Mastercard Strive USA
Connecting small businesses to the support they need to thrive
Our Focus
The Strive USA program, funded by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and implemented by DAI, is designed to provide small businesses with the support they need to achieve sustainable growth and financial resilience.
Our Approach
We help small businesses to overcome three common roadblocks:
Get capital
By funding community financial institutions including local banks, minority depository institutions, and credit unions, we make it easier for businesses to get the funding they need, when and where they need it.
Go digital
We connect small businesses with mission-driven technology partners and essential digital tools that eliminate bottlenecks and enable access to lending and investment.
Grow networks and know-how
Through local and national partnerships, we connect small businesses with expert organizations to develop new skills and grow their capabilities.
Our Goal
Supporting over 5 million small businesses in the U.S. over five years
By the Numbers
Our Partners
Shamina Singh
Founder & President, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
“Small businesses need opportunities and resources to grow their business. That’s why we’re connecting business owners to capital, technology and information to help small businesses and their communities thrive.”
News & Updates
Featured Article
How trust scales impact: The role of local partners in federal programs for small businesses
Building trust with local communities is hard. The key to driving inclusive growth starts with recognizing and valuing the trust local organizations have established with communities, and then building on that foundation to help them succeed and grow. This was the cross-cutting theme of the second Strive USA Summit in Washington, DC.
Meeting small businesses where they are: Technical assistance models that work in an increasingly…
There is an increasingly diverse range of technical assistance models, making it challenging to provide the right information to the right entrepreneur at the right time. This article highlights where leading technical assistance providers are focusing to help more entrepreneurs succeed.
Public-private partnerships and small businesses: A conversation on what is working in New York…
This conversation between Kevin D. Kim, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services, and Shamina Singh, Founder & President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, took place at the Mastercard Strive USA Summit in New York.
How a wave of government programs are strengthening the U.S. entrepreneurial ecosystem
Unprecedented federal funding is flowing into the small business sector. By complementing these investments with the right technology and infrastructure, there is a historic opportunity to greatly improve and secure the success of more small businesses, a key cornerstone of the U.S. economy.
Building bridges for small businesses: Highlights from the first Strive USA Summit
Participants at the first Mastercard Strive USA Summit spoke about how to access and leverage the once-in-a-generation investments being made by the federal government — from building new infrastructure, to accelerating the clean energy transition, to investing directly in small businesses.
Strive USA launches event series focused on local small business ecosystems
Strive USA has launched a new event series geared towards creating more profound local impact in states and cities across the country. These convenings will complement and strengthen our work nationally by cultivating collaboration among local and national providers of capital, know-how, and digital tools.
How partnerships, policy, and platforms are driving the growth of the community finance sector
New technologies, a surge in federal funding, and strategic partnerships are driving rapid growth of the community development finance sector and bolstering resilience at a time of record small business creation — but there’s still a pressing need for further action to fully realize this critical moment.
Fueling small business growth: Meet the Mastercard Strive USA innovation fund winners
Meet the 2023 Mastercard Strive USA Innovation Fund Winners. These four organizations were selected because their impact-focused solutions were uniquely primed for long-term, sustainable impact in the U.S.
Strive USA’s inaugural year: Billions deployed, tens of thousands of small businesses supported…
One year after the launch of Strive USA, Mastercard’s U.S. small business initiative is now supporting small businesses in 43 states and working closely with 16 prominent organizations. Here we provide an update on our work and progress — and where we go next.
