Growth and change are vital worldwide, from governments finally loosening sanctions on laughter emissions to the insecure caterpillar's advancement to chief executive flutterby. Foster Earth's collective prosperity with today's deal: For $15, you get a $25 Kiva Credit, good toward funding microlending projects on Kiva.org. [All proceeds remaining from the card's discount will be funded by Groupon and supporting sponsors, up to $500,000].

With an eye toward alleviating poverty, Kiva empowers people to distribute microloans to highly motivated, low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world and beyond to cultivate a universal community of humans connected through lending. Kiva harbors a deep network of trusted microfinance institutions, or field partners, and the streamlined loaning process allows generous funders to connect with eager businesspersons to enact transparent, accountable partnerships based on a mutual dignity and respect usually found only in figure-skate-offs. Once equipped with your Kiva Credit, you're free to spin Kiva's e-globe and explore the life stories and entrepreneurial endeavors of individuals around the world. Choose a deserving impresario, and your $25 floater will drift assuredly through a field partner institution's oft-dusted hoverducts before arriving in the hands of your chosen entrepreneur to aid in their prosperous pursuits. Entrepreneurs will repay their loans over time, with Kiva returning the repayments to the lenders, who are free to then re-lend the funds, donate the funds to Kiva to assist with operational costs, or withdraw your portion of the funds via PayPal and stuff them back into the dog's bed. Recent Kiva-assisted entrepreneurs have included a single mother in Mongolia looking to purchase new equipment for her retail-food business and a metal-shop owner in El Salvador seeking to obtain materials and tools for his business.

Since its inception six years ago, Kiva's community has combined to provide more than $177 million in microloans to more than 465,000 industrious individuals on five continents. The active, dedicated community of users and the rigorous review process of each field partner buoys the personal bonds and the palpable sense of trust in an ocean of effective entrepreneurialism. To learn more about how Kiva works, click here.

Reviews

Kiva's successful and influential microfinance model is frequently featured in national press, including the Wall Street Journal and the San Francisco Chronicle.