As Covid-19 spread around the world, Nest reacted quickly to launch a relief program for artisan and maker businesses in our network.

With generous support from a number of corporate and philanthropic partners, as well as several loyal friends of Nest, we provided timely financial and business support to program recipients.

With funding from our PPE Purchasing Initiative and Covid-19 Relief Grants recipients were able to keep their doors open and workers employed through the height of the pandemic. Some even reported hiring more workers to meet the demand for masks!

This initiative reduced the financial burden and threat of unemployment for small textile businesses by financing their production of high-quality and/or medical-grade PPE to be donated to frontline workers in their local communities or hotspot locations.

Through the PPE Purchasing Initiative, 56 artisan businesses received funding. They recouped 40% of Covid-related losses and retained 50% of their workforces. And together, program recipients made and donated 200,000+ masks in less than 8 weeks.