World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum, a not-for-profit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, engages political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. In April 2020, the organization launched the COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs with 88 members representing 100,000 social entrepreneurs. Its 2021 Roadmap for this work involves a portfolio of member-led initiatives across 10 strategic areas, including a vital focus on increasing access to capital for social entrepreneurs and small businesses. This effort, in partnership with Sustainable Development Investment Platform and MacArthur grantees such as the Collaborative for Frontier Finance and the Global Steering Group for Social Impact Investing, is developing pathways or “blueprints for action” to increase the flow of financing to social enterprises and small and growing businesses. The COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs facilitates connections, the sharing of best practices and collaboration between those local finance providers who are closest to the enterprises with public and private, national, and multilateral capital providers, as well as  with intermediaries, investors and funders.