Frequently Asked Questions

At Kiva, lending and donating go hand-in-hand to expand financial access and help underserved communities thrive. Here are the main things to know about Kiva lending vs. donating:

Lending with Kiva

  • 100% of your loans go to supporting borrowers.

  • Borrowers can use their loan to make positive changes in their lives and communities.

  • Borrowers repay loans on a schedule that encourages their success, not as an added burden.

  • Once a loan is repaid, you can relend your funds and help even more people.

Donating to Kiva

  • Donations help our team of 100+ distribute your loans in 80+ countries.

  • Kiva can invest in scaling services that meet the financial access needs of even more people in more countries.

  • Your support advances our mission to create a world where all people hold the power to improve their lives.

  • Donations are one-time gifts, eligible for a tax deduction in the U.S.

  • You can donate at any time, and can easily add a donation any time you lend!

When you donate to Kiva, not only are you supporting the work that makes lending to individuals around the world possible, you’re also advancing our mission to expand financial access and help underserved communities thrive. Donations drive all the work we do:

  • Power the day-to-day operations that go into building and maintaining Kiva’s programs, enabling us to use 100% of dollars lent to support borrowers around the world.

  • Pioneer tech platforms and solutions that connect lenders and borrowers, while also integrating with hundreds of financial institutions around the world.

  • Analyze and monitor the financial health, lending practices, and consumer protection policies for our network of lending partners to ensure we achieve our targeted depth and breadth of impact within key communities.

  • Introduce innovative new products and programs, such as piloting refugee lending, launching impact investment funds that mobilize capital at scale, and developing new loan products that meet the needs of social enterprises, unbanked Americans, and other focus groups.

Kiva's staff and volunteers work hard to ensure every dollar donated to Kiva is used efficiently.

Donations support a variety of programs, including:

  • Sending expert staff to over 80 countries to cultivate new partnerships, expand Kiva’s reach and perform due diligence and monitoring.

  • Building and maintaining the complex technical infrastructure that facilitates over $1 million in loans each week.

  • Training and supporting several hundred volunteers who translate and edit every loan posted on the Kiva website.

  • Supporting the needs of our valued lenders around the world, developing engagement programs and answering customer service inquiries.

To learn more about how we use donations, check out our most recent Annual Report.

Yes. Unlike loans made on Kiva’s website, donations to Kiva are considered tax-deductible charitable contributions in the United States.

Kiva is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, registered in the state of California. We do not have tax-deductible status in any other countries at this time.

Many companies will match charitable donations their employees make. Check here, or check directly with your company, to see if they will double your donations to Kiva's operating expenses.

If you need Kiva to fill out a matching request for your donation, send the form as an attachment to matchinggifts@kiva.org

Absolutely. To make a donation to Kiva's operating expenses by check, please do the following:

Step 1: Write your check payable to 'Kiva Microfunds.'

Step 2: On the back of the check, write 'Donate All' and the mailing address where you'd like to receive a donation receipt (if different from the address on the check)

Step 3: Mail the check to:

Kiva Attn: Finance Department 986 Mission Street, Suite #400 San Francisco, CA 94103

Unfortunately donations made offline will not be reflected in your online Kiva account. Donation receipts will be provided by mail for offline donations. If you’d like your donation to be reflected in your Kiva account, please make your donation online.

Including Kiva in your estate plan is one of the most meaningful ways to continue supporting borrowers into the future. With our partner, FreeWill, you can easily create your will or trust for free online, notify us of a bequest, and/or designate Kiva as the beneficiary of a non-probate asset. If you have questions, please reach out to majorgiving@kiva.org.

Yes! You can support Kiva in many ways, from donating stocks, DAFs, cryptocurrency, through legacy giving, and more. You can explore additional ways to financially support Kiva here.

We’d love to help with your gift to Kiva. Please reach out to our major gifts team at majorgiving@kiva.org.