Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsOn May 29, 2024, Pinterest renamed its Creator Inclusion Fund the Pinterest Inclusion Fund and broadened it beyond traditional creators to include qualifying founders and small-business owners from, or serving, underrepresented communities. It is a selective accelerator—not an always-open grant, venture fund, or guaranteed-sales program. Pinterest’s current U.S. page says applications are closed as of August 16–18, 2026.
What changed in May 2024
Pinterest’s original Creator Fund launched in 2021 with financial and educational support for underrepresented creators. Later cycles added quarterly themes and international markets. In the May 2024 announcement, Pinterest renamed it the Pinterest Inclusion Fund and added a stronger small-business and commerce focus. The change was reported by TechCrunch.
| Before | After the May 2024 expansion |
|---|---|
| Creator Inclusion Fund | Pinterest Inclusion Fund |
| Primarily traditional content creators | Qualifying founders, small-business owners and creators who also sell products |
| Creator development and representation | Creative entrepreneurship, commerce education and Pinterest growth skills |
| Creator-focused support | Added Shopify-related onboarding and business resources |
The practical meaning of “allow founders” is narrower than the headline suggests: Pinterest expanded an inclusion-focused creator accelerator to selected creative entrepreneurs. It did not create a general startup-financing program.
Who may qualify
The 2024 announcement described several possible applicant groups:
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- Small-business owners from underrepresented backgrounds.
- Owners whose businesses demonstrably serve underrepresented communities.
- Traditional creators who operate an online store or sell products.
- Eligible boutique creator agencies.
- Businesses connected with Shopify’s Build Black or Build Native initiatives, subject to those programs’ own requirements.
Pinterest’s current U.S. criteria are more specific than the broad announcement. They include legal residence in one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C.; age 18 or older; active creator work on at least two other social platforms; content in listed areas such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle, home, travel, gaming or technology; and the ability to attend required sessions. See the current U.S. program page for the applicable cycle.
Requirements vary by market. For example, the UK page uses UK residency and different category wording. Meeting an inclusion description alone does not guarantee eligibility or selection.
What “underrepresented” refers to
Pinterest’s earlier descriptions have identified Black, Latiné, LGBTQIA+, Asian and Indigenous creators, people with disabilities, plus-size communities and other groups historically underrepresented in online content. That is Pinterest’s program framing, not a universal legal definition.
What selected participants receive
The 2024 iteration was announced as a six-week accelerator in which selected participants could receive:
- Educational resources and mentorship.
- Monetary stipends (the announcement did not publish a standard per-founder amount).
- Paid workplace-software subscriptions.
- Shopify training and the ability to connect a Shopify account to Pinterest.
- Guidance on using Pinterest to develop a brand or business.
Pinterest’s current description also lists personalized education, access to Pinterest and industry experts, financial support for content creation, organic-growth and best-practice training, analytics and trend sessions, collaboration sessions and office hours. Graduates may be invited to the Pinterest Creator Community. These are potential benefits for selected participants, not entitlements for every applicant.
Where the program operates
The founder expansion launched in the United States and Canada. Pinterest said it intended to expand to Brazil, India, France and Argentina, but those statements were plans at the time—not evidence that every market opened simultaneously. Earlier announcements recorded cycles in the UK, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France; availability and criteria differed by cycle. Pinterest’s later impact reporting says the fund reached five additional countries but does not identify all five in the available excerpt, so they should not be assumed to match the 2024 plan.
How Shopify fits
Shopify was a program partner, not the fund owner. Pinterest partnered with Shopify’s Build Black and Build Native initiatives to connect qualifying entrepreneurs with Pinterest and provide commerce training.
- The founder operates or represents a qualifying business.
- The business has, or may qualify for, a Shopify commerce setup.
- The participant connects the store presence to Pinterest using the available integration.
- Training covers Pinterest content, discovery, analytics and commerce practices.
- The business remains responsible for products, inventory, fulfillment, customer service, taxes and platform compliance.
Acceptance does not imply a free Shopify store, free advertising at scale, automatic shopping placement or guaranteed orders.
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No standard per-founder grant amount was stated in the May 2024 reporting. Pinterest did report that it had invested more than $3.3 million in the accelerator and supported more than 150 participants globally by that date. Those are cumulative historical figures for the accelerator and its participants—not a pot reserved for the new founder cohort.
Earlier cycles referred to financial grants and, in some cases, advertising credits, but amounts and benefit types varied. Treat the current cycle’s official terms as controlling, and distinguish cash stipends from in-kind education, software or mentoring.
Availability now
Checked August 16–18, 2026: Pinterest’s current Inclusion Fund page says applications are closed. Prospective applicants are directed to Pinterest’s creator communications for future cycles. A 2024 article telling readers to apply should not be read as proof that applications remain open.
What the fund is—and is not
| It is | It is not |
|---|---|
| A selective, inclusion-focused accelerator | An unrestricted startup or payroll grant |
| Potential financial support plus education, mentoring and tools | A published, universal per-founder cash award |
| Training for Pinterest discovery and commerce | A substitute for a storefront, fulfillment operation or customer support |
| Separate from ordinary Pinterest monetization | Payment for normal engagement, Pins or followers |
| Market- and cycle-specific | Globally open to anyone who identifies as a founder |
It is also separate from buying Pinterest ads, opening a business account, uploading a catalog, using shopping or affiliate tools, and other creator initiatives such as Creator Rewards. Those products and programs have their own rules.
Best Value
Is it a sensible opportunity for your business?
Strong fit
- A clear visual identity and products suited to discovery in areas such as fashion, beauty, home, food, travel or lifestyle.
- A founder who belongs to, or a business that demonstrably serves, an historically underrepresented community.
- Existing activity on multiple social platforms.
- An operating online storefront and the capacity to fulfill orders.
- Time to attend a structured accelerator, office hours and required sessions.
- A need for platform education, positioning and expert access more than unrestricted capital.
Weak fit
- An enterprise B2B company with little visual or search-led discovery.
- A business seeking venture financing, a large unrestricted grant or general payroll support.
- No product catalog or online storefront.
- Inability to attend required sessions.
- An expectation of guaranteed Pinterest traffic, conversions or revenue.
- A market, category or geography outside the relevant cycle’s rules.
- A strategy dependent mainly on short-lived real-time content rather than evergreen discovery.
Tools you may need regardless of acceptance
These commercial products are separate from the fund and purchasing them does not improve an application.
- Pinterest Business provides business profiles, organic publishing, analytics and catalog-related tools; advertising is budget-based.
- Shopify can provide a storefront and centralized product catalog. Current plan pricing should be checked directly with Shopify.
- Pinterest advertising can add paid distribution after creative, landing pages and conversion tracking are ready. Costs depend on the auction and campaign.
Organic Pinterest activity generally costs less cash but requires consistent, search-oriented creative and is less predictable. Paid promotion can accelerate distribution but adds acquisition risk. Neither route is a substitute for the Inclusion Fund’s selection process.
Why Pinterest broadened the program
The commerce orientation lets Pinterest bring more merchant content, product discovery and underrepresented businesses into an ecosystem where users search, save and shop. That is a reasonable inference from the Shopify integration and the program’s stated representation goals, rather than a guarantee of business results. TechCrunch also situated the announcement amid companies reassessing diversity, equity and inclusion programs; that is reporting context, not proof of a single cause for Pinterest’s decision.
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