Each March, Women’s History Month invites us to reflect on the female leaders, pioneers, and advocates who have helped shape our world. Across the credit union movement, however, the focus is not only on honoring the past. It is also about helping shape the future economic wellbeing of women and their families.
For many women, financial wellbeing is about far more than budgeting, saving, or investing. It is about safety, independence, stability, and opportunity. Credit unions see this reality every day, and they are responding in ways that combine compassion with practical financial solutions.
The statistics alone illustrate the urgency. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in three women in the United States experience intimate partner violence during their lifetime. Research from the National Network to End Domestic Violence shows that 99% of survivors experience economic abuse, often used to control access to money, employment, or financial independence. Financial barriers often prevent survivors from leaving unsafe situations or rebuilding their lives once they do.
Credit unions were founded more than a century ago to help people overcome barriers to financial access. That same spirit of community support continues today as credit unions across the country develop programs that strengthen the financial resilience of women.
Three credit unions, working in very different ways, demonstrate how powerful that commitment can be.
Rebuilding independence: orsa credit union
In Michigan, orsa credit union is confronting one of the most complex and often hidden barriers to women’s financial wellbeing: the intersection of domestic violence and economic abuse. The work reflects a broader commitment rooted in orsa’s purpose: to create joy and ignite Michiganders’ impossible dreams. That purpose means walking alongside members in their brightest moments—and their darkest ones.
The credit union developed HERd three years ago to elevate and amplify the voices of women in Michigan and well beyond. At the 2026 event in February—focused on ensuring that women’s voices shape the world around us—orsa announced the launch of the Choose the Bear Fund, designed to help survivors regain financial footing and reclaim control of their futures.
Through a dedicated loan pilot for survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence who experience economic abuse, orsa has already distributed more than $209,000 to 65 individuals, helping women secure housing, reliable transportation, and stability for themselves and their children.
The support extends well beyond financial assistance. orsa has implemented safe exit buttons on its website, trained employees in trauma-informed service approaches, and developed partnerships with over 10 organizations across Michigan that provide direct support to survivors.
This spring, the credit union will further elevate awareness through the Choose the Bear Tour, a statewide journey featuring storyteller and adventurer Laura Killingbeck. Traveling across Michigan by bike, Laura will elevate survivor stories and spotlight the organizations working every day to help individuals reclaim safety, dignity, and financial independence.
For orsa, this work reflects a deeper belief that financial institutions can play a meaningful role in supporting women as they navigate life’s many chapters. By combining compassionate service, community partnerships, and practical financial tools, orsa is helping women rebuild stability, strengthen their financial independence, and move forward with confidence.
Strength through partnership: Rivermark Community Credit Union
In Oregon, Rivermark Community Credit Union has built a long-term partnership with Bradley Angle, one of the nation’s first domestic violence shelters and the first on the West Coast. Founded in 1975, Bradley Angle provides safety, education, empowerment, and healing to survivors of domestic violence as they rebuild their lives.
Rivermark’s relationship with the organization began in 2020 when Bradley Angle approached the credit union about providing accounts for a matched savings program. Financial abuse is the number one reason that survivors stay or return to unsafe relationships. With this knowledge and through collaboration with Bradley Angle, Rivermark reexamined and redesigned aspects of its membership application process to better protect the confidentiality and safety of survivors and provide access to an account that could provide freedom.
The partnership has continued to grow. Rivermark now sponsors the organization’s annual gala and recently formalized its support through a memorandum of understanding supporting Bradley Angle’s POWER Program (Plan, Organize, Work, Educate, Rise). Through a $15,000 grant, Rivermark is helping fund individualized financial coaching for program participants beginning in 2026, equipping survivors with the tools to rebuild their financial lives.
Bradley Angle also serves on Rivermark’s Community Advisory Committee, helping ensure that the voices of survivors and community advocates inform the credit union’s leadership as it works to address financial barriers faced by vulnerable populations.
Elevating women’s economic leadership: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union
In New York, FourLeaf Federal Credit Union is taking another approach to strengthening women’s financial futures, celebrating and amplifying women’s economic leadership. Through its Money Like a Woman initiative, FourLeaf is encouraging conversations around financial empowerment while highlighting the achievements of women entrepreneurs and leaders.
The campaign has already reached millions of people, generating more than 122 million video impressions and over 840,000 visits to the initiative’s website. Programs under the Money Like a Woman umbrella include Bethboards, which spotlight women-owned businesses across billboards, transit platforms, and digital media, and the Visionary Awards, which recognize women entrepreneurs and provide funding, mentorship, and business resources to help accelerate their growth.
FourLeaf also partners with the Katz Institute for Women’s Health to provide community webinars focused on health, wellbeing, and financial stability, reinforcing the connection between financial health and overall wellbeing in the communities they serve.
While these three credit unions operate in different states and focus on different strategies, their work reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the financial futures of women. Each recognizes that financial institutions can play a meaningful role in helping women navigate life’s most challenging moments while also celebrating their achievements and leadership.
Across the country, credit unions are helping survivors rebuild their lives, supporting women entrepreneurs, and investing in programs that strengthen financial wellbeing for women and families. Through the Backbone coalition, credit unions are working together to ensure these stories are shared more broadly. Individually, these initiatives create a powerful local impact. Collectively, they demonstrate the unique role credit unions play in strengthening communities across the nation.
Women’s History Month reminds us how far we have come and how much opportunity still lies ahead. The work being done by credit unions today shows how much further we can go. By supporting women through moments of crisis, investing in their financial independence, and celebrating their leadership, credit unions are helping shape the next chapter of women’s economic history, one story, one community, and one opportunity at a time.
Co-authors: Linda Armyn (President & CEO, Four Leaf FCU), Kaity Wittig (AVP Financial Wellness, Rivermark Community Credit Union) and Tansley Stearns (President & CEO, orsa credit union)
Backbone is a coalition that unites credit unions nationwide to champion everyday Americans by providing financial options that put people and communities first. Through education and storytelling, the coalition aims to increase understanding of credit unions’ purpose, services, benefits, and impact. You can contact us at hello@backbone.us.
