Mastercard Foundation

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation is a global philanthropic organisation with its head office in Toronto, Canada. It was created in 2006 through a gift from Mastercard, yet it operates independently from the company. Its main focus is young people in Africa. Through a strategy called Young Africa Works, it aims to help up to 30 million young people find dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.

Education sits at the centre of that plan. The Foundation backs both scholarships and youth employment programmes. The Foundation believes that talented young people from poor families need both money and support to finish their studies and lead change in their communities.

The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

The Scholars Program began in 2012 as a US$500 million initiative. It works through partner universities and schools in Africa and around the world. Each partner selects scholars who are academically strong but economically disadvantaged. A scholarship under this programme is more than a fee waiver. It usually combines financial aid with mentoring, leadership training and career support.

The programme also expects scholars to give back. The Foundation looks for young people with a clear wish to improve conditions in their home countries. After graduation, many scholars join alumni networks and return to work across the continent.

For South African applicants, the best-known route is the partnership with the University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley hosts its Mastercard Foundation Scholars through its Center for African Studies. It supported more than 120 undergraduate and master's students between 2012 and 2020. Looking ahead to 2030, it aims to support over 200 master's students from Africa. Doctoral students are not eligible, and the university gives priority to people with disabilities and to refugees or displaced people.

What to know before applying

At Berkeley, you cannot apply for the scholarship by itself. First, you must apply for admission to a master's programme through the regular graduate admissions process. Then, if you meet the programme's requirements, you receive an invitation to apply for the scholarship. Read the eligibility page on the Berkeley programme site before you begin, since the rules and openings can change.

Competition is strong because the number of places is small. Therefore, start early. Build a solid undergraduate record, gather your referees and write a statement that shows leadership and community involvement. Also check English-language and testing requirements for your chosen course.

Other partner universities run their own versions of the programme, each with separate rules and deadlines. Terms differ between institutions, so check each one's official page. Finally, treat any message that asks you for fees as a warning sign, because genuine scholarship applications do not charge for selection.