National Credit Union Foundation approves 9 Biz Kid$ Financial Education Grants
MADISON, WI (September 19, 2018) — The National Credit Union Foundation’s (the Foundation) board of directors has approved 9 new Biz Kid$ Financial Education Grants for 2018-2019, totaling $53,100. These grants are distributed to encourage credit union organizations to use Biz Kid$ and its curriculum to improve students’ financial well-being. Biz Kid$ is the credit union funded public television series that teaches kids about money management and entrepreneurship.
“These unique Biz Kid$ initiatives represent new and innovative approaches to youth financial literacy using the Biz Kid$ curriculum,” said Danielle Brown, the Foundation’s National Program Director. “Biz Kid$ is the only national financial education programming for young people; funded entirely by credit unions. We look forward to seeing how these 9 credit union organizations will make a lifelong impact in the lives of the young people in their communities.”
Some highlights of the grant projects:
- WEOKIE Foundation in Oklahoma City, Okla. will bring together credit unions, electric cooperatives, and agricultural cooperatives to partner with middle school teachers and students to provide lessons in cooperatives, financial literacy and entrepreneurial education. The students will then partake in a Biz Kid$ Cooperative Pitch Competition in October during National Cooperative Month, showcasing their teamwork, public speaking, and new entrepreneurial skills. This will be the WEOKIE Foundation’s second grant to fund this cutting-edge program.
- Howard County Education Federal Credit Union in Ellicott City, Md. will deliver the Biz Kid$ curriculum to the Howard County Public School System. There are 21 middle schools in the District serving 13,000 students, and the county does not currently teach financial education at any grade level. Credit union staff will work with school administrators to coordinate and incorporate the Biz Kid$ program into the curriculum.
- Bayport Credit Union in Newport News, Va. will leverage their existing partnerships with fifteen middle schools to reach over 14,000 students with the Biz Kid$ lessons. Students in these schools will be encouraged to interact with Bayport’s school-based branches as they move through the Biz Kid$ lesson plans to further their financial literacy skills.
The other credit union organizations receiving grants include:
- Clinchfield Federal Credit Union, Erwin, Tenn.
- Fitzsimons Credit Union, Aurora, Colo.
- Houston Highway Credit Union, Houston, Texas.
- KCT Credit Union, Elgin, Illinois.
- Olean Area Federal Credit Union, Olean, N.Y.
- Travis Credit Union, Vacaville, Calif.
Biz Kid$ is a financial literacy initiative launched nationally in January 2008 that teaches kids about money and business. The initiative includes an award-winning TV series, free classroom curriculum, outreach activities, and a website targeting children 9 – 16 years old. The Foundation is responsible for the fundraising and outreach of the program, and a coalition of over 300 credit unions and affiliates from across the country have helped exclusively fund Biz Kid$.
About National Credit Union Foundation
The National Credit Union Foundation (the Foundation) is the charitable arm of the U.S. credit union movement and works as a catalyst to improve people’s financial lives through credit unions. Through grants and programs, the Foundation is strengthening financial well-being, igniting passion, and instilling knowledge about the credit union difference, and uniting resources to help credit union people during disaster. Donations to the Foundation ultimately enable credit unions to help their members reach life-changing goals and achieve financial freedom.
