I have an SVG background image embedded in a CSS file as a data url:
.what { background: url(\'data: image/svg+xml; utf8, ...
Check out this webpage: https://css-tricks.com/using-svg/ Part way down the page is a header called "Now you can control with CSS!" They appear to be changing the color of the image inline with statements such as
.kiwi { fill: #94d31b; }