Fuel the future of small businesses in the U.S.

Your donation helps entrepreneurs—especially women, people of color, and immigrants—gain the capital they need to thrive.

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From your donation to real businesses

See exactly how your gift moves through Kiva’s platform, from funding diverse entrepreneurs to powering long-term growth.

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Step 1

Start with a donation

Choose your donation amount and help the fund get started supporting U.S. entrepreneurs.

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step 2

Your donation is lent out

Funds are distributed to U.S. entrepreneurs who meet Kiva’s criteria.

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step 3

See the ripple effect

As loans are repaid, your capital is re-lent—creating continuous cycles of impact.

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step 4

Be part of a movement

Invite friends, colleagues, and your community to join the fund and multiply the change.

Communities support communities

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Community builders

Your contributions create opportunities that strengthen local economies.

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Equity champions

You open doors for often-excluded entrepreneurs by funding Black- and women-owned businesses.

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Local supporters

You’re inspired by Small Business Saturday — and proud your impact impact lasts beyond it.

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Team organizers

You rally others to give—because together, your impact goes further than it could alone.

Why fund Kiva loans? Because they work.

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“Kiva gave me the opportunity to invest in the technology we needed to be able to grow (my) platform. So Kiva is near and dear to my heart.”

— Danielle, Tennessee, U.S
Carmen, U.S.

“I was born in Guatemala and don’t have a long enough credit history to get a loan here. This Kiva loan bought a van and expanded my business.”

— Carmen, Florist, California, U.S.
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"One of the big things that I like about the Kiva loan is it helped me connect with my community...it helped me realize that I have a whole community behind me."

— Hannah, Utah, U.S.

What does systemically marginalized mean?

Kiva expands access to those who are most excluded from the financial system, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, refugees and immigrants, women and gender nonconforming individuals, Black and African Americans, the Latinx community, Indigenous people, and People of Color.

US entrepreneur stats

The impact you create

73%

of borrowers improved their business outlook

46%

of borrowers saw their business grow

59%

of borrowers increased their business income

*From clients of Kiva Lending Partners surveyed by independent researchers 60 Decibels. Read more

Frequently asked questions

You still get borrower updates, but your funds are automatically re-lent and you can invite others to join your fund — turning individual impact into collective action.

No, because these funds are technically a donation to Kiva, they cannot be withdrawn. This is the first time lending through Kiva is tax-deductible, and you can give through your donor advised fund (DAF). These funds will be re-lent in perpetuity to continuously support borrowers. 

Not yet! Because this is still a new experience, fund activity isn’t fully integrated into your individual lender profile. You’ll still get borrower updates and see how your fund is growing, but those updates will come through a separate dashboard. Over time, we aim to connect this more seamlessly with your lender profile so you can see your full Kiva journey in one place.

With lending teams, you can attribute specific loans to a group and track your collective impact. Collective giving funds go a step further: donations are pooled and automatically lent out to borrowers in the impact area you choose. As borrowers repay, funds are re-lent again. This recycling grows the impact of your fund over time — without extra work from you.

Yes, you select your impact area — such as women, refugees, climate-threatened communities, or U.S. entrepreneurs. We’ll do the rest, so you can support people continuously as loan repayments are made, and you’ll be able to see exactly who you’ve supported.

Absolutely — in fact, we encourage it! Sharing your fund link is a powerful way to multiply your impact.

100% of your first donation goes directly to borrowers. As those loans are repaid and re-lent, Kiva retains a portion of the repayments as a donation to manage the fund and support our work. This helps us keep the experience seamless, fund new borrower opportunities, and fuel Kiva’s mission in 83 countries. You can learn more here about how donations sustain our impact.

Join a community of changemakers

When you donate to a U.S. small business fund, you’re not just giving—you’re building a movement for equity, opportunity, and prosperity. Together, we can close the capital gap and unleash the potential of thousands of entrepreneurs.