Support our Kiva Loan Program

We partner with Kiva, a nonprofit leader in micro-lending, to bring affordable financing to startups and small nurseries in the native plant industry.

We find, evaluate, endorse and support borrowers who are starting or expanding a native plant nursery.

Kiva provides the online platform and loan management expertise.

Happy young people with their new plant purchases

Your help is essential

Most native plant businesses are small operations that lack access to funds needed for expanding and improving growing operations.

Kiva loans are crowdfunded. We depend on people who care about native plants and the living world. Here's how you can help:

  • Use your Kiva account to make micro loans to native plant businesses we endorse
  • Sign up to be notified when a nursery needs your help
  • Volunteer to evaluate and mentor applicants with business and technical assistance
  • Share this information with your native plant loving friends and family
  • Donate to our Kiva Loan Program so that we can accelerate the process and help more growers

FIND OUT WHEN GROWERS NEED YOUR HELP

We make the native plant connections. We will let you know when a native plant grower needs your help. You can choose to support growers in your area, throughout Florida, or let us know of interest outside of Florida.

Then you support the nursery with a small micro-loan, as little as $25, via your Kiva account.

It's easy to set up a Kiva account online. Your loan goes directly to the borrower's loan, no overhead. Your support helps the borrowing nursery get support from other lenders, including our matching support and larger $ from other micro-lenders.

It's a loan, not a donation. You’ll get your money back when the loan is repaid to Kiva. On average, Kiva borrowers have a 96.4% repayment rate. As a Kiva Trustee, we work to select “good bets” for your investment in the native plant industry.

Questions? Contact us.

Kiva Loan life cycle for native plant business loans

Volunteer your expertise

Our Trustee Team evaluates applications, visits applicants, makes matching loan decisions, supports borrowers in obtaining loans and consults with small native plant businesses. If you have business or fundraising experience, or have worked in the horticulture industry, we need your help.

Help us fund kiva loans

With your financial support, we can accelerate the process by serving more growers and offering matching funds to help them reach their loan goals and succeed. Donations made here are used strictly for this program.

Help us spread the word

Spread the word about this opportunity by sharing this web page with your native plant network.

Native plant lovers are the first line of support for the next native plant nursery. And chances are, the next native plant grower in your area is someone you already know. 

Decades of hard work by passionate, persistent native plant societies and other native plant lovers have created the native plant movement and brought us this far. Bravo, thank you and keep on!