Next Gen Personal Finance’s 3-year Gold Standard Challenge grant program has provided over $1 million to 194 schools and districts
PALO ALTO, Calif., November 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — More than 165,000 high school students across the United States now have access to a stand-alone personal finance course. It’s thanks to 194 financial education advocates who received a total of $1 million in the nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF) Gold Standard Challenge Grants.
“NGPF’s 2030 mission to ensure ALL high school students take a personal finance semester before graduation is only possible because of the commitment of these educators,” said Christian Sherrill, Director of Growth and Advocacy at NGPF. “Gold Standard Challenge grantees are leading their communities towards a better financial future.”
Grants have been awarded to schools and districts in 35 states that have adopted one-semester stand-alone personal finance degree requirements. This means that grantees (most of whom are teachers) not only launched the course, but increased their enrollment through engaging teaching, and then persuaded their school boards to secure this life-changing course for all students before graduation.
“The 194 recipients of the Gold Standard Challenge are not just improving the financial prospects of their local communities. They lead the country by bringing financial education to their schools ahead of any statewide policy decisions,” Sherrill said.
There is a growing national movement to ensure that every high school student takes a semester-long personal finance course before graduation.
Currently, 15 states have passed legislation ensuring that high school students will take a self-directed financial education course. Once these policies are fully implemented, 40% of American high school students will be guaranteed to take the course. This is an increase of 16% before the Gold Standard Challenge, launched in November 2019.
A growing body of evidence supports the positive effects of a personal finance course.
Students who borrow for higher education do so at lower interest rates and borrow less overall; credit scores improve by an average of 21 points in adulthood; delinquency rates are falling; and reliance on expensive predatory lenders such as payday loans, check cashers, auto title loans, etc. decreases, among other benefits.
“As the NGPF winds down this grant program, we hope you will join us in celebrating these exceptional leaders who have expanded access to life-changing financial education,” Sherrill said.
See the full list of 194 grant recipients.
NGPF also offers resources for five proven steps to expand access to financial education in local schools and districts.
About next-gen personal finance
Next Gen Personal Finance is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that by 2030, ALL students will take a one-semester personal finance course before graduating from high school. To support this mission, NGPF provides middle and high school teachers with everything they need to teach financial skills with confidence, at no cost. These are ready-to-use financial education programs, including personal finance, math, and economics collections with Spanish translations, as well as free professional development. Learn more about www.ngpf.org.
Media Contact:
Hannah Rael
Marketing Communications Manager
Next Generation Personal Finance
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SOURCE Next Generation Personal Finance
