Since their founding back in 2013, Circle says that it has been focused on their mission of raising global economic prosperity through the frictionless exchange of value. And, for over 1o years in parallel, they’ve deployed their people and technology to expand access to financial / digital tools that help people thrive — from enabling “delivery of humanitarian aid, to helping entrepreneurs solve pressing global challenges.”
Now, Circle claims that they are “taking that commitment further.”
They are introducing Circle Foundation, a “philanthropic initiative dedicated to advancing financial inclusion in the US and around the world.”
Seeded by Circle’s Pledge 1% equity commitment — an initiative uniting firms in dedicating a part of their overall equity and resources to philanthropy — the Circle Foundation will “support groups that strengthen the financial systems people rely on.”
This includes organizations that now reportedly work “with small businesses in US communities and international groups modernizing the infrastructure of humanitarian aid.”
Circle has seen how access to better financial tools can “change lives, and over the years we’ve worked to help provide that access.”
They’ve sought ways to work with various entities in order to help humanitarian organizations deliver aid faster, more securely, and at lower cost, while supporting entrepreneurs creating new models for financial access.
In Ukraine, they worked with the UN Refugee Agency to help deliver assistance via USDC to thousands of displaced people, “giving them the means to start rebuilding their lives.”
In Venezuela, a collab with humanitarian and fintech partners helped route nearly “$18 million to more than 60,000 healthcare workers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
And, through Circle’s Unlocking Impact Pitch Competition, past winners like Rahat in Nepal and 2025 winner ATEC Global in Cambodia, “demonstrated how they used USDC and open, digital infrastructure to build financial resilience against climate and economic shocks.”
Each of these efforts demonstrates that when financial systems “are open, efficient, and inclusive, people gain access to opportunity.”
Circle Foundation says that it exists in order to build upon that impact by turning individual programs into systemic change, “focusing on building infrastructure for economic participation that gives communities the tools, knowledge, and access they need to thrive.”
In its first phase, Circle Foundation will focus “on strengthening the financial resilience of small businesses” across the United States.
Small businesses employ nearly half of all US private-sector workers and drive more than 40% of GDP, yet many still “struggle to access affordable financing, digital tools, and the capital readiness they need to grow.”
Through grantmaking, Circle Foundation will “address this challenge by partnering with mission-driven lenders, known as Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), that fill critical gaps left by traditional finance.”
The Foundation will prioritize results-driven, technology-forward CDFIs that share “best practices and data-driven insights across their networks, amplifying the reach and effectiveness of every dollar of support.”
Although their initial grants will be made in the US, Circle Foundation’s mission is global.”
Across the globe, billions reportedly remain “excluded from financial systems that enable a prosperous future.”
The Circle Foundation will now reportedly work with organizations to modernize the infrastructure behind humanitarian finance, “helping aid reach more people, more efficiently, and with greater transparency.”
These efforts build on Circle’s collab with institutions and NGOs, and reflect their belief that financial access is “a foundational element of global economic prosperity.”
Circle Foundation’s impact won’t be measured in “dollars alone.”
Through participation in Pledge 1%, Circle has committed “both financial resources and employee time toward advancing social good.”
Every Circle employee will have up to “40 hours of paid volunteer time annually to contribute to nonprofits and community organizations of their choice.”
Circle Foundation is said to be structured for “independence and longevity.”
As a donor-advised fund housed with Fidelity, it is separately “governed and focused entirely on mission-aligned giving.”
Circle covers the operational costs, so that Foundation dollars are “directed where they matter most — right to impact.”
After 9 years serving as Circle’s Chief Operating Officer, Elisabeth Carpenter has turned her attention to “accelerating and giving permanence to Circle’s broader mission as Chief Strategic Engagement Officer and Founding Chair of Circle Foundation. ”
Circle Foundation marks the next step in Circle’s mission to “raise global economic prosperity.”
Where Circle’s tech has helped move value, Circle Foundation will help those benefits reach “deeper through systems-level change at home and abroad.”