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Impact Collective

Impact Collective

Build. Earn. Lend.

Empowering students to lead Global Financial Inclusion with Microfinance.

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Impact Collective students

About Us

Impact Collective is a Microfinance initiative that helps high school students across America launch Kiva-affiliated chapters for global financial inclusion. Instead of asking for donations, students build and run small businesses that generate sustainable capital for giving microloans to low-income, unbanked, and underserved communities around the world.

Founded by Rishi Mishra in the summer of 2024, Impact Collective grew out of PD Microfinance, which he launched as a Kiva chapter during his freshman year of high school. In its first year, the club funded $5,000 in microloans through Kiva.

Today, Impact Collective supports a growing global network of student chapters like PD Microfinance, giving students hands-on experience in ethical entrepreneurship, capital allocation, and impact investing—while expanding financial inclusion worldwide.

Impact Collective empowers students to go beyond traditional fundraising by launching and running their own student-led businesses. Through hands-on entrepreneurship, students earn real revenue and reinvest a portion of their profits into microloans—becoming stronger advocates for financial independence and inclusion through action, not just awareness.

Rather than relying solely on donations, crowdfunding, and fundraisers, students use earned capital to fund their Kiva lending teams. This model is not only sustainable, but also teaches practical skills in business, finance, and capital use.

Student ventures like Frostbite's Frozen Ice and Curry Kart - the lending arms of PD Microfinance show how small businesses can generate capital for microfinance while giving students firsthand experience in ethical entrepreneurship and impact investment.

Our Services

Education & Training

Education & Training

Whether you're just getting started or ready to lead a microfinance club or kiva chapter, our training gives you the tools to succeed. You'll learn how microloans work, how to assess risk, measure social impact, and identify high-impact sectors.

All materials are student-friendly and curated from top print and online resources. We guide you step-by-step through setting up a Kiva lending team and running it with confidence.

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Networking

Networking

Join a global community of students passionate about microfinance and impact investing. Connect with peers, university chapters, alumni, and professionals to share ideas, collaborate, and learn from real experiences beyond your own school.

Get connected
Student Entrepreneurship

Student Entrepreneurship

Earn to invest - rather than asking to receive. We help students launch and run their own small businesses and invest profits into their Kiva lending teams, instead of relying on external donations.

Students run businesses like Frostbite's Frozen Ice to Curry Kart to make money and use it to fund microloans, gaining hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, finance, and capital alocation.

Start your hustle
Internships & Job-Shadowing

Internships & Job-Shadowing

Explore long-term career pathways in microfinance and entrepreneurship through internships and job-shadowing opportunities with microfinance organizations.

Build your network while still in high school, rather than wait until college.

Apply here
Events & Competitions

Events & Competitions

Take your chapter beyond meetings. Our innovation challenges, speaker panels, and hands-on workshops bring chapters together to collaborate, compete, and share ideas—while earning recognition and cash prizes for leadership and impact.

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Our Impact

Active Members

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Amount loaned

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No. of Countries

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Our Borrowers

Borrower Profiles

Borrower Profiles

We support people from underserved communities working hard to improve their lives—farmers, shopkeepers, artisans, refugees, students, single moms, and more. These are individuals who often lack access to traditional banks or cannot afford the high interest rates. Each loan supports them to build better lives and independence.

For many borrowers, even a small amount of capital can make a meaningful difference—buying seeds for the next planting season, purchasing inventory for a small shop, investing in tools for a trade, or paying for education. These loans are not charity; they are opportunities. By providing access to fair and affordable financing, we help hardworking individuals grow their livelihoods, support their families, and strengthen their communities over time.

Sustainability Projects

Sustainability Projects

Many of our borrowers work on solutions that help the environment—like solar energy, organic farming, or eco-friendly businesses. These projects not only help generate income but also protect the land and resources of the planet.

Supporting these initiatives means that microfinance can play an intentional role in addressing larger global challenges like climate change and environmental degradation. When borrowers invest in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, or low-waste businesses, they are not only improving their livelihoods but also contributing to a healthier planet. In this way, access to fair capital can support both economic resilience and long-term environmental sustainability

Economic Sectors

Economic Sectors

We focus on industries that keep communities running—farming, fishing, retail, transport, and services. These sectors provide jobs, income, and daily essentials to families and neighborhoods. Helping them grow means helping entire communities thrive.

Our lending also intentionally supports sectors where small investments can protect livelihoods and local traditions. In some communities, that means helping artisans continue cultural crafts—such as pandanus basket weaving in places like Indonesia or Tonga—ensuring these skills remain both economically viable and culturally preserved.

Education & Community Development

Education & Community Development

Our loans directly or indirectly support communities where access to learning is still a challenge. We support help rural schools with supplies, infrastructure, or teacher support—so more children can stay in school and complete their education.

In many villages, schools operate with very limited resources. Targeted support can help maintain classrooms, provide basic materials, and strengthen local education systems so that students are able to continue learning close to home. Investing in these communities helps create stronger foundations for the next generation.

Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons

Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons

Refugees are often excluded from traditional banking systems, making it difficult to access even small amounts of capital to rebuild their lives. Microloans provide a starting point—helping individuals open small businesses, restock goods, or generate income in new environments. Our microloans allow refugees to regain stability and integrate into new communities with indepedence and dignity.

Over time, these small businesses become steady sources of income, reducing dependence on aid and creating opportunities for more people within their communities.

See how we are changing Lives

Rishi Mishra · Sep 22, 2026 · 1 min read

Featured on Kiva!

https://www.kiva.org/blog/how-students-power-microfinance…

Rishi Mishra · Sep 18, 2026 · 3 min read

How MFIs decide who gets a loan?

When you apply for a loan at a traditional bank, they check your credit score, your income, and your assets. But what happens when someone has none of those things? That's exactly the problem microfinance institutions…

Rishi Mishra · Sep 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Chapter Spotlight: What Actually Happens at PD's Microfinance Club

Spoiler: it's not just a resume line. There's pizza, real debates, and people from actual industry who show up and talk straight. Most school clubs feel like a box to check. Show up, sign the sheet, put it on your…

Rishi Mishra · Sep 17, 2026 · 3 min read

The Phone That Replaced the Bank: How a text message app in Kenya accidentally became the most successful fina

In 2007, a mobile network in Kenya launched a simple feature. You could text money to anyone with a phone number — no bank account needed. They called it M-Pesa . "M" for mobile. "Pesa" for money in Swahili. Nobody…

Rishi Mishra · Sep 17, 2026 · 1 min read

Why Do People Almost Always Pay Back Microloans? 🤔The repayment rate that shocks every banker — and what we c

Imagine you lend $25 to someone you barely know, with no credit check, no collateral, no bank account required. What are the odds you get your money back? If you said "low," you'd be wrong — really wrong. Microfinance…

Rishi Mishra · Sep 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Leveraging Micro-Economics for Macro Impact: Why Schools Need Microfinance Curriculums

Microfinance education in schools builds a powerful ecosystem that drives global change. When students learn the principles of microfinance, they do not just read about economics—they actively unlock opportunities for…

Rishi Mishra · Sep 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Harvard x PD Microfinance - AI at a Crossroads: Balancing Technological Growth with Global Equity with Prof. A

We recently hosted Prof. Ahmad Antar from Harvard for a talk with PD Microfinance. Prof. Antar has over 15 years of experience in investment banking and is the founder of Digital Emissions, a non-profit focused on…

Rishi Mishra · Sep 17, 2026 · 1 min read

Frostbite's Frozen Ice raises $1200

What an unforgettable day! Our Fall Fest was an absolute win from start to finish. The turnout was huge, the lines were out the door, and the energy was electrifying. Watching the kids smile while enjoying their snow…

Rishi Mishra · Sep 17, 2026 · 1 min read

NC State funded Microloans - Policy Proposal

This summer, Impact Collective got to be part of North Carolina's Governor's Page Program , a program that's been running since 1973 and brings students from all over the state to Raleigh for a week inside state…

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impactcollectiv0625@gmail.com