Honoring National Black Business Month

Our main goal at Kiva, now and always, is to reduce financial exclusion around the world and in our local communities. That’s why occasions like National Black Business Month are so important. Because we see firsthand how often Black business owners are denied the funding they need to progress.

At Kiva, our U.S. loan application review is the same regardless of the applicant’s race or ethnicity. Our interest rates are 0% for U.S. borrowers and the application process is simple. We’re here to support everyone in achieving their entrepreneurial dreams.

That’s why borrowers like Chef Bee (also known as Sisters on a Roll owner Harriette Brown, from Detroit, Michigan) choose to come to Kiva for support over traditional banks.

A Kiva loan helped Chef Bee complete the build of Sisters on a Roll’s mobile truck, all while promoting local partnerships in her community in Detroit.

Weekly, Sisters on a Roll provides more than 300 meals and creates pop-up events to share accessible veganism with the broader community.

“We bring the flavor of love to you. We serve and provide service in our communities,” Chef Bee said. “Our belief is that everyone should be able to eat good and be well.”

“National Black Business Month is another opportunity for us to be an example in business and mutual aid,” Chef Bee told Kiva. “We believe in solidarity, not charity.”

“As such, we are a food ministry. We believe in sharing resources with our community wherever we go, hence the mobile café.”

Chef Bee, like many other entrepreneurs fundraising on Kiva, takes her business to the next level by supporting her local community too. This past May, Sisters on a Roll’s work supported Eastside Mutual Aid, a grassroots mutual aid organization helmed out of east side Detroit.

What can you do to support Black-owned businesses like Chef Bee’s Sisters on a Roll?

• Lend to Black business owners seeking funds on Kiva.

• Refer a Black-owned business in your community to Kiva, where they can get a 0%-interest loan of up to $15,000.

• Support Black-owned businesses in your neighborhood!