Pinterest Expands Creator Inclusion Fund With Shopify to Include Small Businesses

Pinterest has unveiled an expansion of its Creator Inclusion Fund, which has now been rebranded as the Pinterest Inclusion Fund.

Pinterest Collaborates With Shopify for the Inclusion Fund

The platform has collaborated with Shopify's Build Black and Build Native initiatives to broaden the fund's eligibility criteria to cover small business owners catering to or hailing from underrepresented backgrounds.

This shift marks a departure from the fund's previous focus solely on conventional content creators. The fund is a six-week accelerator program designed to guide founders in leveraging Pinterest to amplify their brands and ventures.

Launched today in the United States and Canada, the program intends to extend its reach to additional countries, such as India, Brazil, Argentina, and France. Participants selected for the program will have access to educational and financial resources.

These include the opportunity to integrate Shopify accounts with Pinterest and training sessions facilitated by Shopify. Additionally, Pinterest will provide mentorship, financial stipends, and subscriptions to workplace SaaS platforms.

Expansion of Pinterest Inclusion Fund

In a statement, Pinterest highlighted the three-year milestone of the Inclusion Fund, emphasizing its commitment to fostering growth and connection for content producers from underrepresented communities.

The program's expansion will now encompass North America (Canada and the US), the UK, France, and Northern European countries (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).

As part of this extension, the program is now open to various content producers, such as independent publishers, digital magazines, and content collectives, dedicated to amplifying content for historically underrepresented audiences.

Furthermore, each program cycle has been extended from five to six weeks, offering participants more opportunities to learn and collaborate with Pinterest experts and fellow creatives.

Pinterest initiated the Inclusion Fund in 2021 to provide greater opportunities for underrepresented creators in the creator economy landscape. The platform defines underrepresented broadly, encompassing individuals from the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, plus-sized individuals, and those who identify as BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color).

Who Are Qualified for the Program?

To qualify for the program, businesses must meet specific criteria, such as being owned and operated by at least 50% of underrepresented communities or having 70% or more of their products support consumers from these underrepresented communities.

Furthermore, eligible businesses must offer products within the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle industries, and their owners must be 18 or older. They must also have a presence on Pinterest with a business account or operate an e-commerce supported business.

Businesses lacking a Pinterest business account should operate a website supported by a Pinterest-compatible e-commerce platform, such as Shopify.

It is also imperative for businesses to ensure their operations adhere to Pinterest's merchant guidelines and commit to attending office hours and program sessions.