About
Kiva is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (legal name Kiva Microfunds) that expands financial access to help underserved communities thrive. Through its crowdfunding platform, people around the world lend as little as $25 to support microloans for entrepreneurs and others whom traditional banks typically reject — addressing a global problem in which more than one billion people remain unbanked and lack access to basic financial tools.
Mission
Kiva's stated purpose is to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive. The organization focuses on people excluded from traditional finance, prioritizing climate-affected populations, women entrepreneurs facing unequal access to capital, refugees rebuilding after displacement, and marginalized communities in the United States.
What they do
- Operates a crowdfunding platform where individuals lend money (starting at $25) to fund microloans for borrowers in underserved communities.
- Channels loans to priority groups including women, refugees, climate-affected communities, and underserved U.S. communities; two of every three Kiva loans have gone to women since the organization's founding.
- Maintains its headquarters in San Francisco with international offices in Bangkok, Nairobi, and Portland.
Kiva notes that lending through its platform involves risk of principal loss and that repayment is not guaranteed.
History
Kiva was founded in March 2005. Its first loan was $500 to Elizabeth in Uganda to expand her fish-mongering business — an inaugural loan that symbolized the organization's approach of small amounts creating meaningful change.
Scale and impact
All-time figures published by Kiva include:
- $2.4 billion in loans funded through 2.9 million loans.
- 6 million people impacted, with one person supported every 90 seconds.
- 5 million people have used Kiva loans to change their lives over the organization's history.
- In Africa, Kiva's largest region by reach, loans totaling $638 million have reached 2.4 million people.
- In a 2022 survey of 5,200 borrowers, 90 percent said their quality of life had improved, 88 percent said their business income had increased, and 85 percent said they were better able to manage their finances.
Financials
Per ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for the fiscal year ending June 2025 Kiva Microfunds reported revenue of $39,775,082, expenses of $34,544,467, and net assets of $34,888,351. Contributions accounted for 85.1 percent of revenue, with investment income comprising 9.9 percent.