between-intakes Private Grant

Mastercard Strive USA Small Business Grant

Not a direct small-business grant. Mastercard's Strive USA funds nonprofit and community organizations — CDFIs, chambers of commerce, nonprofit lenders — with grants of up to $250,000 to build financial-health programs FOR small businesses. An individual small business cannot apply for its own operations under this program. Looking for a grant your business can apply to directly? See our verified corporate small-business grant alternatives.

Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

Up to $250,000 (to partner organizations)

See if you qualify — free Visit official program ↗

Researched for this program: 4 rejection traps · 1 required documentWhat decides this award ↓

The short version

Funds partner organizations, not individual businesses

Mastercard's Strive USA program, operated through the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, awards grants of up to $250,000 to nonprofit and community organizations — CDFIs, chambers of commerce, nonprofit lenders — that build financial-health and digital-inclusion programs for small businesses in underserved communities. It is not a grant an individual small business applies for or receives directly for its own operations; the funding flows to the organization that runs the program, and businesses owned by women, people of color, and veterans may benefit from the resulting local programming (training, digital tools, resource access) rather than a direct cash award.

Funding type: Grant
Level: Private
Amount range: Up to $250,000 — awarded to nonprofit/CDFI partner organizations, not individual businesses
Realistic amount: None for a business directly: Strive USA funds partner organizations, which run their own programs on their own terms.
Deadline: No direct small-business application is open; Strive USA works through partner organizations, and its only listed US application (the 2025 Innovation Fund for organizations) closed November 21, 2025
Status: between-intakes
States: Nationwide
Payment model: lump sum

Who qualifies

The Strive USA grant itself goes to organizations, not small businesses. Eligible applicants for the grant are nonprofits, CDFIs, chambers of commerce, and nonprofit lenders that propose a financial-health or digital-inclusion program for small businesses in underserved communities. A small business cannot apply for this grant on its own behalf — the criteria below describe who can benefit from a funded partner's resulting program, not who receives the Mastercard grant.

Small business owner in an underserved community (benefits from a partner's program, not a direct grant recipient)
Preference for women-, minority-, or veteran-owned businesses
US-based business
For-profit entity
Demonstrated financial need or lack of access to traditional capital
Specific eligibility criteria vary by local partner organization

What it covers

Eligible expenses

Business operations and overhead
Equipment and technology
Marketing and customer acquisition
Inventory and supplies
Digital tools and e-commerce setup

Ineligible expenses

Personal expenses
Debt repayment
Real estate or capital construction
Political contributions

How to apply

1

Find a Strive USA partner in your area

Visit mastercardcenter.org/strive to identify active partner organizations in your geography. Partners include CDFIs, chambers of commerce, and nonprofit lenders.

~1 hrs
2

Contact the local partner

Reach out directly to the partner to confirm current grant availability and eligibility requirements for your area.

~1 hrs
3

Complete the partner's application

Each partner has its own application form. Typically includes business overview, ownership demographics, financial need description, and intended use of funds.

~1 hrs
4

Review and award

The local partner reviews applications and notifies recipients. Timeline varies by partner — typically 4–8 weeks.

~1 hrs

Insider tip

This is a relationship-driven program — the path to funding goes through local partner organizations, not a national application. Finding and engaging with your local CDFI or partner is the key step.

Deadline & timing

Strive USA is not a single national application — it operates through a network of local partners (community development financial institutions, chambers, nonprofits). Each partner runs their own application window. Monitor mastercardcenter.org/strive and subscribe to updates from local CDFIs in your area to catch open cycles.

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Programs that stack well

Apply-Ready

Looking for more grants to enter?

We don't draft Mastercard Strive grant applications. We do draft these seventeen. Answer a few short questions once and we draft your application from what you tell us: only your facts, with a blank wherever the judges want a detail only you know. You submit it yourself. Six are for women-owned businesses; eleven are open more widely.

You see a free preview first and pay only if you want the full draft: $9 per grant. You can add the other month-end grants you qualify for at $5 each (never more than $15 extra).

For women-owned businesses

Open more widely

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Last updated October 22, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.