Mission:
 To connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.

Background:
 Matthew and Jessica Flannery were inspired to launch Kiva in 2004 after spending several months working in rural Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda and being impressed by the hundreds of small businesses started by the Village Enterprise Fund (VEF), where Jessica was a staff member. In March 2005, Kiva — a Swahili word meaning "agreement" or "unity" — began to raise loans for seven businesses in Uganda. A few years later, in 2008, two offshoots —Kiva High School and Campus Kiva — were created to engage high school and college-age students in microfinance and help others around the world. Since Kiva's founding, more than 617,000 people have used its main Web site to lend a total of $235 million to more than 607,000 entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Outstanding Web Features:
 Registered users can set up a personal profile, view and support entrepreneurs in need, join or create a lending team, connect to others with similar interests, and recommend "updates" from borrowers, lenders, and Kiva staff and partners. The main Kiva portal also includes information on how microfinance works, the organization's fellows program, and employment and volunteer opportunities; electronic and downloadable outreach tools; and a database focused on its field partners. The Kiva High School site includes a map of chapters, an online forum, and a list of resources and related links. Campus Kiva includes information about how to set up a new chapter, a list of partnering universities, and resources for educators.