H&M Foundation - Global Change Award

What H&M Foundation - Global Change Award does

The Global Change Award (GCA) is an annual innovation challenge operated by the H&M Foundation, a private non-profit foundation funded by the Stefan Persson family and based in Stockholm, Sweden. Since 2015, GCA has selected ten early-stage winners each year to receive €200,000 in non-dilutive grant funding and participate in a yearlong Changemaker Programme that provides ecosystem access, mentorship, leadership development, and piloting opportunities with global brands, suppliers, and businesses. The program's stated thesis is to accelerate the textile industry's transition toward halving greenhouse gas emissions every decade, with a net-zero target by 2050.

The program's underlying "technology" is its selection and ecosystem architecture rather than a software platform: an annual open application cycle, a network of nominators who surface promising applicants, an expert panel that evaluates submissions, and — increasingly — a GCA Investor Network that channels follow-on capital into alumni teams. Winners enter the Changemaker Programme for ongoing support, and graduates populate an "Alumniverse" of 66 teams across materials, production, recycling, design, and customer-use innovation.

Commercially, GCA is not a revenue-generating entity. It is a philanthropic grant program funded by the H&M Foundation: it disburses approximately €2 million annually, charges no fees to applicants or winners, and is structurally and legally distinct from the publicly traded H&M Group (H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB) despite sharing the H&M brand. Pricing, subscription, and revenue mechanics are not applicable. The primary "customer" constituency is early-stage fashion/textile innovators seeking non-dilutive capital and industry access; the funder constituency is the Stefan Persson family via the H&M Foundation.

Name

H&M Foundation - Global Change Award

Legal name

H&M Foundation

Website

https://globalchangeaward.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Global Change Award is an annual innovation challenge run by the H&M Foundation that selects ten early-stage winners per year to receive €200,000 in non-dilutive grants plus yearlong ecosystem support, targeting changemakers working to decarbonize the global textile and fashion industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant funding disbursement: As a philanthropic foundation initiative, the Global Change Award does not generate revenue. Instead, it disburses grant funding (€200,000 per winner, ten winners annually) to early-stage innovators in the textile industry. The program is funded by the H&M Foundation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Global Change Award (GCA) is an annual innovation challenge run by the H&M Foundation that selects ten early-stage changemakers working to decarbonize the textile and fashion industry. Each winner receives €200,000 in non-dilutive grant funding and gains entry to the yearlong Changemaker Programme, which provides access to an ecosystem of mentors, investors, brands, and suppliers to help pilot and scale their innovations. The program has backed 66 trailblazing teams since 2015, with the goal of halving the textile industry's greenhouse gas emissions every decade toward net-zero by 2050.

Product overview

The Global Change Award (GCA) is a single flagship innovation challenge programme operated by the H&M Foundation, not a multi-product platform. The core offering is the annual Global Change Award competition, which selects ten early-stage changemakers each year to receive €200,000 in funding. Winners automatically enter the yearlong Changemaker Programme, which provides ecosystem access, mentorship, and support to accelerate their innovations. Since 2015, the GCA has backed 66 trailblazing teams working across materials, production, recycling, design, and customer use within the textile/fashion industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Change Award (GCA) An annual innovation challenge supporting early-stage changemakers who are ready to reimagine the fashion and textile industry from the ground up. Each year, ten winners receive €200,000 in non-dilutive grant funding and gain access to an ecosystem of partners, investors, and mentors, with the aim of halving the textile industry's greenhouse gas emissions every decade toward net-zero by 2050. Targeted at early-stage startups and entrepreneurs in materials, production, recycling, design, and customer use innovation.
• Changemaker Programme A yearlong programme that Global Change Award winners participate in, designed to grow their ideas, leadership, and business development. Provides access to an ever-growing ecosystem of support including mentors, industry partners, investors, and brands for piloting and scaling innovations. Targeted at GCA winners in the textile/fashion industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 66 trailblazing teams backed since 2015
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NominatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNominators are part of the GCA ecosystem who help identify and recommend promising early-stage innovators for the Global Change Award challenge. They play a critical role in sourcing quality applicants for the program.
• Expert PanelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert panel members evaluate and select the annual cohort of winners from the pool of applicants. They provide industry expertise and credibility to the selection process.
• Our PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners collaborate with GCA to support innovation in the textile industry. Many GCA winners collaborate with these partners to pilot and scale their innovations across the fashion supply chain.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fashion for Good: Amsterdam-based global fashion innovation platform that supports early-stage startups with circular and sustainable solutions; runs accelerators, pilots, and follow-on capital similar in mission and mechanism to GCA.
• The Mills Fabrica: Hong Kong/London-based textile and apparel innovation platform combining an incubator, investor network, and venture fund; directly comparable as a fashion-focused innovation platform with grant/equity support and industry partnerships.
• Plug and Play (Fashion & Retail): Global corporate innovation accelerator running fashion/retail vertical programs with corporate partners; comparable as a structured, cohort-based accelerator program serving early-stage fashion and retail startups.
• CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund: Annual fashion designer grant and mentorship program; directly comparable as a flagship industry grant competition offering cash prizes and ecosystem support to emerging fashion talent.

Broad incumbents

• Textile Exchange: Industry-wide nonprofit focused on preferred fibers and materials in the textile supply chain; comparable as a nonprofit driving industry-wide sustainability transformation, though focused on standards and adoption rather than grantmaking.
• Sustainable Apparel Coalition: Industry coalition of apparel/footwear brands and manufacturers developing the Higg sustainability tools; comparable as a multi-stakeholder industry initiative aiming to decarbonize apparel, though more standards- than startup-focused.
• ZDHC Foundation: Industry foundation driving zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the textile/leather value chain; comparable as a multi-stakeholder nonprofit advancing sustainability outcomes in the textile industry.

Emerging players

• Material Innovation Initiative: Nonprofit advancing next-gen materials for fashion and leather alternatives; comparable as a sustainability-focused organization supporting material innovation in the textile/apparel sector.
• Accelerate2030: Impact accelerator supporting SDG-aligned startups with mentorship and investor access; comparable as a structured accelerator program for impact-driven early-stage innovators across sectors including textiles.

Others

• Circle Economy: Circular economy think tank and platform operator; comparable as an adjacent ecosystem player advancing circularity in textiles, though operating more as an advocacy/research body than a direct grant program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrwAbgjwcFoTr6Jt0TVtUcA
• Facebookfacebook.com/hmfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/h-&-m-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hmfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments16 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about H&M Foundation - Global Change Award