Kiva

🌍 Together with a global network of partners across five continents and 70 countries, Kiva helps foster financial inclusion for underserved entrepreneurs. ↓ There are over a billion unbanked people worldwide, people who don’t have access to bank accounts, lines of credit, and other financial services. This makes both starting small businesses and basic survival very difficult. Kiva collaborates with diverse, impact-first partners that are rooted in the regions they serve, working on the ground to provide the financial access and resources people need to improve their lives. Local change. Impact first. Click the link in our comments to learn more about how Kiva works with on-the-ground partners worldwide.

💡 If this post is your first time hearing about Kiva, an introduction.... Kiva expands financial access to help underserved communities thrive. Why? Because there are over a billion unbanked people worldwide. That’s a billion people who don’t have a credit card for emergencies, a debit card for easy access to their money, or a credit history to help them get a loan. Kiva is an international nonprofit that tackles this inequality. By connecting people through crowdfunded loans, Kiva puts the power of financial inclusion in all our hands. Learn more about Kiva: https://www.kiva.org/about

Something is wrong with how the world finances high-impact businesses. Across emerging markets, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up 90% of all businesses and support 60% of employment. But just 18% of SME financing reaches women-owned businesses. And less than 10% of global climate financing reaches the enterprises doing the most urgent climate work. The global economy hasn't figured out how to fund what actually matters. That's why we're deepening our partnership with Miller Center for Global Impact. Kiva brings 20 years of experience deploying catalytic capital in underserved markets. Miller Center brings nearly three decades of accelerating social enterprises globally. Together, we're focused on closing the funding and support gap for the businesses that need it most. More to come. #SocialEnterprise #ImpactInvesting #Partnerships

Partnerships with financial institutions help Kiva expand access to capital for BIPOC entrepreneurs in the U.S. Here’s an example: Kiva has partnered with Capital One since 2013, providing access to 0% interest, $0 fee loans to underestimated entrepreneurs across the U.S. In 2024, Capital One invested $2.5 million into a revolving loan fund, matching crowdfunded loans to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) borrowers who face systemic barriers to securing startup capital. The ongoing grant is already helping these entrepreneurs climb the capital ladder. The results? Check out the graphic below 👇: And schedule a call to partner with Kiva: https://bit.ly/4vTvlav

Ah, one of the many pains of job-seeking...do you remember this feeling? ↓ No matter how long ago or recent this was for you, picture this: You're applying for an entry-level job. You just need that one "yes" to finally gain concrete experience in your field, open doors, and learn and grow. But the job listing says you need two years of experience to apply. The problem is, you can’t get two years of job experience until you get...job experience. You need a company to let you in the door. So this becomes a cycle for a while, one that feels nearly impossible to break. Now, take that frustration and magnify it: Imagine you're trying to start a small business but have no credit history. You need capital, which you don’t have yet, to get things off the ground. But when you apply for loans, you’re denied...because of a lack of credit history. Getting that first loan would help build your credit history. It's a cycle that affects many people. 40% of U.S. entrepreneurs lack access to affordable capital. Plus, BIPOC-owned businesses are 3X more likely to be turned away by banks in the U.S. compared to their counterparts. Kiva is a microfinance nonprofit that has been expanding financial access for underserved communities worldwide since 2005. And in 2011, Kiva began supporting entrepreneurs from systemically marginalized communities in the United States. Support from financial partners such as Columbia Bank, Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank, and others has helped Kiva open the door for first-time borrowers. Book a meeting with Kiva if you'd like your bank to help spread financial inclusion for entrepreneurs. https://bit.ly/4vTvlav

Earlier this week, you learned the first part of how Kiva loans work. Here’s Part 2. ↓ A refresher: Margarita is a 24-year-old single mother in El Salvador who applied for a Kiva loan to expand her tortilla-making business. Through Kiva Lending Partner Credicampo, Margarita took out a $1000 loan. And together, 31 lenders successfully crowdfunded her loan! Here's what happened next: ✅ After the loan was successfully crowdfunded, Kiva transferred the loan to the Lending Partner. Here, 100% of the loan amount was sent via wire transfer to Credicampo. ✅ Margarita used her Kiva loan to buy corn, gas, and firewood so she could improve production, increase her income to support her family, and keep her children in school. ✅ As Margarita started earning more, she began sending repayments to Credicampo, which were repaid to the lenders who helped fund her loan. ✅ Lenders then relent their funds to support another borrower again and again. This process doesn’t just apply to individual lenders. Corporations and philanthropic organizations can also help support underserved entrepreneurs in the U.S. and around the world through this Kiva model. Support is needed now more than ever because right now, critical funding that helps support underserved entrepreneurs is shrinking. As others step back, now is the time to step up. Email partnerships@kiva.org to partner with Kiva.

Kiva’s competitive advantage: a crowdsourced, revolving loan model that amplifies impact for entrepreneurs all over the world. But…how do Kiva loans work? Part 1. ↓ Learn from an example of a real Kiva borrower, Margarita. Margarita is a 24-year-old single mother from El Salvador who started a tortilla-making business. 1. Margarita needed $1,000 to expand her business, so she applied for a loan with Credicampo, a microfinance institution (MFI) and one of Kiva’s Lending Partners. 2. Credicampo posted Margarita’s loan to Kiva.org to cover the cost of the loan, with editing and translation help from Kiva volunteers. 3. Lenders contributed as little as $25 each toward Margarita’s goal. Together, people came together to crowdfund the full loan amount. 4. The loan was successfully funded: For Margarita, 31 lenders crowdsourced the full $1000 loan. Then, when Margarita repaid the loan, those same lenders got their money back and were free to lend to another entrepreneur. Every day, lenders have an opportunity to support entrepreneurs like Margarita all around the world. And, corporations and philanthropic organizations — there’s an opportunity for you to help. Right now, funding for organizations that combat inequality is shrinking. By partnering with Kiva, you can help make a positive impact. Email partnerships@kiva.org to partner with Kiva. P.S. Tune in later this week for Part 2 on how Kiva loans work.

Breaking down the Kiva model ↓: In a traditional charity model, your one-time monetary contribution helps create real impact. But once that amount is spent, your contribution’s lifecycle ends. With Kiva, your monetary contribution gets recycled to new people as borrowers repay in a revolving loan model. You can use the same dollars again and again, helping a new borrower each time your loan is repaid. Think of it this way: Your same $25 could help someone open a salon, then support a child’s education, then invest in community solar panels, and so on. Kiva has funded over $2 billion in loans thanks to this one simple yet impactful process. And this sets Kiva apart. Your corporation or philanthropic organization can partner with Kiva to reach underserved entrepreneurs worldwide through this unique approach. Email partnerships@kiva.org to partner with Kiva.

Refugee RADAR is Kiva’s proprietary tool that helps assess how much and how effectively local Lending Partners support refugees and IDPs. Read more about it ↓:

💡Kiva’s proven track record is changing how the financial industry engages with displaced communities. Here’s how ↓: ✅ Helping more providers launch refugee lending: Kiva's risk-tolerant funding through crowdfunded loans enables Lending Partners to pilot refugee lending. This funding can also help partners maintain stable cash flow, ensuring they can continue lending even during crises. ✅ Supporting partners' ability to scale lending to refugees: As financial service providers see that lending to displaced communities is viable, they grow their refugee client base. And after partnering with Kiva, many organizations gain access to additional funds from other investors, enabling them to expand their services. ✅ Bolstering partners’ capacity to serve refugees better: Supporting refugees takes more than funding — that’s why Kiva provides capacity building opportunities to Lending Partners. By investing in training, research, and advisory services, Kiva equips partners with tools to serve refugee communities more effectively. 🌱 Corporate and philanthropic partners help Kiva work with more Lending Partners around the world and, through that, reach more refugee entrepreneurs. Click the link in our comments to learn about partnering with Kiva.