About Visa Foundation
Visa Foundation seeks to support inclusive economies where individuals, businesses, and communities can thrive. Through grantmaking and investing, Visa Foundation prioritizes the growth of gender diverse and inclusive small and micro businesses. The Foundation also supports broader community needs and disaster response in times of crisis. Visa Foundation is registered in the U.S. as a 501(c)3 entity.
Work with a collective vision
Observe, listen, reflect, then assist.
We believe that genuine and transparent relationships amongst our team and partners allow us to bring a diversity of viewpoints, skills, and resources to bear on global challenges.
Challenge systemic barriers
Envision how much further we must go.
We seek to mitigate systemic barriers facing small businesses, particularly those led by women or people from underrepresented groups, in order to help ensure a more inclusive global economy.
Champion scalable solutions
Begin with the end goal in mind.
We strive to support partners advancing innovative solutions and promote initiatives which contribute to a more equitable small business ecosystem.
Approach and strategy
In April 2020, Visa Foundation launched the Equitable Access Initiative, a five-year, $200 million strategic commitment to support gender diverse and inclusive SMBs around the world. As a part of the initiative, we will provide $60 million in grants and $140 million in impact investments with a gender and diversity lens.
Visa Foundation believes that creating a capital continuum for SMBs is crucial for their sustainability and growth. As such, Visa Foundation aims to increase equitable and efficient access to capital at different stages of business growth, support gender diverse and inclusive small businesses, and promote inclusive economic growth. An additional goal is to influence the sector broadly to help move gender lens investing from niche to the mainstream.
Through its grantmaking, Visa Foundation partners with organizations that provide capital, capacity building and support services to gender inclusive and diverse SMBs. Additionally, Visa Foundation uses grant funding to unlock barriers that prevent the flow of investment capital from reaching gender diverse SMBs.
Visa Foundation’s commitment to investing $140 million into intermediaries and funds globally is primarily focused on emerging markets, with a gender lens across the entire portfolio from SMB borrowers up to venture capital partners. The goal is to increase the number of women who control capital, the number of women entrepreneurs who can access that capital, and the number of women who benefit from those businesses as employees or customers.
Programs and partnerships
To advance our work towards a more equitable economic system for gender diverse and inclusive small and micro businesses (SMBs), we partner with leading organizations throughout the world. Our partners fall generally into one of three categories: non-profits providing support to SMBs, investors, and entities focused on the broader SMB-centric ecosystem. A few examples of our partners include:
Other partners include
The American Red Cross name and logo are used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied of any product, service, company, opinion or political position. The American Red Cross name and logo are registered trademarks owned by the American National Red Cross. For more information about the American Red Cross, please visit redcross.org.
News and announcements
March 24, 2023
Red Cross recognizes Visa and Visa Foundation as 2023 Red Cross Philanthropic Company of the Year
A committed partner of the Red Cross for more than 33 years, Visa and Visa Foundation have supported people impacted by disasters with the resources they need. Visa Foundation allows the organization to have response tools at the ready before disaster strikes, as an Annual Disaster Giving Pledge member. Together with our employees, who also dedicate time and resources to local Red Cross programs, we have donated more than $30 million in support of Red Cross disaster response.
May 13, 2022
Visa Foundation Commits $12 Million to a New Tipping Point Community Program Addressing Youth Homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area
Visa Foundation announced a $12 million grant to Tipping Point Community, a nonprofit organization committed to fighting poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visa Foundation will partner with Tipping Point and its community network to direct these funds to impactful local service providers in Bay Area neighborhoods with the goal of driving lasting change in the lives of youth.
December 16, 2020
Visa and Visa Foundation Extend Support of Minority-led Small Businesses
Building on Visa’s long-term commitment to this community, Visa Foundation today announced new initiatives to provide nearly $5 million in capital to minority-led SMBs, amid a second wave of COVID-19.
April 6, 2020
Visa Foundation Commits $210 Million to Support Small and Micro Businesses and Immediate COVID-19 Emergency Relief
Visa Foundation recently announced a commitment of two programs totaling $210 million to support small and micro businesses, aligning with Visa Foundation’s long-term focus on women’s economic advancement and inclusive economic development, and to address an urgent need from local communities following the spread of COVID-19.
More news and announcements
- Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Teams Up with PayPal, TELUS Pollinator Fund, and Visa Foundation to Launch Corporate Impact Investing Initiative
- VC Include Announces 2022 Cohort for Fellowship of BIPOC First-Time Fund Managers
- Beacon announces an anchor investment from Visa Foundation to unlock more gender lens investments in emerging Southeast Asia
- Ford Foundation, Visa Foundation, and Fairview Capital join forces to invest in diverse venture capital and private equity firms
- Visa Foundation announces regional grantees of its $10 million COVID-19 emergency relief fund
- Visa Launches Foundation with Inaugural Grant to Women's World Banking
- Visa Foundation Board Appoints Graham Macmillan as President of the Visa Foundation
- ANDE, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Visa Foundation partner to launch Gender Equality Initiative
- Visa Foundation donates $4.5 million to help fight homelessness and poverty in the Bay Area
Meet the team
Visa Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.