Financial education for a brighter future: Jump$tart Coalition brings crucial money skills to Washington, D.C. classrooms

About the Jump$tart Coalition

Jump$tart is a coalition of national partners and state affiliates that work collectively and collaboratively to advance financial literacy.

About Us

The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC. With more than 100 national partner organizations from business, finance, education, academia, government, and more, as well as a network of independent, affiliated state coalitions across the country, we have the expertise, resources, reach, and commitment to advance financial literacy through collective and collaborative endeavors.

As the original promoter of April as national Financial Literacy Month, Jump$tart raises awareness about the importance of financial literacy for everyone, but our focus is on #FinancialSmartsForStudents. Bringing financial education to every public, private, and charter elementary, middle, and high school in the country is our goal; ensuring its effectiveness with reliable resources, relevant information, and unwavering support for educators, is our north star.

With our partners and affiliates, Jump$tart believes that financial education is a critical component of financial empowerment and that this is our contribution to the broader goal of a more equitable and inclusive world.

FAQs

What is financial literacy?

How can I get involved in the financial literacy effort?

How can I get help?

Can you tell me more about Jump$tart?

Mission

The mission of the Jump$tart Coalition is to advance financial literacy and financial equity, especially among our nation’s youth, through communication, collaboration, and support for effectiveness in financial education.

Vision

We envision a nation of financially capable youth. Every student in the U.S. receives a financial education that sufficiently prepares them for their adult lives.

Unique Proposition

Jump$tart focuses its efforts on preschool through college-age students, prioritizing those who are less advantaged, and achieves its goals collaboratively, harnessing the collective strength of diverse partners and affiliates and supporting the work they do individually.

History

The Jump$tart Coalition was founded in 1995, based on an idea credited to William E. Odom, who was, at the time, Chairman and CEO of the Ford Motor Credit Corporation. The first meeting, organized by H. Randy Lively, then President and CEO of the American Financial Services Association, was intended to “develop a strategic plan for improving the quality and extent of curriculum modules for personal finance education in the nation’s schools, grades K-12.”

Due to a family emergency, Bill Odom missed the first meeting of what was then called the “Partnership in Personal Finance and Consumer Credit Consortium,” held Dec. 1-2, 1995, in Reston, VA; but, today, Jump$tart’s highest honor — the William E. Odom Visionary Leadership Award — bears his name. Mr. Odom remains a director emeritus of the Jump$tart National Board.

By the end of 1996, the organization had evolved into the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. The logo and tagline “Financial Smarts for Students” was created with input from a focus group of students at Bladensburg High School in Maryland.

In 1997, the Jump$tart Coalition was incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization with Randy Lively as its first president (later re-designated “chairman.”) Mr. Lively was a director emeritus of the Jump$tart National Board until his passing. Dara Duguay was Jump$tart’s first executive director, outlining her vision that the coalition be inclusive, not exclusive, and launching a full-scale public awareness effort. She led the organization until 2004.

Laura Levine took over as executive director in 2004 and was named president and CEO in 2009.  She has worked with every board chair in Jump$tart’s history, beginning with Mr. Lively and followed by Neil Milner, CSBS (retired); Ted Beck, NEFE (retired); Michael Staten, Ph.D., University of Arizona; and Corey Carlisle, Varo Bank.  She continues to lead the organization today, with Jump$tart’s first female board chair, Casey Cortese of the Charles Schwab Foundation.

learn more: https://www.jumpstart.org/

#FinancialLiteracy #YouthEmpowerment #DCEducation