Financial Education Programs

AFSA Education Foundation
The AFSA Education Foundation's (AFSAEF) mission is to help all consumers - young and old - become financially literate. Programs are designed to educate consumers to realize the benefits of responsible money management, to understand the credit process and to know where to seek help if credit problems occur.

America Saves
America Saves is a nationwide campaign in which a broad coalition of nonprofit, corporate, and government groups helps individuals and families save and build wealth. Through information, advice, and encouragement, we assist those who wish to pay down debt, build an emergency fund, save for a home, save for an education, or save for retirement.

American Savings Education Council (ASEC)
ASEC is a coalition of private and public sector institutions that undertakes initiatives to raise public awareness about what is needed to ensure long-term personal financial independence. ASEC develops and provides educational materials that educate Americans about the need to save and assist individuals in setting savings goals. The coalition has established an information clearinghouse on saving initiatives and maintains a resource list for information on savings issues.

Choose to Save Education Program
The Choose to Save Education Program, established by The American Savings Education Council and the Employee Benefit Research Institute, offers an array of financial education tools. Such tools include more than 100 calculators to help with different financial planning issues, including credit, mortgages, and budgeting. The program also offers specific tools for the youth and the elderly. The education program has TV, radio, print, and other elements to reach everyone.

Consumer Action
Non-profit, membership-based organization that serves consumers through a network of 4,000+ community groups nationwide. Runs through the National Consumer Resource Center, operates a free consumer hotline, and offers free multilingual publications on consumer and personal finance issues. Engaged in consumer advocacy, education, and technical assistance.

Consumer Federation of America (CFA)
Publishes pamphlets on consumer issues, including the highly requested publication of "66 Ways to Save Money." The Federation has distributed more than one million copies of this money management guide to individuals. Targets its materials to moderate-income people and partners with other consumer groups as well as private corporations to market its materials.

Consumers Union
Non-profit testing and information organization for consumers. Publishes Consumer Reports, serves as a consumer advocate, and coordinates research and education projects on consumer, legislative, and regulatory issues.

Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED)
CFED promotes asset-building and economic opportunity strategies, primarily in low-income and distressed communities. CFED has promoted the Individual Development Account (IDA) as a means of enabling low-income individuals to develop assets.

Financial Links for Low-Income People (FLLIP)
Financial Links for Low-Income People (FLLIP) is a statewide coalition of banks, credit unions, advocates, government agencies, bank regulators, adult educators, private industry, and sponsors of Individual Development Account (IDA) programs. Their goal is to expand financial education and asset-building opportunities for low-income people in Illinois.

Freddie Mac CreditSmart®
CreditSmart® is designed to help consumers obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to manage their finances and positively impact their credit. CreditSmart® is being distributed through organizations committed to helping underserved communities, including the National Urban League and the Rainbow/PUSH "1000 Churches Connected" initiative.

InCharge® Institute
InCharge® Institute is a national non-profit community organization specializing in personal finance education and credit counseling. The InCharge family includes InCharge Debt Solutions, which provides professional credit counseling and education services, and InCharge Education Foundation, which provides award-winning products and materials that support the personal financial literacy needs of consumers worldwide. Together, these organizations vow to help financially distressed families and individuals pay off their debts and learn to use credit responsibly.

Institute of Consumer Financial Education (ICFE)
ICFE provides financial, debtor, bankruptcy, and financial planning education for all age groups. Special sections are devoted to teaching children about money. Other features in financial education include budget and expense guidelines, instructions for a budget with a one-page budget form, tips for using credit cards, "Credit Card Warning Labels," the ICFE's "Do-It-yourself Credit File Correction Guide" and "Mending Your Spending.

Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy
Jump$tart is a Washington-based partnership of approximately 80 organizations and individuals, including educators, government agencies, and business leaders, that promotes the teaching of personal financial literacy in schools. The coalition's main activities include a clearinghouse of brochures and books about personal finance for grades K-12; a national public relations campaign for improving financial literacy; and the creation and promotion of curriculum standards for various grades.

Junior Achievement (JA)
Nonprofit economic education organization. Mission is to teach business and entrepreneurship skills to young people. Has developed curricula for students grades K-12 and currently reaches almost 4 million elementary, middle, and high school students in the U.S. through its programs.

LifeSmarts
LifeSmarts Competitions, operated by the National Consumers League, teaches teens in 9th through 12th grade to be smart and responsible consumers. The competition focuses on various areas of consumer knowledge such as personal finance, consumer rights and responsibilities, health and safety, environment and technology. LifeSmarts is available to teens in every state via the Internet-based competition.

Money Management International (MMI)
National non-profit agency that offers professional credit counseling, debt management programs and consumer education by phone, Internet, fax, and mail. Programs are designed individually to assist consumers with debt repayment. MMI online articles provided to inform, assist, educate, and alert consumers. Web page also provides many links to Internet consumer resources.

National Academy Foundation (NAF)
NAF sponsors the Academy of Finance programs, which have an enrollment of more than 16,000 students in grades 9 to 12, and more than four out of five AOF students continue their education at two- or four-year colleges and universities. AOF students follow an economic and business principles curriculum, which provides them with a comprehensive picture of career options available within the industry. Academy of Finance advisory boards enable local educators to provide necessary internships and program enrichment activities to AOF students.

National Center on Poverty Law
The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, a national resource, champions law and policy promoting equal opportunity and support for low-income individuals, families, and communities.

National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC)
NCRC created the Financial Literacy Campaign to help bring low-to-moderate income communities, individuals, small businesses, and minorities into the financial mainstream. NCRC provides training to educate community partners how to provide financial literacy training to its residents. Their manual's sections include Money Flow and Asset Creation, Basic Banking, Electronic Payment of Government Benefits, Credit and Debt Management, Homeownership Preparation, and Small Business and Economic Development.

National Consumers League
Non-profit advocacy group that represents consumers on marketplace and workplace issues. Operates the National Fraud Information Center, develops training materials, conducts workshops, manages four coalitions, and publishes four consumers newsletters.

National Council on Economic Education (NCEE)
Non-profit partnership that serves as a source of teacher training and materials used to educate youngsters from grades K through 12 economic principles. NCEE is a nationwide network of state councils and over 260 university-based centers called EconomicsAmerica. It is also an international economics training initiative called EconomicsInternational. NCEE publishes and distributes books, teacher strategies and resources for classroom use, and develops curricula for teaching economics. Each year, through their network, EconomicsAmerica teaches approximately 120,000 teachers who in turn teach basic economics to more than 7 million students.

National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE)
The National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE®) is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the mission of helping all Americans acquire the information and gain the skills necessary to take control of their personal finances. NEFE partners with other organizations to provide financial education to members of the public -- in particular, to underserved individuals whose financial education needs are not being addressed by others. Their educational programs are created to provide Americans with practical money management skills and an introduction to financial planning through course work that covers the fundamentals of insurance, investments, tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning.

National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC)
NFCC is a national non-profit network of 1,450 member Neighborhood Financial Care Centers designed to help financially distressed people. NFCC provides a full range of services such as accredited money management education, confidential budget, credit and debt counseling, debt repayment plans, home-buyer education, and mortgage programs. Local agencies in areas across the nation serve clients through in-person counseling and may offer phone and Internet counseling, and their national agencies serve clients through phone counseling and Internet counseling from centralized locations in the United States.

NeighborWorks Network
Network of almost 200 agencies that promote homeownership programs for moderate-income people throughout the country. Most of the financial education that local Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) agencies do is one-on-one counseling for prospective homebuyers. Neighborworks Network's nationwide education program is called Full Cycle Homeownership (FCH). Network also has a foreclosure prevention program and a HomeBuyers Club for prospective buyers that meets once a month.

Springboard
SPRINGBOARD is a non-profit agency formed to offer education on the wise use of credit and to serve as an alternative to bankruptcy. They offer a wealth of services to consumers who are experiencing difficulty and want to regain financial freedom.

Women's Institute for Financial Education (WIFE)
Non-profit organization dedicated to financial independence for women. Provides financial education and networking opportunities to women of all ages. Sponsors seminars and workshops. Publishes a quarterly newsletter that includes many money management strategies.