ABOUT KIVA

Kiva is an international nonprofit, founded in 2005 and based in San Francisco, with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. We celebrate and support people looking to create a better future for themselves, their families and their communities. By lending as little as $25 on Kiva, anyone can help a borrower start or grow a business, go to school, access clean energy or realize their potential. For some, it’s a matter of survival, for others it’s the fuel for a life-long ambition. 100% of every dollar you lend on Kiva goes to funding loans. Kiva covers costs primarily through optional donations, as well as through support from grants and sponsors. Builders Surplus proudly supports Kiva by donating monthly and using our repayments to continue funding more and more loans. Click below to join our team and add your dollars to increase our lending power!

BEYOND CHARITY, RETHINKING HOW WE GIVE
Kiva believes in giving a hand up, not a hand out. It stems from the belief that if you give a man a fish, he will eat for one day. If you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime. These Mirco Loans are sometimes the ONLY access to capital these borrowers will ever have, as regular banks will not lend to them. The smallest loans can make a monumental impact on someones life, family, and entire community! This is what we can do to alleviate poverty one dollar at a time. With Kiva, we give loans, not donations, so your money is repaid. It then grows in our account so that we can fund even more businesses and change even more lives and communities. As a building supply retailer and remodeling company, we loan to others that have dreams of creating a retail store or building industry related business. Come join our team and start changing lives!

What Makes Kiva Unique?

It’s a Loan, Not a Donation

We believe lending alongside thousands of others is one of the most powerful and sustainable ways to create economic and social good. Lending on Kiva creates a partnership of mutual dignity and makes it easy to touch more lives with the same dollar. Fund a loan, get repaid, fund another.

You choose where to make an impact

Whether you lend to friends in your community, or people halfway around the world (and for many, it’s both), Kiva creates the opportunity to play a special part in someone else’s story. At Kiva, loans aren’t just about money—they’re a way to create connection and relationships.

Pushing the boundaries of a loan

Kiva started as a pioneer in crowdfunding in 2005, and is constantly innovating to meet people’s diverse lending needs. Whether it’s reinventing microfinance with more flexible terms, supporting community-wide projects or lowering costs to borrowers, we are always testing and learning.

Lifting one, to lift many

When a Kiva loan enables someone to grow a business and create opportunity for themselves, it creates opportunities for others as well. That ripple effect can shape the future for a family or an entire community.

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