Pinterest Expands Creator Inclusion Fund with Shopify to Include Small Businesses: Tech: Tech Times

Pinterest announced the expansion of its Creator Inclusion Fund, which has now been renamed the Pinterest Inclusion Fund.

Pinterest partners with Shopify on an integration fund

The platform has partnered with Shopify’s Build Black and Build Native initiatives to expand the fund’s eligibility criteria to include small business owners serving or from underrepresented backgrounds.

This change marks a departure from the fund’s previous focus solely on conventional content creators. The fund is a six-week accelerator program designed to help founders use Pinterest to strengthen their brands and ventures.

Launched today in the United States and Canada, the program looks to expand 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 ability to integrate Shopify accounts with Pinterest and training sessions provided by Shopify. Additionally, Pinterest will provide mentorship, financial stipends, and subscriptions to SaaS platforms in the workplace.

(Image : Souvik Banerjee from Pixabay)

Expansion of the Pinterest Integration Fund

In its statement, Pinterest highlighted the three-year life of the Social Inclusion Fund, emphasizing its commitment to supporting the growth and connections of content producers from underrepresented communities.

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

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

Additionally, each program cycle has been extended from five to six weeks, offering participants more opportunities to learn and collaborate with Pinterest experts and other creators.

In 2021, Pinterest launched its Inclusion Fund to provide greater opportunities for creators underrepresented in the creator economy. The platform defines underrepresented groups as including people from the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, people of plus size and people who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and other people of color).

Also Read: Pinterest Says Goodbye to Its Creator Rewards Program and Provides Other Ways to Make Money on the Platform

Who qualifies for the program?

To qualify for the program, companies must meet certain criteria, such as being owned by at least 50% of underrepresented communities and driven by at least 70% or more of their products supported by consumers from these underrepresented communities.

Additionally, eligible businesses must offer fashion, beauty and lifestyle products and their owners must be 18 years of age or older. They must also have a Pinterest business account or run an e-commerce business.

Businesses without a Pinterest business account should maintain a website hosted by a Pinterest-compatible e-commerce platform, such as Shopify.

Businesses must also ensure that their activities are consistent with Pinterest’s sales guidelines and commit to attending business hours and programming sessions.

Related Article: Pinterest Will Become an Online Shopping Mall After Google eCommerce Executive Takes Power