Climate change has brought humanity its greatest challenge — and perhaps its best opportunity to unite — as disruptions increasingly affect environments, economies, and people’s lives around the world. The most immediate action we can take is to try to mitigate the continued changing of our climate, as we lay the groundwork for building resilience and adaptation for the future.

As countries...

At Kiva, we don’t wait for Earth Day to examine and address the undeniable truth; namely, that climate change is a defining issue of our time.

For us and many of our lender community, climate has been – and continues to be – a main focus area. Last year Kiva reached almost 100,000 people with climate-smart loans*. That's nearly one person every five minutes.

These are loans that support climate change-impacted people. Loans that promote environmental justice. Loans that facilitate the mitigation of, adaptation to, and resilience in the face of climate change....

The age-old aphorism “the customer is always right” rings true at Kiva US. Here, our “customers” are those we serve – the hardworking, talented entrepreneurs and small business owners who come to Kiva with dreams of accessing the capital that will empower them to grow their businesses. To date, we – together with more than 230,000 lenders worldwide – have facilitated the crowdfunding of more than $60M in loans to more than 8,000 individuals in the U.S....

Kiva’s mission is to open financial opportunity for all — especially those in underserved communities. At Kiva US, we provide small business owners with micro-loans at 0% interest and with zero fees. We’re proud to celebrate the work we did toward furthering our mission in 2022 with the support, passion, and shared commitment to financial inclusion from our dedicated partners and lenders. Here are some of the things...

Each International Women's Day, gender equality is a recurring theme across social media and global political dialogues. With all this focus, it can feel like we have come a long way toward reaching gender parity. And that's true — in some spaces.

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, one of which was to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment by 2030. Since then, we have seen...

Each year, the World Economic Forum releases its Global Gender Gap Report, ranking countries by gender equality and tracking the progress of gender equality around the world. 

In 2022, the WEF processed data from 146 countries to find where in the world gender equality is the highest—and where women still experience fundamental obstacles to equal opportunity, political representation and financial inclusion....

At Kiva US, we’re constantly exploring how we can better serve the hardworking, passionate, inspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners who crowdfund a loan with us. This exploration involves testing, learning, and innovating. Without this forward-thinking mindset, rethinking creditworthiness and creating systemic changes to make financial security and financial mobility in this...

Just east of the Ghananian capital of Accra, Catherine expertly strings beads onto a needle.

“I’m the type who likes using my hands,” she says as she chooses another carved bauble from a table of various glass jars — jars full of clay, wood, and other beads.

Catherine spends her days crafting bracelets, necklaces and other adornments in her jewelry workshop in the small...

Outside the Ecuadorian agricultural center of Portoviejo, Rosa sweeps her arm out over a field of bright green plants, their tops swelling with rice.

“As you can see, this is my crop,” says Rosa, beaming with pride as she explains how she’s used her most recent Kiva loan. “This investment is for the rice—I buy and I sell.”

Rosa serves as a prime example of how the effect...

As an entrepreneur, Manal faces the usual challenges - finding customers, stocking up on materials, and keeping up with the competition. But as a woman, Manal has also had to shut down those in her community that disapprove of her running a business.

When she opened her own sewing workshop five years ago in a village just south of Jenin, Palestine, Manal was met with some tart criticism...

In Crucita, Ecuador, the roar of the Pacific Ocean plays a part in every conversation.

This is especially true on the patio of the The Aloha Bar Restaurant, where Noemi, the owner of this popular luau-themed gathering spot, gently raises her voice to be heard above the waves crashing on the shore just a few steps away. But she has come to enjoy the waves...

Kiva is a simple way to make a world of difference: just lend to a borrower or cause you care about, then watch your dollars do good, get repaid, and lend again to a new borrower with a dream to fund.

When you donate to Kiva, not only are you supporting the work that makes it possible to lend to individuals around the world, you’re also advancing our mission to expand financial access and help underserved communities thrive.

We match you with borrowers across the globe and...