Kiva

The nonprofit, which says it emphasizes "character over credit," offers funding opportunities to small business owners who may not qualify for traditional loans. read more >

The Startup Junkie Foundation receives a three-year, $470,000 grant from the Walton Family Foundation to continue facilitating the Northwest Arkansas Kiva Hub. read more >

Entrepreneurs of color are facing a skewed playing field. On average, minority households in the U.S. have significantly less wealth than white households, leaving them with less money to start a business and less collateral to qualify for credit. read more >

The Conductor in Conway has partnered with Rural Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) and the Kiva Small Business lending program to provide one-to-one matched, 0% interest loans to rural entrepreneurs. read more >

Woman-Run, an initiative that brings together business leaders and prospective businesswomen for networking and informative events, is but just one channel in a growing network of female professionals. read more >

Startup Junkie, in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, will work with Kiva US to launch a micro-loan program called Kiva Northwest Arkansas. read more >

The Green Corner Store at 1423 S. Main St. is building an e-commerce section for its website to sell goods online. When complete, the website will increase the visibility of the store as well as enhance its mission of selling environmentally friendly goods. read more >

Kickstarter, based in New York City, is a crowdfunding platform that allows individuals to seek donations for their projects in exchange for rewards. Among those projects are two based in Little Rock: Stone’s Throw Brewing and Treatsie. read more >

Bill Clinton is expected to help announce the launch of an initiative that expands the availability of microloans for small business owners and entrepreneurs in the Little Rock area. read more >