Search

Funding & Collaboration Partnerships

Collab Exchange Trustee Program

The typical Kiva borrower not only needs capital but also benefits from being connected to a network of available local resources and opportunities. The Collab Exchange is invested in economic development in our communities. We provide wrap-around services to small business owners in our community and use relationships to source entrepreneurs that we believe would benefit from Kiva’s capital. The Collab Exchange will publicly vouch for borrowers on Kiva.org through “endorsements” and have access to a comprehensive dashboard while receiving the technical guidance needed to open, grow and scale businesses.  
Benefits of working with a Kiva Trustee Partner

  • Track your impact over time: Track and share the data on your loans to clearly communicate your impact to funders, community partners, and local citizens.  
  • Increase the exposure of your organization: Your Trustee profile publicly showcases your current impact to Kiva’s more than 2 million lenders around the world. Your public endorsement acts as your seal of approval for a business owner, connecting your organization to their success! 
  • Build local networks Trustees can create lending teams to rally more support for their endorsed borrowers. Our Trustees also receive a monthly newsletter and the opportunity to join quarterly webinars to connect with Trustees all over the US. 
  • Be a true community investor: By helping entrepreneurs gain access to funding to start or grow a business, you have the chance to make an integral impact in your community. By becoming a Certified Trustee, you have the chance to participate in our “social underwriting.” 
  • In addition to the above, Certified Trustees are those that have a track record of endorsing applicants while maintaining their portfolio at a 90% repayment rate. Upgrading to a Certified Trustee means you’re able to leverage your endorsement as business proof, receive expedited review, and increase your endorsed borrower’s qualification amount by $1,000. 
The Collab Exchange is where innovative ideas are incubated into income opportunities or scaled to leverage income to achieve an improved lifestyle for our local underserved residents. The professional development training and business advice that we provide can help to empower and inspire. We provide business support, development tools, educational opportunities and access to resources. We know that economic success can improve the overall well-being of our clients and that directly contributes to the betterment of community. 
The CoLLab Exchange is located in the historic HSW Building at 1123 Main Street, Bridgeport, just 1 block from the Fairfield County Courthouse.

    Join our mailing list!