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Board committee backs partnership to connect San Francisco small businesses to Kiva Zip microlending
Summary
The Board of Supervisors' Budget & Finance Committee recommended sending to the full Board a resolution authorizing the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to work with Kiva Zip to identify and endorse city small businesses for 0% microloans. Supporters said trustee endorsements and local coaching help borrowers access capital.
Supervisor Mark Farrell brought forward a resolution on Oct. 9 authorizing the City and County of San Francisco to partner with Kiva Zip, the microlending platform run by the nonprofit kiva.org, to help identify and endorse local small businesses for 0% loans.
Farrell said he served as the first California elected official to act as a Kiva Zip trustee and described a local example of the program’s impact: Patrick Maury, who raised a $5,000 zero-interest loan on Kiva Zip to buy a vehicle and expand his business. "When our small businesses do well, we all do well," Farrell said, arguing the platform complements city services by linking entrepreneurs to small-dollar capital and community support.
Premal Shah, president of kiva.org, explained Kiva Zip’s approach: character-based lending that pairs borrowers with local trustees who vouch for them and help lenders follow the borrower's updates. Shah described how early borrowers raised starter loans of $3,000–$5,000 and in some cases have gone on to larger loans on the platform. He said trustees and lenders provide not just capital but ongoing social support and networking for new enterprises.
Myrna Melgar of the Mission Economic Development Agency, a Kiva trustee in San Francisco, told the committee the trustee role goes beyond endorsement: trustees help business owners with basic digital literacy, business plans, and ongoing coaching. "We see ourselves as vouching not just personally but for the business plans and capacity we bring to the table," Melgar said.
A borrower identified as Anna described using Kiva Zip twice to expand a food business, saying a $5,000 loan enabled her to buy a car, increase catering and open a second kiosk. Leslie Malloy of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce said her organization is considering becoming a trustee and praised the platform’s ability to mobilize community support.
Regina Dickenderjee, Executive Director of the Office of Small Business, outlined how her office will act as a city trustee and the operational steps staff are taking, including creating a borrower profile on the office website and coordinating checks (e.g., food-related businesses with the Department of Public Health).
There was no budget analyst report for the item. After public comment from business and community representatives, the committee voted to move the resolution forward to the full Board with a recommendation and no opposition.
What happens next: The full Board will consider the resolution; if adopted, OEWD and the Office of Small Business will finalize trustee criteria, publicize the endorsement process and work with Kiva Zip and local trustee partners to identify eligible borrowers.
