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- February 21st, 2023


​Kiva and Artisan Alliance at the Aspen institute have agreed to end their partnership after nearly 9 years and more than $450,000 in loans raised. This partner has repaid its outstanding balance to Kiva in full, and these funds have been distributed to lenders. We thank Artisan Alliance at the Aspen Institute for the years of collaboration and wish them success in their future endeavors.



Status update- September 13, 2021

Kiva has moved this Lending Partner to inactive status, which means Artisan Alliance at the Aspen Institute 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. Artisan Alliance at the Aspen Institute hasn't posted a new loan in over a year and is reassessing its Kiva strategy. 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 Artisan Alliance (previously known as The Alliance for Artisan Enterprise at the Aspen Institute) is an initiative of the Aspen Global Innovators Group at the Aspen Institute, which works to unlock economic value in the artisan sector. It's a collaborative effort of over 140 members and partners working together to promote the full potential of the artisan sector worldwide. 

The artisan sector is the second-largest employer in the developing world after agriculture, worth over $32 billion every year. Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, particularly women, participate in the artisan sector. Artisan activity creates jobs, increases local incomes, and preserves ancient cultural traditions that in many places are at risk of being lost. Still, artisan businesses are seldom recognized as drivers of economic growth, and artisan entrepreneurs lack access to the tools and resources needed to succeed in the global marketplace.

As a Kiva Lending Partner, the Artisan Alliance aims to bridge the financing gap for artisan businesses across the globe.

A unique lending approach:

Loans offered by the Artisan Alliance on the Kiva website are targeted to artisan entrepreneurs around the world who lack access to traditional financing and business development resources. The borrowers represent small and growing businesses in their countries. Loans will support artisan business development, including the purchase of raw materials and equipment to fulfill purchase orders, market preparation, and workshop development.


Repayment Performance on Kiva

    This Lending Partner All Kiva Partners
  Start Date On Kiva Oct 13, 2014 Oct 12, 2005
Total Loans $450,050 $2,049,944,590
Amount of raised Inactive loans $0 $326,775
Number of raised Inactive loans 0 217
Amount of Paying Back Loans $0 $154,483,535
Number of Paying Back Loans 0 184,578
Amount of Ended Loans $450,050 $1,852,981,325
Number of Ended Loans 46 2,497,887
Delinquency Rate 0.00% 11.62%
Amount in Arrears $0 $10,816,652
Outstanding Portfolio $0 $93,048,814
Number of Loans Delinquent 0 37,922
Default Rate 7.55% 1.82%
Amount of Ended Loans Defaulted $34,000 $33,758,037
Number of Ended Loans Defaulted 7 89,054
Currency Exchange Loss Rate 0.00% 0.47%
Amount of Currency Exchange Loss $0 $12,742,203
Refund Rate 3.56% 0.53%
Amount of Refunded Loans $16,000 $10,938,345
Number of Refunded Loans 2 9,670

Loan Characteristics On Kiva

    This Lending Partner All Kiva Partners
  Loans to Women Borrowers 68.75% 78.48%
Average Loan Size $9,709 $393
Average Individual Loan Size $9,709 $585
Average Group Loan Size $0 $1,911
Average number of borrowers per group 0 8.3
Average GDP per capita (PPP) in local country $54,800 $5,592
Average Loan Size / GDP per capita (PPP) 17.72% 7.02%
Average Time to Fund a Loan 5.09 days 9.12 days
Average Dollars Raised Per Day Per Loan $1,908.38 $43.08
  Average Loan Term 13.38 months 11.5 months

Journaling Performance on Kiva

    This Lending Partner All Kiva Partners
  Total Journals 36 1,222,220
  Journaling Rate 60.87% 41.91%
  Average Number of Comments Per Journal 0.00 0.02
  Average Number of Recommendations Per Journal 0.00 0.55

Borrowing Cost Comparison (based on 2017 data)

    This Lending Partner Median for MFI's in Country All Kiva Partners
  Average Cost to Borrower 0% APR N/A 26.44% PY
  Profitability (return on assets) 11.81% N/A -1.33%
  Average Loan Size (% of per capita income) N/A N/A 0.00%

Country Fast Facts

Lending Partner Staff