sectors to design, pilot and scale solutions to increase the use of data science by social impact organizations and fuel small business growth and resilience.
Strategic partnerships
Amplify and replicate learnings through partnerships, convenings and thought leadership to drive impact
Connecting global expertise to develop solutions and scale impact
Insight networks and fellows
Insight networks and university partnerships are producing groundbreaking research on financial security, worker mobility and an inclusive digital economy. Our fellows program taps into the expertise of leading economists and researchers from around the world.
Practitioner platforms
We are building platforms that connect the ideas and expertise across public, private and NGO sectors to design, pilot and scale solutions to increase the use of data science by social impact organizations and fuel small business growth and resilience.
Strategic partnerships
Amplify and replicate learnings through partnerships, convenings and thought leadership to drive impact
Inclusive growth ensures the benefits of a growing economy extend to all segments of society. Unleashing people’s economic potential starts with connecting them to the vital networks that power the modern economy.
Access to and integration into these networks increase their productivity, which can set in motion a virtuous cycle of sustained poverty reduction and inclusive growth – we call this democratizing productivity.
A key component of inclusive growth is financial inclusion, which connects people to secure ways of receiving, storing and managing money. While financial inclusion is a point of entry to lift people and markets out of poverty, inclusive growth is the key to move them towards shared prosperity.
Inclusive growth ensures the benefits of a growing economy extend to all segments of society. Unleashing people’s economic potential starts with connecting them to the vital networks that power the modern economy.
Access to and integration into these networks increase their productivity, which can set in motion a virtuous cycle of sustained poverty reduction and inclusive growth – we call this democratizing productivity.
A key component of inclusive growth is financial inclusion, which connects people to secure ways of receiving, storing and managing money. While financial inclusion is a point of entry to lift people and markets out of poverty, inclusive growth is the key to move them towards shared prosperity.
