Reach for Change
Reach for Change is a Swedish non-profit foundation founded in 2010 that supports social entrepreneurs across 18+ countries through regional offices (Sweden, Ethiopia, Ghana, Baltics), grant-funded fellowship programs, and a public Toolkits Platform serving ventures addressing challenges for children, youth, and vulnerable groups.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Reach for Change does
Reach for Change is a Swedish-registered non-profit foundation (Stiftelse, organizational number 802426-5590) founded in January 2010, originally under the name 'Playing for Change' before rebranding in 2012. Headquartered at Skeppsbron 18 in Stockholm, the organization operates regional offices in Sweden, Ethiopia (10-year anniversary in 2026), Ghana, and the Baltics, and supports social entrepreneurs across 18+ countries whose ventures address challenges affecting children, youth, and vulnerable groups. Its core product is the Toolkits Platform (toolkits.reachforchange.org), a web-based resource center organized around development stages (Proof of Concept to Scaling Readiness) and modules including Effective Solution, Financial Sustainability, Leadership & Team, and Systems Change, with design thinking methodologies integrated throughout. Beyond the digital toolkit, the organization runs fellowship and accelerator programs such as the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship (with grants up to USD 60,000) and partners with Village Capital, FMO, and RVO on the USD 4 million Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility, which has deployed equity and debt investments into Ghana-based startups including Rivia Clinics and VDL Fulfilment.
Reach for Change does not charge social entrepreneurs for its programs and is funded through grants, donations, and institutional partnerships rather than product revenue. Key partners include the Mastercard Foundation, FMO (Dutch development bank), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), JPMorganChase (via the Ignite Nordic partnership), Vinnova (the Swedish innovation agency that created the Toolkits Platform), and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, plus regulatory affiliations with Svensk Insamlingskontroll (holding a 90-account) and Giva Sverige. The organization is GDPR-compliant, conducts bi-annual external audits, and reports annually via its Social Impact Report. As a non-profit foundation, Reach for Change has no parent company, subsidiaries, public ticker, or disclosed funding rounds; its governance is overseen by a Board of Trustees chaired by Cristina Stenbeck, with Sofia Breitholtz as CEO.
Reach for Change firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Reach for Change
- Legal name
- Reach for Change
- Website
- https://reachforchange.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Reach for Change is a Swedish non-profit foundation founded in 2010 that supports social entrepreneurs across 18+ countries through regional offices (Sweden, Ethiopia, Ghana, Baltics), grant-funded fellowship programs, and a public Toolkits Platform serving ventures addressing challenges for children, youth, and vulnerable groups.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Reach for Change industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Non-profit Social Entrepreneurship Support
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD), Accelerator / Incubator-Backed ETA Programs (FSANALAD), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)
Keywords
Where Reach for Change is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Reach for Change business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grant-Based Programs: As a non-profit organization, Reach for Change primarily operates through grant funding and donations rather than revenue-generating activities. The organization provides grants to social entrepreneurs and manages investment facilities for early-stage startups.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Reach for Change product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Reach for Change operates as a non-profit accelerator and ecosystem builder that supports social entrepreneurs with grants, mentorship, and a structured online toolkit. Its programs span four regional hubs (Sweden, Ethiopia, Ghana, Baltics) and include the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship and the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility, a USD 4M investment vehicle. The organization does not charge entrepreneurs for participation; funding is sourced from foundations, development banks, and corporate sponsors.
Product overview
Reach for Change is a global non-profit organization that operates as a platform organization with multiple product and program offerings. The core product is the Toolkits Platform (https://toolkits.reachforchange.org), a web-based resource center for social entrepreneurs that includes design thinking tools, development stage resources, and four key framework modules: Effective Solution, Financial Sustainability, Leadership & Team, and Systems Change. Additional offerings include the EdTech Fellowship Program in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, and the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility (a USD 4M investment fund managed by Village Capital).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Toolkits Platform A web-based resource center providing tools, resources, milestones, and action points for social entrepreneurs developing sustainable ventures, covering design thinking, impact measurement, financial sustainability, leadership, and systems change across Proof of Concept, Scaling Readiness, and Impact at Scale stages.
- EdTech Fellowship Program Fellowship program in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation supporting early-stage education technology companies, providing grants of up to USD 60,000, demo-day exposure, and investor matchmaking.
- Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility USD 4M pilot investment vehicle providing equity and debt capital to early-stage African startups, including Ghana-based ventures such as Rivia Clinics (USD 200K) and VDL Fulfilment (USD 150K).
Quantifiable outcome
- 5.9 million children, youth and vulnerable groups reached
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Reach for Change
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Reach for Change technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Reach for Change partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Ministry of Education (Ethiopia)coreEthiopian Ministry of Education partnered with Reach for Change Ethiopia to co-organize the High-Level EdTech Demo Day and Investment Forum celebrating Reach for Change Ethiopia's 10th anniversary.
- Ignite NordicmajorNew partnership between Reach for Change and Ignite Nordic, with support from JPMorganChase, to help underserved entrepreneurs in Sweden access resources and support.
- Svensk InsamlingskontrollcoreSwedish fundraising control organization that validates Reach for Change. The organization holds a 90-account, complying with requirements for trustworthy fundraising policies and processes.
- Giva SverigemajorReach for Change is a member of Giva Sverige (Swedish Fundraising Association), complying with their Quality Code for best practice governance of charitable organizations including transparency and ethical standards.
- VinnovaminorSwedish government agency supporting innovation that created the Reach for Change toolkits platform.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Reach for Change competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Impact Hub: Impact Hub operates a global network of innovation hubs supporting social entrepreneurs - comparable to Reach for Change's regional offices in Sweden, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the Baltics with shared tooling and accelerator programming.
- Village Capital: Village Capital runs entrepreneur development programs and manages the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility alongside Reach for Change - they are both peer and active partner, sharing identical thesis on early-stage social venture development.
- NESst: NESst supports social enterprises across emerging markets with enterprise development, impact investment, and capacity building - directly comparable to Reach for Change in mission and emerging-market depth.
- Echoing Green: Echoing Green runs fellowship programs for early-stage social entrepreneurs globally - directly comparable to Reach for Change's Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship and Change Leader model.
- Yunus Social Business: Yunus Social Business supports social enterprises addressing poverty through entrepreneurship, with programs in Africa and Latin America - comparable to Reach for Change in social business model and multi-region emerging-market focus.
- Acumen: Acumen combines patient capital investment with Acumen Academy for social entrepreneurs - directly comparable to Reach for Change's blend of grantmaking, capital facilities (Africa Ecosystem Catalysts), and entrepreneur curriculum.
- Ashoka: Ashoka is the world's largest network of social entrepreneurs ('Ashoka Fellows'), directly comparable to Reach for Change in mission, entrepreneur selection model, and global multi-region presence.
Broad incumbents
- Skoll Foundation: Skoll Foundation funds and profiles leading social entrepreneurs worldwide via the Skoll Award and supports platforms like WorldConference - a broader incumbent operating at significantly larger scale than Reach for Change.
- Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: Hosted by the World Economic Forum, Schwab Foundation runs a global Social Innovators network - a broader, deeper-pocketed incumbent in the same social entrepreneurship ecosystem-builder category.
Regional players
- Tony Elumelu Foundation: Tony Elumelu Foundation's Entrepreneurship Programme identifies and funds African entrepreneurs - comparable to Reach for Change's Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility and EdTech Fellowship in supporting early-stage African founders.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Reach for Change social profiles
Digital presenceReach for Change compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Reach for Change financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Reach for Change leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Reach for Change funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Reach for Change M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Reach for Change
What does Reach for Change do?
Reach for Change operates as a non-profit accelerator and ecosystem builder that supports social entrepreneurs with grants, mentorship, and a structured online toolkit. Its programs span four regional hubs (Sweden, Ethiopia, Ghana, Baltics) and include the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship and the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility, a USD 4M investment vehicle. The organization does not charge entrepreneurs for participation; funding is sourced from foundations, development banks, and corporate sponsors.
Is Reach for Change a public or private company?
Reach for Change is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Reach for Change founded?
Reach for Change was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Reach for Change based?
Reach for Change is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Reach for Change make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant-Based Programs.
Who are Reach for Change's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Impact Hub, Village Capital, NESst, Echoing Green, Yunus Social Business, Acumen and Ashoka. Broad incumbents are Skoll Foundation and Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Tony Elumelu Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Reach for Change have an API?
No public API is recorded for Reach for Change.
What industry is Reach for Change in?
Reach for Change's product category is Non-profit Social Entrepreneurship Support. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAH, International Grantmaking & Development Foundations, with a secondary code of HLAJAKAD, International & Local Implementing NGOs. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.