THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORSCOUNCIL ON METRO ECONOMIES & THE NEW AMERICAN CITY

Partnerships

DOLLARWISE GRANT RECIPIENTS SINCE 2004

Innovation Grant

Summer Youth Campaign (SYC) Grant

WelcomePartnerships is the annual publication highlighting the local financial education efforts of cities that are finalists for the DollarWise Innovation Grants.

As finalists, these cities have among the best financial literacy programs in the nation. DollarWise invites mayors, their staff, and other interested parties to review the profiles of these cities’ efforts to garner ideas and inspiration for their own financial education campaigns.

What is DollarWise?

DollarWise: Mayors for Financial Literacy is the official financial education and literacy effort of The United States Conference of Mayors and its Council on Metro Economies & The New American City. Since its inception in 2004, mayors and cities across America have made a commitment to increasing their residents’ financial literacy by participating in all that DollarWise has to offer.

DollarWise supports the goals and objectives of the National Strategy for Financial Education 2011, released by the federal Financial Literacy and Education Commission in December 2010. The Campaign invites mayors and city staff to examine their communities’ financial education needs; create an action plan; and forge partnerships with financial institutions, faith-based groups, non-profits,

local businesses, and others in the community to address this important issue. DollarWise offers support through its two grants programs, technical assistance, and partnerships with national organizations.

The United States Conference of Mayors asks every city to make a commitment to financial education and participate in DollarWise. Together, we are building a strong foundation for the future of our communities and those who call them home.

What are Innovation Grants?

Underwritten by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the founding sponsor of DollarWise, the Innovation Grants comprise an annual program that recognizes the most creative and innovative local financial education efforts underway in America today. Three Innovation Grants of $15,000 each are awarded each year and can be used by the recipient cities to expand and enhance a variety of programs. Applications are accepted each fall, and the awards are presented at The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ winter meeting in Washington, D.C.

CO N T E N T S2013 DollarWise Innovation Grant recipients

Baltimore, Maryland 1

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 3

San Francisco, California 5

Boise, Idaho 7

Charleston, South Carolina 8

Chula Vista, California 9

2013 DollarWise Innovation Grant finalists

New Orleans, Louisiana 10

Paterson, New Jersey 11

Pinellas Park, Florida 12

Michael A. NutterMayor of PhiladelphiaPresident

Scott SmithMayor of MesaVice President

Kevin JohnsonMayor of SacramentoSecond Vice President

Tom CochranCEO & Executive Director

1620 Eye Street NWWashington, D.C.20006

202.293.7330

202.293.2353 fax

usmayors.org

THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS

Mayors for Financial Literacybedollarwise.org | dollarwise@usmayors.org

M A R Y L A N DBaltimore

Each year The City of Baltimore’s YouthWorks pro-gram places approximately 5,000 young people ages 14-21 in six-week summer work experiences at

more than 400 worksites across Baltimore. The program operates through the Mayor’s Office of Employment De-velopment (OED) with the assistance of employers and workforce partners, and financial support from multiple contributors. Participants work in a variety of industries, and gain basic workforce readiness and career-specific skills. Approxi-mately half of YouthWorks participants are 14-15 years old and employed for the first time, which underscores the need to incorporate basic financial education into the program.

Financial literacy training

YouthWorks was able to offer financial lit-eracy sessions to participants for the first time in 2011. A coordinator was hired at that time to ensure that all YouthWorks participants receive financial literacy training. To reinforce the in-person curriculum, all YouthWorks par-ticipants received money management-related attachments with each of their paychecks. Pre- and post-program tests were given to all participants to measure knowledge gained. In 2012, the average pre-test score was 55%. At the conclusion of approximately 90-180 minutes of financial education, post-test scores increased to an average of 89%.

Partnerships

YouthWorks partners with hundreds of businesses, nonprofits, community or-ganizations and government agencies that serve as YouthWorks worksites, and provide job opportunities to thousands of Baltimore youth each summer. These groups also play a critical role in the financial education component of Youth-Works by allowing their workers to participate in financial education workshops during their workday.

Baltimore City also received a $4,000 grant from the USCM DollarWise Summer Youth Campaign to fund the launch of its financial literacy program in 2011.

YouthWorks Summer Jobs Program

Youth employees, participating in the Baltimore YouthWorks Program.

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Contact: Kate Schmelyun410.396.6722 • kschmelyun@oedworks.com

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

The grant funds were used to provide all Youth-Works worksite supervisors with training so that they could infuse a financial literacy curriculum into each participant’s summer work experience.

An innovative approach

Utilizing the YouthWorks program to deliver finan-cial education to both in-school and out-of-school youth in Baltimore is a natural, yet innovative, ap-proach to increasing financial literacy among Balti-more residents. YouthWorks encourages its partici-pants to share the financial knowledge that they gain through the program with their friends, family mem-bers and others close to them in the hopes of creating a ripple effect within the community. YouthWorks has also implemented an online registration process and will use its registration website, youthworks.oedworks.com, as an additional financial education resource by providing links to Hands On Banking® materials for easy access not only by YouthWorks participants, but by their family members as well.

In 2013, financial literacy education will again be incorporated into the YouthWorks program with the goal of reaching 100% of the program’s 5,000 participants. A coordinator will again be hired for the summer to oversee the financial education com-ponent of the program and ensure that all Youth-

Works participants receive financial literacy training. Pre and post testing of YouthWorks participants will be conducted to measure their finan-cial literacy knowledge gains. The assessments will also be tailored to differentiate between first-time par-ticipants and those who have partici-

pated in YouthWorks’ financial literacy workshops in previous years. This way, knowledge retention will be tracked.

Mayoral involvement

Mayor Rawlings-Blake and the City Council of Bal-timore are dedicated supporters of the YouthWorks program and its financial literacy efforts. The Mayor sees YouthWorks, inclusive of its financial literacy component, as an instrumental part of preparing Baltimore youth for the responsibilities of adulthood, which benefits the City and its economy. The City invests significantly in YouthWorks each year, despite budget constraints. In 2012, Baltimore City general funds supported approximately 1,300 YouthWorks positions, in addition to 200 positions paid for by individual City agencies. The Baltimore City Depart-ment of Social Services, together with the Maryland State Department of Human Resources, provided summer jobs funding for nearly 900 foster care youth and those receiving public assistance. When Baltimore YouthWorks participants were winners in the DollarWise Summer Youth Jobs Contests in 2011 and 2012, Mayor Rawlings-Blake personally present-ed the prizes. The Mayor will play a part in recogniz-ing winners of the local financial literacy contests that YouthWorks will implement in 2013.

Looking to the future

The DollarWise Innovation Grant will allow the YouthWorks program to implement two primary initiatives, which will:

1. Bolster existing, effective financial education and further engage participants to ensure that they are not only retaining what they have learned, but also expanding their knowledge through the summer; and

2.Encourage all YouthWorks participants to open bank accounts. Specifically, the grant money will be used to support the salary of a coordinator to: over-see YouthWorks’ financial literacy component, be responsible for ensuring that all program participants receive financial literacy training, and support the promotion and implementation of efforts to achieve the above-stated goals.

YouthWorks will achieve the first goal through a social media campaign on Facebook, which will simultaneously help better connect with YouthWorks participants in the social media space while reinforc-ing financial literacy lessons. Through the campaign, every other week for the duration of the summer program, YouthWorks will post a quiz or question on personal finance on the Facebook page. Three quizzes/questions will be posted. The first Youth-Works participant to answer each quiz/question cor-rectly will win a prize of a $50 pre-paid gift card.

To achieve the second goal, YouthWorks will run a second contest that will encourage participants to visit local banks and open accounts. The winner will receive an iPad mini. Youth will be able to partici-pate by posting photos of themselves at a local bank on the Facebook page.

DollarWise staff present a 2013 Innovation Grant to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Office of Economic Development Director Karen Sitnick, and Hire One Youth Chairman Don Fry.

Since 2008, Philadelphia has been a national leader in foreclosure prevention, saving over 5,000 homes through its Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diver-

sion program. However, a recent evaluation found that 85% of participants receiving loan modifications continue to struggle financially nearly two years later. In order to prepare homeowners recovering from the crisis of foreclosure for long-term financial success, Phila-delphia established a comprehensive financial education effort called Tools for Financial Growth (TFFG). TFFG is a free service that helps homeowners develop better financial planning habits. It is designed to promote financial stability and reduce future foreclosure filings for Philadelphia residents.

A hands-on approach

TFFG offers classes including: Setting Priorities/Budgeting, which focuses on determining needs versus wants, and on tracking spending habits; Introduction to Quicken, which teaches clients how to utilize technology in financial manage-ment; and Understanding & Recovering Your Credit, which explains how credit scores are calculated, how foreclosure impacts that score, and how to recover a good credit score over time. Homeowners who complete this three-part program receive a certificate of completion that is also submitted to their mortgage lender.

Since its inception in 2012, 300 residents have successfully completed the pro-gram. Interest in TFFG continues to grow with nearly 100 residents registering each month.

In 2013 the City will seek to evaluate the effectiveness of the program based on measured outcomes, including a comparison of re-default rates between program participants and non-participants, as well as by considering the number of people reached. This self-evaluation strategy will allow the City to closely monitor the precise added value of the TFFG initiative for struggling homeowners.

Forging community partnerships

The City’s Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program is a mediation-based foreclosure prevention program that facilitates the positive resolution of foreclosure complaints. It requires the cooperation and participation of several branches of government across various jurisdictions and is overseen by a steering committee made up of court officials, lenders’ attorneys, City Departments, hous-ing counseling agencies, and pro-bono legal services. P E N N S Y LV A N I A

Philadelphia

Tools for Financial Growth

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Contact: Katherine Martin215.686.2171 • katherine.martin@phila.gov

Mayor Michael Nutter

TFFG builds on this collaborative framework by offering clients of the Diversion Program additional support to help them understand the underlying principles of sound financial management. Program activities are administrated by a non-profit called the Homeownership Counseling Association of Delaware Valley, which recruits instructors, develops the curriculum and delivers orientation sessions and workshops. The actual three-class workshop series is conducted in the communities where people live,

and several community-based non-profits (e.g., The Partnership CDC, West Oak Lane CDC, and Finanta Center) help to host TFFG work-shops.

The target audience

The TFFG population is a specifically targeted group of homeowners facing the particular financial crisis of home foreclosure. Given the immediacy of their pre-dicament, the targeted population is highly motivated to pay atten-tion to financial manage-ment and more open to considering changes to existing behavior.

While TFFG has access to a captive audience,

positive messaging draws in homeowners who might otherwise not participate. Orientation is centered on a financially themed card game, Money Habitudes – a twist on solitaire that enables homeowners to discover underlying values toward money/spending and how they affect financial behavior. Many in the Diversion Program are asked to put money aside for delinquent payments as part of the modification agreement. Succeeding in meeting the terms of loan modification is the initial success, which the home-

owner can build upon going forward.

Peer support

While the crisis of foreclosure is usually isolating, TFFG participants meet regularly with others in the same situation, building supportive peer relationships while attending classes. It also recruits volunteers from the local financial community (accountants, fi-nancial advisors) to regularly meet with participants who have expressed interest in a financial mentor.

Moving forward

The DollarWise Grant will be used to support the additional costs associated with expanding the size of the Tools for Financial Growth program in a variety of ways, but primarily aimed at addressing the goals of site expansion and increased program participation. Furthermore, a portion of the granted funds will be allocated toward expenses for an inde-pendent, professional program evaluation to achieve TFFG’s goals of measuring and improving outcomes. With the DollarWise Innovation Grant, Philadelphia will expand its financial education efforts and im-prove long-term foreclosure prevention outcomes for the Diversion Program.

Specifically, the initiative will substantially improve program participation rates for the target audience of financially vulnerable city residents. For example, with the help of the allotted DollarWise Innovation Grant funds, TFFG could reach its Year 2 participa-tion goal of 750 people next year, serving an impres-sive additional 450 residents compared to the initial start-up year.

Mayor Nutter presents a certificate to Tools for Financial Growth Graduate

C A L I F O R N I A

San Francisco

Operating through the San Francisco Office of Fi-nancial Empowerment (SF OFE), The Smart Money Network (SMN) is San Francisco’s first

effort to consolidate and promote financial education op-portunities using a streamlined approach. SMN represents financial education practitioners, philanthropic funders and public sector agencies dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible financial education services.

Strategic partnerships

The SF OFE has partnered with over 60 community-based organizations to teach financial education workshops and connect low-moderate income individuals and families to the financial mainstream. In addition, it has engaged key city agencies including the Mayor’s Office of Housing, the District Attorney’s Office and the Human Services Agency to further integrate with core city services and objectives. The DollarWise Grant will support SF OFE in expanding its work and partner-ships with key demographics.

The SF OFE represents over 15 financial education practitioners, philanthropic funders and local public sector agencies dedicated to providing high-quality, and accessible financial education services. Over the past few years the SMN and partners have worked together to host the largest Financial Planning Day in the nation three years in a row. It has also worked to develop neighborhood Smart Money Clinics, teach financial education workshops, and develop the vision of financial education in San Francisco.

As a collaborative SF OFE has built the SF Smart Money Network website, a one-stop shop for all SF residents’ financial education and counseling needs (www.sfsmartmoneynetwork.org). The Smart Money Network is one of the most robust and successful examples of a financial education network in the United States.

Program successes

Through the city’s leadership, the SMN network has:

•Provided free, in person, financial counseling sessions with certified financial experts to more than 1,900 Bay Area residents through San Francisco Financial Planning Day, Financial Advice Line and Neighborhood Financial Clinics;

•Conducted over 150 financial education workshops with partner organizations

Smart Money Network

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Contact: Marco Chevarin415.554.7444 • marco.chavarin@sfgov.org

Mayor Ed Lee

in two years reaching over 2,300 San Francisco residents;

•Provided professional development training to over 300 financial education practitioners, financial in-stitution representatives and stakeholders through the SMN Professional Development Workshops Series; and

•Launched the SMN Financial Education and Re-sources Directory, an online tool that pre-qualifies clients for appropriate financial education resourc-es, products and services.

Target demographics

SF OFE targets four key demographics for its finan-cial education program – domestic violence survi-vors, residents of affordable housing, adults with disabilities, and older adults. When evaluating the effectiveness of its program SF OFE focuses on the following measures: the number of clients attend-ing each financial clinic, the number of planners and counselors participating, the monitoring of client progress through partnerships, the number of groups offering tailored services, and the number of clients graduating from the workshop series.

The SF OFE will use the DollarWise Innovation Grant to further support its successful financial education programming, focusing on the dissemina-tion of results, learning materials, and best practices through the development of toolkits and informa-

tional webinars resulting from the development of tailored financial educa-tion approaches of its target groups.

SF OFE will leverage the DollarWise Innovation Grant to bring the best practices from its tailored workshops to the field, building on prior successes and delivering technical assistance to other mu-nicipalities looking to engage in effective, in-depth financial empowerment programming.

Program toolkit

Based on our program design, implementation, mate-rials and findings, San Francisco will develop a “Tool Kit” for other cities and practitioners to use as a guide to expand work in their respective cities. In ad-dition, recorded and live webinars will be developed to promote the toolkit. All recorded webinars will be hosted at www.sfsmartmoneynetwork.org/resources. Outreach will be conducted through the US Confer-ence of Mayors, National League of Cities, Cities for

Financial Empowerment and SF OFE stakeholder list serve. The following breaks down the different aspects of the toolkit:

Mayoral support

The mayor’s office and several major city agencies are currently engaged in San Francisco’s financial education work, and eager to expand partnerships. Mayor Lee personally appears at SF OFE events, is-sues press releases and proclamations supporting the work and directs key personnel to support SF OFE and financial education efforts.

Program partner serving domestic violence survivors.

Program training workshop with one-on-one assistance and support.

Summary of Program Goals and Key Partnerships•Survivors of Domestic

Violence•People with Disabilities•Elders•Affordable Housing

Residents

Partnership Models•Sample Budgets•Roles and

Responsibilities•Timeline

Financial Education and Counseling Materials•Financial Education

Workshop Materials•Sample Curriculums•Sample Pre Class

Evaluations•Sample Post Class

Evaluation Tools•Counseling Guides

and Outcome Tracking Model

Outcomes for Four Target Groups•Change in knowledge

of Financial Content•Behavior Change•Uptake of Financial

Products•Income, Credit, Debt

Changes

Best Practices and Challenges for all Four Target Groups•Findings in

implementing Financial Education Workshops

•Finding in implementing Financial Counseling

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Contact: Theresa McLeod208.384.4406 • tmcleod@cityofboise.org

Mayor David Bieter

hensive economic plan to guide their financial lives.

Program successes

Program graduation rate of 74 percent. Graduates are publicly honored at a ceremony during Idaho’s Smart Women/Smart Money Conference, an annual event which draws several hundred attendees. The ceremony features remarks and personal stories from a few of the graduates.

Increased awareness of economic abuse. Beyond teaching, the financial literacy educators interface with a broader public to expand awareness and heightened understanding of how often financial con-cerns cause women to stay in abusive relationships.

Community partners

United Way of Treasure Valley recognized a collective need for financial literacy training for abused women in 2009, when several area domestic violence agen-cies independently requested support for services. Rather than fund isolated programs, United Way convened a meeting with leaders from a number of agencies throughout the valley, and successfully proposed the idea of all agencies sharing the services of two trained financial educators. These agencies included:

The goal of the Treasure Valley Economic Action Program (TVEAP) is to provide financial literacy services and opportunities for victims of domestic violence in the Treasure Valley. By partnering with area women’s shelters, the Department of Correc-tions, and other agencies working directly with this population, Boise is assured to reach its target

audience. Since the December 2010 program launch, 66 group classes have been facilitated to nearly 224 participants. Additionally, many of the students participate in individual coaching sessions to con-tinue to work on gaining economic independence in a one-on-one setting to work through the details of their specific financial situation. TVEAP prides itself on its ability to measure and assess program impact and outcomes. Each participant completes assess-ment tools developed by Dr. Cynthia Sanders, MSW, Ph.D., who worked on initial development of the

program. Dr. Sanders created monitoring instruments specifically for the program, and works with MSW graduate students at Boise State University, tracking and analyzing collected data.

An innovative approach

Classes are facilitated by two bilingual financial edu-cators who are employed by the collaborative lead agency, Women’s & Children’s Alliance. The curricu-lum was developed by the Redevelopment Organi-zations for Women (ROW) in St. Louis, Missouri, and is unique in its focus on safety issues inherent in helping women become less economically dependent upon abusing partners. The course curriculum con-sists of four two-hour sessions.

Class 1, Money and Power, addresses empower-ment, oppression, and how money works in the USA. Participants work to identify feelings and values around money, ways to reduce self-blame, and begin to identify basic money management tools.

Class 2, Developing a Spending Plan, teaches steps for taking a financial inventory, storing important documents, and how to develop a budget or spend-ing plan.

Class 3, Understanding Credit, includes learning how to read a credit report, how credit impacts lives, and ways to improve credit without money. Participants also learn ways to negotiate on debts and documen-tation for dealing with past bills.

Class 4, Banking and Investing, provides details on options for banking or re-entry into the banking system, and basic keys to investing and investment tools. Each student leaves the class with a compre-

Boise IDAHO

Mayor Beiter with participants in the Treasure Valley Economic Action Program.

•Women’s & Children’s Alliance (lead agency)

•Valley Crisis Center•Hope’s Door•Nampa Family Justice

Center•Gem Family Resource

Center

•Family Advocacy Center and Education Services (FACES)

•Easter-Seals Goodwill•Warm Springs

Counseling Center•Idaho Women’s

Corrections

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Contact: Geona Shaw Johnson843.724.3768 • johnsong@charleston-sc.gov

Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr

Charleston SOUTH CAROLINA

Measuring effectiveness

The overall effectiveness of the programs is measured by the number of persons participating and achieving financial success, improved credit scores, increased

savings accounts balances and making informed decisions related to accessing loans and services. Follow-up is conducted for a period of twelve months to ensure the ongoing success of the client. During 2011, the city and its part-ners achieved success by serving 5000 households and maintaining organizational and operational capacity.

Mayoral support and partnerships

The City of Charleston’s abil-ity to succeed is primarily due to the leadership of Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., and the outstanding partners that have collaborated to improve the financial capacity of its community. These partners are committed to improving the

standard of living for persons of low and moderate incomes. Charleston collaborates with these partners on various initiatives to include: first time homeown-ership, owner-occupied rehab, small business start-up and financial literacy training.

The partnership with local financial institutions is es-sential. They provide direct products and services to clients, support programs through funding contribu-tions and provide financial training.

The City of Charleston recognizes the vital impor-tance of financial literacy training and has supported financial education for more than twenty years. Un-der the leadership of Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., who provides the vision, expertise and staff, the City‘s programs have experienced phenomenal success. In each program administered, financial literacy train-ing is a requirement. The City’s success is based on its commitment to the community and the outstand-ing partnerships formulated. The population targeted by the city and its partners include persons who are low to moderate income and financially challenged.

Community outreach

Marketing and outreach are essential to ensuring that this target audience is reached. Television, radio, printed flyers, billboards, brochures, bus advertise-ments and PSAs are utilized. In addition, contact with the school district, CBOs, Faith-Based Organi-zations and other nonprofits enable Charleston to reach the intended audience. Programs and activities are administered by nonprofit organizations located throughout the community, with training classes be-ing offered on a monthly basis to include a Saturday class. The one-on-one training is offered weekly and is planned to accommodate the client’s work sched-ule.

The Greater Charleston Empowerment Corpora-tion utilizes the FDIC Money Smart training, which includes training on protecting finances, using a checking account, preparing a budget, understanding the home-buying process, borrowing basics, under-standing banking services, the use of credit, reading the credit report and understanding installment, auto and home equity loans.

The training focuses on budgeting techniques that reduce the stress of clients living pay check to pay check. The training targets both youth and adults and was created for the Homeownership Resource Center in collaboration with Stephen J. Schoenbeck.

The Charleston Trident Urban League’s Debt Man-agement/Budgeting Course includes topics outlined by the FDIC Money Smart Program. Sessions are designed to change a client’s spending habits from uncontrolled spending to planned spending, which is achieved by developing a monthly budget. The expected outcome is financial stability.

Participants in a Money Smart workshop.

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619.691.5044ccox@chulavistaca.gov

Mayor Cheryl Cox

of Commerce. SUHSD has been a committed part-ner in the Mayor’s Graduation Works campaign, a community-driven effort to improve graduation rates. Graduation Works is a result of the work by the Mayor’s Chief Service Officer (CSO) who man-ages CV Serves, an impact volunteering campaign. JA was an early supporter of both CV Serves and Graduation Works. Mayor Cox has been a major supporter of FIRST Robotics due to its emphasis on engineering, innovation and entrepreneurism.

The City of Chula Vista has supported financial education in multiple ways over the years, partnering with key organizations as Junior Achievement (JA) and local banks to help residents become confident money managers. JA educates students in elementary, middle and high school about financial management. During 2011-2012, JA impacted over 46,000 stu-dents in San Diego County. Of these students, 5,858 were enrolled in the Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD), but only 650 students benefit-ted from a JA program in Chula Vista’s Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD).

Establishing financial knowledge

Chula Vista strives to help high-school students understand personal econom-ics and what they need to do to estab-lish a strong financial foundation. The city focuses its efforts in an area with lower incomes and lower high-school graduation rates. JA currently works with three high schools: Castle Park, Hilltop and Palomar. The city’s goal is to expand the program to Chula Vista, Bonita Vista, and Eastlake High Schools with particular focus on students enrolled at the schools’ learning centers. Learning center students are at risk of not graduating from high school and study coursework in an alternative format. They need encouragement and assistance to recognize that graduating from high school will help them get jobs and that care-ful money management will help them be successful adults.

Program activities include five to seven-week, one-hour, hands-on activities led by a trained business and/or community volunteer facilitator. Teachers

choose from courses such as JA Personal Finance, JA Success Skills, and JA Be Entrepreneurial. At the completion of the course, program graduates are invited to attend a power lunch with representatives from organizations such as: the South County Eco-nomic Development Council, Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce, and the City Manager’s Council of Economic Advisors. Representatives are seated with students so they can interact one-on-one in small groups. A power lunch will be held in Spring 2013 before the end of the school year.

Meeting community needs

Curricula and materials are provided by JA and modified to meet student needs. Junior Achievement’s mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Its curriculum teaches students the skills necessary to have successful futures and

to be productive, contributing members of society. The curriculum is age-appropriate, interactive and engaging, and correlates with California’s school state standards. All activities teach students essential skills in financial education, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. JA volunteers provide guidance and real-world examples of the principles they are teaching and inherently inspire students to stay in school.

Partnerships

Partnerships with community leaders and organi-zations include: SUHSD, JA, Chula Vista Serves (CVServes), FIRST Robotics, South County Econom-ic Development Council, and Chula Vista Chamber

Chula Vista CALIFORNIA

Chula Vista strives to extend

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from information created through the Money Wise consumer action financial education project. Its mod-ules include: Tracking Your Money; Banking Basics; ID Theft and Account Fraud; Personal Bankruptcy; Good Credit; Rebuilding Good Credit; Saving to Build Wealth; Keys to Home-ownership; and Suc-cessful Home-ownership.

In its first year, the Soft Second Initiative has pro-vided financial education to over 340 applicants and has funded over 200 individuals for the purchase of their first home.

Partners

Partners in this initiative include:

Mayoral involvement

The Mayor has been a champion of the City of New Orleans’ existing financial education efforts: SYEP, Choices, the Soft Second Initiative and creating new pathways to prosperity for our residents. Mayor Landrieu has led the charge to fund and ensure the success and sustainability of these programs.

Financial education efforts by the City of New Orleans have primarily targeted youth and first-time homebuyers. Under Mayor Landrieu’s administra-tion, financial literacy has been an integral com-ponent of the City’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and a program for out-of-school youth called Choices. Annually over 3,000 youth ages 13-21 and their parents participate. The Office of Workforce Development/JOB1 offers financial literacy workshops and immediate opportunities to open sav-ings and checking accounts. Through the Choices program youth financial educa-tion is delivered over 6 hours via life skills classes that address the importance of balancing a checkbook, saving and in-vesting. Topics discussed include: Money Management, The Power of Saving, and the Importance of Budgeting.

Summer Youth Employment Program

During summer 2012, New Orleans expanded its existing financial education activities to incorporate financial incen-tives for its SYEP through the generous support of a DollarWise Grant. In ad-dition to the savings and asset-building opportunities, the SYEP began offering financial incentives to youth who meet savings goals. The incentive program allowed the youth to compete for savings bonds, cash prizes and matching funds up to $500. As a result, 10 participants were awarded $50 savings bonds, 2 teams won $500 based on budgets they created for their freshman year of college, and 20 youth received a $100 match for consistently

maintaining a minimum balance of $100 in their checking account over a 6 week period.

Soft Second Initiative

In 2011, the City of New Orleans launched a $52.3 million Soft Second Mortgage Homebuyer Assistance

Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to strategi-cally promote homeownership opportunities for low and moderate income families buying their first homes. The City provides affordable gap financing in the form of a “soft second” mortgage. Program participants are required to complete a 12-hour homebuyer education course. The course is offered in partnership with the Louisiana Homebuyer Educa-tion Collaborative and the curriculum is composed

Contact: September Hargrove504.658.4277 • schargrove@nola.gov

Mayor Mitch Landrieu

New Orleans LOUISIANA

Mayor Landrieu with participants in the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program.

•Entergy New Orleans•United Way of

Southeast Louisiana•Wal-Mart•ASI Federal Credit

Union•LaFource Community

Concerned Citizens•IRS•Vietnamese Initiatives

in Economic Training

•Catholic Charities•Total Community

Action•Loyola University•Our Lady of Holy

Cross College•Dillard University•Delgado Community

College•Single Stop USA

11

973.321.1600jjones@patersonnj.gov

Mayor Jeffery Jones

Paterson NEW JERSEY

Effective programming and evaluation

Throughout the program, financial advisors create roundtable meetings with participants in order to help provide information on program resources and processes. The financial advisors also use this as an opportunity to survey the participants and gauge the extent to which they retain the information pro-vided. Growth and development is also measured and evaluated on an individual basis, demonstrated by the application of the newly acquired skills and information.

Establishing a campaign on financial literacy is a pri-ority for Mayor Jeffery Jones. The Mayor’s Council on Financial Literacy works particularly with youth, young adults, and small business owners within the city on a variety of initiatives pertaining to financial literacy and sound business development.

Partners

Primary partners include: the Small Business Devel-opment Center (SBDC) at William Paterson Universi-ty, Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce, Passaic County Community College, United Way of Passaic County, as well as other collaborating banks and financial institutions.

Hands-on training

The Council provides workshops, classes and indi-vidual counseling to participants in the program. For individuals interested in better understanding how to manage their own finances, program training includes: financial planning, time tracking and bill-ing, fixed assets tracking, loan management, and cash flow projection. For potential business owners ad-ditional training is provided in the areas of payroll, invoicing and billing, and inventory management.

Business financial literacy workshops are also offered at the SBDC, which include income tax assistance from financial planning volunteers (VITA) and one-on-one credit counseling and repair. Quickbooks training is also provided as a tool to help participants manage their money.

Community involvement

The City of Patterson strives to address urban, socio-economic, and educational challenges through work with its community and nonprofit organizations. The Mayor’s Council on Financial Literacy hosts confer-ences that address issues to help first time business owners have access to knowledge on how to create business plans, how to forge strong partnerships, and how to take out business loans.

Downtown Paterson from Garret Mountain.PHOTO © STACY KAY. USED BY PERMISSION.

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Involvement from city hall

Mayor Bradbury is an avid supporter and advo-cate for the City’s financial literacy program. Other community leaders such as Councilwoman Patricia Johnson served as the Chair for the Pinellas Park Boys & Girls Club Advisory Council and on the Corporate Board of Directors for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast. The PBGC received Pinellas County Community Development funds, which went towards the remodeling of the Club. This allowed the Club to also become a shelter for the homeless. Dur-ing summer 2013, city officials will be invited to kick off events and acknowledge program participants at ceremonies at the PPBGC.

Pinellas Park has developed an innovative campaign that connects local for-profit and non-profit orga-nizations to effectively deliver free financial educa-tion and planning to low income residents and their children. The financial literacy campaign is based on specific principles and guidelines that engage the targeted population: low income residents of Pinellas Park, Florida.

First, the program incorporates relevant information and practical examples. In this way, participants are better able to personalize the concepts being taught and apply them to their families’ needs. Secondly, the program is designed to encourage participants to complete each session. The sessions delivered by Hancock Bank can be adapted to address specific needs of the program such as repairing credit or un-derstanding tax forms. The campaign programs are age-appropriate and contain content that meets the maturity and learning styles of each targeted popula-tion.

Pinellas Park, the Pinellas Park Boys & Girls Club, United Way, Hancock Bank, Junior Achievement, Bank of America, and the Juvenile Welfare Board, accommodate the cultural and logistical needs of the program. The campaign encompasses the needs of all low-income residents from children to adults; renters to homeowners; job seekers and retirees.

This year’s program, “Hire Me Teen - Secrets for Getting the Job”, provides work readiness train-ing for high school students. The program includes: information on interviewing skills, resume building, making a good impression, and communicating per-sonal ability. Pinellas Park has reached out to “Club” members by presenting the Money Smart program.

With the guidance of experts in banking and finance, teens learn about different types of financial insti-tutions; building credit; opening a bank account; preparing for student loans and student financial aid; possible grants and scholarships; and understanding interest.

Community partnerships

Through its Public Library Youth Services Division, Pinellas Park partners with Junior Achievement and Bank of America to provide teens with financial liter-acy education that equips them for post high school education. Additionally, the City partners with the Pinellas Park Boys & Girls Club to deliver financial literacy programs for youth and their parents/guard-ians. This partnership includes United Way Suncoast, which delivers the parent component; and Hancock Bank, which delivers the Teach Children to Save, and Money Smart for Young Adults and Adults.

The Pinellas Park Boys & Girls Club (PPBGC) is a youth development organization unique to other agencies serving young people. The Club provides licensed after school and summer care to children ages 5 – 18 years old. Offering services to all age groups allows parents to remain gainfully employed knowing their children are in a safe place. Further-more, having their children at a Boys & Girls Club is convenient for them. There are no membership fees for children living in low-income households. The partnership between the City and the Club strengthens this campaign by bringing together well-respected non-profit and for-profit organizations for the purpose of operating financial literacy programs for low-income residents.

Contact: Tammy Hiller757.524.2427 x2006 • thiller@bgcsun.org

Mayor Sandra Bradbury

Pinellas Park FLORIDA

Pinellas Park has developed

an innovative campaign that

connects local for-profit and non-

profit organizations to effectively

deliver free financial education

and planning to low income

residents and their children.

T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S CO N F E R E N C E O F M A Y O R S

1620 Eye Street NW Washington, D.C. 20006

202.861.6759

dollarwise@usmayors.org

bedollarwise.org

M A Y O R S F O R F I N A N C I A L L I T E R A C Y

Cover image: Los Angeles skyline by N

avid Serrano via Wikim

edia Comm

ons, CC BY-SA 3.0