The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), a Kiva U.S. partner, has achieved massive depth and breadth of impact in its community.
WWBIC first partnered with Kiva as a Trustee in 2014 and was later one of the first Kiva Hubs when the program launched in 2019. Hubs are local organizations – typically technical assistance providers, small business accelerators, incubators, or CDFIs – that work directly with entrepreneurs and expand access to capital in their communities.
WWBIC’s approach, which spans capital access, training, coaching, and financial wellness, made it a natural fit for Kiva.
WWBIC’s impact in numbers
To date, WWBIC, in partnership with Kiva, has facilitated more than $6.2 million in zero-interest, zero-fee, community-backed loans for nearly 800 small business owners across Wisconsin.
By unlocking risk-tolerant capital for entrepreneurs who are often excluded from the traditional financial system, they are opening doors for those who have historically been underserved and underestimated, creating new pathways to opportunity and credit.
How Capital Access Managers make this possible
Behind this impact are Capital Access Managers (CAMs) – staff at Kiva Hub organizations trained to connect entrepreneurs to Kiva. CAMs play a central role throughout the lending journey, from application and fundraising through repayment and beyond. They also build local lending communities by bringing together people who make these loans possible. Below is a Q&A featuring Bella Sgriccia, WWBIC’s Capital Access Manager. Read insights from a recent conversation about her work and the initiative she piloted and now leads, Money with a Mission, which connects personal financial wellness to long-term business success.
Meet WWBIC’S Capital Access Manager, Bella Sgriccia
Can you tell us a bit about your role at WWBIC and the work you do?
At its core, my role involves connecting entrepreneurs across Wisconsin with the Kiva loan opportunity, guiding them through the application and fundraising process, and continuing to work with them through repayment and beyond. I also work in a newer area of the organization focused on financial empowerment and wellness, where I provide counseling and coaching.
It wasn’t where I expected to land – I didn’t think I would end up working in finance or supporting small businesses in this way. I’ve always seen myself as a stories person – I’m a human person, not a math person. But in this role, I’ve found myself working more and more with data, financial tools, and analysis. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s the stories that push me to dig into the numbers, the people I work with, their journeys, and their businesses. That’s what drives my curiosity to really understand what the data is telling us.
What I didn’t fully realize until I stepped into this work is how impactful it is to partner with small business owners. Seeing firsthand how much access to capital and the right resources can shape – or even transform – someone’s trajectory has really changed how I think about economic development. I feel honored to be part of it.
A big part of the work is continuously looking for ways to better meet entrepreneurs’ needs – both today and over the long term. That means making sure they have the tools to put what they’re learning into practice, and helping them access additional funding as they continue to grow.
I’ll admit, I’m naturally competitive – and I try to bring that energy into what I do. Last year, we were able to facilitate more loans through Kiva than through WWBIC’s other lending programs, which was a really exciting milestone!
What were you seeing in your work with entrepreneurs that led you to create the Money with a Mission program?
About a year and a half into being a CAM, I started to realize that one of the biggest barriers to accessing capital was financial knowledge at its most basic level. I was getting questions like, ‘What is household income?’
I couldn’t in good conscience move people forward in the Kiva process without that foundation, because we’re ultimately trying to support responsible borrowing. But it also raised a bigger question for me: when banks say no, they say WWBIC. When WWBIC says no, they say Kiva. And when Kiva says no, where do people go?
WWBIC already offers a wide range of training and resources, from marketing to financial tools like QuickBooks, but to me, it didn’t feel like enough to simply point someone to a class and expect that alone would lead to a yes. People need encouragement and guidance, especially when they’re navigating their business journeys on their own. It can be really lonely – and hearing “no” is hard, especially for people who have big ideas and are trying to solve real problems in their communities.
That realization pushed me to start digging deeper. I began reading – books like The Financial Feminist, Rich AF, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, and The Psychology of Money – and eventually pursued my National Financial Health Certification. From there, I developed a curriculum and piloted what became Money with a Mission, creating a space where entrepreneurs could build the financial foundation they need to move forward.
What does Money with a Mission look like in practice, and what has stood out to you from working with participants?
Money with a Mission started as a six-week series that we piloted in 2025 – meeting once a week, almost like a book club. It gave people space to engage with different perspectives on financial wellness and start mapping out their own plans in a way that felt approachable.
What has really stood out to me is how different everyone’s starting point is, and how much people are carrying into their financial lives – their responsibilities, their experiences, and everything that shapes how they see money. I’ve worked with a newlywed who was having her first real financial conversation with her partner, someone navigating being unhoused, a contractor dealing with inconsistent income, and single mothers trying to balance everything.
This program wasn’t just about teaching them things – it was about teaching them how to find the tools that work for them, whether that’s an app, a podcast, a book, or even a Netflix series.
What excites me most is that, beyond those six weeks, they leave knowing where to go and how to keep learning. Financial information is always changing, but now they have a way to navigate it confidently, independently – and they can carry that with them. What challenges do you still see impacting entrepreneurs as they build their businesses?
One thing I’ve seen in this work is that many of the entrepreneurs we support don’t fit into the traditional 9–5 economy – and that’s often exactly what makes them entrepreneurs. They’re creative, resilient, deeply connected to the problems they’re trying to solve in their communities, and have incredible ideas, but are also navigating systems that weren’t really designed with them in mind.
I think about people like Tevaris, who was repeatedly turned away from jobs because of his past incarceration – even after earning 17 certifications while he was incarcerated. He’s spoken about being laughed out of interviews, despite doing everything he could to pave a different path. Through Kiva, he was able to launch a trucking company that now creates opportunities for others navigating reentry – he’s now preparing to hire his first employee after successfully funding his second loan.
I think about Sarah, who shared openly and courageously about her experiences with mental health and the challenges of navigating more conventional work environments.
Through Kiva, she found her voice and built two businesses centered on wellness – offering things like sound baths and group therapy – and now speaks at WWBIC events and in the community, inspiring others along the way.
We also see barriers tied to things like citizenship – where people are running businesses, contributing to their communities, and creating opportunities for others, but don’t have access to traditional forms of capital.
The entrepreneurs I work with bring so much determination and creativity to the table. These are individuals who see gaps in their communities – often problems that existing institutions haven’t been able to solve – and step in to fill them. The challenge isn’t a lack of ideas or effort, but rather making sure the support around them can meet them where they are. And that’s what pushes us to keep learning, adapting, and finding better ways to meet their needs. I already have ideas for what’s next for Money with a Mission!
What’s possible with curiosity, commitment, and community
Bella’s work reflects what’s possible when curiosity, commitment, and community come together. She leans into the complexities of this work, looking closely at where entrepreneurs face barriers and finding ways to make access to capital more approachable and actionable.
She’s grateful to be part of the journey for so many small business owners, supporting them as they grow their businesses, better manage their finances, and make tangible progress toward their personal and professional goals.
The importance of Kiva U.S. Hubs and WWBIC
At Kiva U.S., we see firsthand how partnerships like this – and efforts like Money with a Mission – expand access while also strengthening financial readiness.
None of Kiva’s impact in the U.S. would be possible without thoughtful, intentional partners like Bella and the team at WWBIC, who are immersed in this work every day and help ensure entrepreneurs have the tools and confidence they need to get started – or start again.
