Visa taps SCORE for Tap In to Impact, backing small-business mentoring tied to soccer’s U.S. momentum

Visa is lining up small-business support in the U.S. around the sport’s big-year storyline, naming SCORE as its sole U.S. nonprofit partner for the Tap In to Impact campaign. The effort is designed to direct funding and resources to local entrepreneurs as soccer excitement builds in host communities, using mentorship as a practical bridge from fan attention to business growth.

Through Tap In to Impact, Visa said it is committing $600,000 across the United States, Mexico and Canada to nonprofit partners that can help small businesses translate “global excitement into long-term growth and success.” The structure of the program calls for $200,000 per nonprofit partner, and SCORE is set to receive that U.S. allocation as the campaign’s only U.S. nonprofit selection.

SCORE positions its role as free, expert mentoring and low- to no-cost educational programming aimed at helping entrepreneurs access the tools and guidance they need to operate and expand. The organization framed its work with a soccer metaphor, noting that in soccer a “tap in” is a goal scored from close range, the result of preparation, positioning and teamwork, and likening those elements to business mentorship during key moments.

Visa’s announcement highlighted SCORE’s scale, saying the network includes more than 7,000 volunteers, operates through 165 chapters across the country, and has provided business mentoring for decades. SCORE also tied the campaign to its own “tap-ins” branding, with the executive director stating that the organization has been delivering mentoring for 60 years, even if it is formally described as business coaching rather than sports terminology.

The partnership also reflects Visa’s broader Tap In campaign concept, which the company described as efforts to bring fans closer to the game while supporting small businesses in host communities. In this installment, the company is essentially combining community-level nonprofit capacity with funding meant to underwrite mentoring and programming for entrepreneurs during a period when interest in soccer could increase foot traffic, demand, and promotional opportunities for local merchants.

For Visa, the move fits within a recurring corporate approach to local giving tied to major cultural and sports events, but it is notable for its specificity: the company is not simply announcing general charity support. Instead, it is spelling out a defined U.S. nonprofit partner and a dollar amount intended to cover entrepreneurship assistance, with SCORE as the delivery mechanism.

SCORE’s role as the sole U.S. partner may also concentrate impact, but it raises the question of how outcomes will be measured and whether the campaign will be expanded based on performance. Visa did not detail in the announcement how success will be tracked, how many businesses will be served, or what specific programming formats the $200,000 will underwrite in each SCORE chapter.

Looking ahead, what to watch is whether Visa and SCORE provide follow-on updates on participation, mentoring capacity, and any reported business outcomes from the campaign. With soccer’s U.S. profile continuing to rise this year, the initiative will also be watched as a test of whether event-linked community support can translate into tangible benefits for small businesses beyond a temporary spike in attention.