Nest

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Model & Strategy

Nest brings artisan business development, global sector solutions and industry advocacy to artisans around the world. The core of its work focuses on delivering short-term, tailored business development programming to artisans in developing and underserved communities. Nest’s mission is to build a more socially responsible and sustainable industry for handmade production, so that poverty alleviation, women’s empowerment and cultural preservation, become realities for tens of millions of people globally.

Nest uniquely impacts the artisan-brand relationship at multiple points along the supply chain, addressing artisan business’ barriers to production, management and market access by providing a fee-for-service model bringing earned revenue to the organization from brands like Patagonia, West Elm, Eileen Fisher and Stella McCartney. Nest works with over 30 brands.

At a Glance
Founded: 2006
By: Rebecca van Bergen
Economic Empowerment
Location of work: International, Africa, Asia, South America
http://www.buildanest.org
Nest
501 5th Avenue #1608
New York, NY 10017
Dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries.
Design being applied to fabric
Rebecca Van Bergen of Nest
Meet Rebecca van Bergen

Recognizing craft as a cornerstone of emerging economies around the world, Rebecca van Bergen saw an opportunity to transform craft into a tool for positive social and economic change. Following this conviction, Rebecca entered a social enterprise business plan competition hosted by Washington University and took home the grand prize: the seed money for Nest. The organization began by micro-bartering — lending artisans money to produce goods, then selling the products to recoup those loans.  Seeing value in the third party neutrality of being removed from the supply chain, Nest eliminated sales in 2011 with the aim of sustainability, not dependence.

Rebecca won the Ashoka and C&A Foundation’s Fabric of Change Award in 2016. She is a Levi Strauss & Co. Collaboratory Fellow, a Cordes Fellow, and GLG Social ImpactFellow. In 2015 and 2016, Rebecca received complimentary CGI membership.

IMPACT

Nest has provided more than 46,000 individual artisans with access to expert-led webinars, phone consultations, onsite fellowship placements, market access opportunities, and a living library of tools.

Nest completed 30+ ethical compliance assessments with major brands in 2016 reaching an additional 10,000 artisans.

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