Kiva conducts regular, ongoing monitoring of all Lending Partners, but only posts status updates here in response to relevant, major changes at the partner.

Status update — April 17, 2018

Intersect Fund's final loans with Kiva have ended or been defaulted, and Kiva has closed this partnership. For the last 12 months, Kiva has been working with Intersect to try to recover the remaining amount due to Kiva lenders. Kiva and Intersect agreed upon a payment plan in June 2017 and Kiva has received all of Intersect's payment commitments made under this plan. The remaining amounts outstanding on loans were the result of reporting errors that overstated the amounts repaid by borrowers, and therefore were not actually received by Intersect from their borrowers. Intersect has now repaid all funds received from their Kiva borrowers and the remaining amounts have been defaulted. We thank Intersect Fund for their years of collaboration and wish them success in their future endeavors. 

Status update — April 6, 2017

Kiva has decided to pause Intersect Fund’s access to fundraising loans on the Kiva platform. Due to reporting difficulties and liquidity constraints, Intersect Fund has been unable to repay Kiva lenders in full for repayments made by Kiva borrowers. Kiva is monitoring Intersect Fund's evolving operational process and financial situation and will continue to follow up with the partner in an effort to recover payments due. Kiva will provide additional relevant information to lenders as it becomes available.

Status update — April 1, 2016

Kiva has moved this Lending Partner to inactive status. This means The Intersect Fund is no longer fundraising loans on Kiva, though Kiva fully expects the partner to continue to send repayments owed to Kiva lenders for as long as the partner has an outstanding balance. The reasons a partner might become inactive include: taking time to develop a new type of loan, turnover on the partner’s management team, a shift in overall strategy or changes in funding sources. If and when this partner requests to fundraise again on Kiva, Kiva will first conduct any additional monitoring and due diligence tasks we believe necessary.

Partner Description:

The Intersect Fund (IF) is a rapidly growing, nonprofit microlender and a certified Community Development Financial Institution that equips entrepreneurs in low-income areas of New Jersey with the skills and capital they need to build profitable businesses.

Founded in 2008, it provides business training, coaching and microloans to low-income, minority and women business owners throughout New Jersey. IF was originally founded by students from Rutgers University in 2008 and has since grown to be a leading microlender in New Jersey that has impacted over 500 clients, including over 300 active borrowers. Since the foundation of IF, the company has shown a commitment to using technology to provide low-income entrepreneurs with sources of knowledge and funding to help their businesses grow and succeed.

According to a study conducted by the Brookings Institution, the poverty rate in New Jersey’s working communities such as Carteret, Union Township and Garfield has grown substantially in the last decade. IF specializes in helping entrepreneurs in these areas, with over half of its customers having low or no credit scores. The organization’s clients are individuals seeking loans to grow their businesses and improve or establish a credit history. Kiva lenders’ funds are used to impact an even greater number of entrepreneurs in New Jersey and help them boost their incomes. 

A unique lending approach:

Traditionally, it has not been easy for clients without good credit scores to obtain loans, because loan officers need to look past quantifiable data at intangible characteristics to determine the potential of an entrepreneur’s business to grow within the community – a practice that is often undeveloped in a United States context.

IF’s loan officers have all lived or worked in the area they serve for ten or more years and understand the culture and business drivers present within their communities. By employing flexible underwriting standards and cultural competencies, IF is able to engage clients that are traditionally underserved by larger financial institutions. The organization’s clients are individuals seeking loans to grow their businesses and improve or establish a credit history. The loans range from $100 to $25,000.

Founded by software engineers, IF has developed a proprietary advanced application system that allows each loan officer to provide Technical Assistance (TA) and complete the entire loan process in the field. Using document sharing technology and programs written to determine loan eligibility, loan officers can remotely take applications, provide onsite TA, submit documents, receive decisions, and disburse loans to new clients.

IF has garnered national recognition for its innovative work lending in the informal economy. In 2012, the Fund received more than 54 million media impressions and was featured in CNN, The New York Times, ABC Eyewitness News, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Inc. Magazine, Black Enterprise and dozens of other outlets.

Image courtesy of The Intersect Fund.