Overview
Recent data estimates that 60% of the U.S. population does not have an understanding of the basic financial concepts that impact their daily monetary decisions and transactions. The Kenan Trust will fund projects from State Councils on Economic Education that offer exposure to and training in basic financial concepts with the goal of promoting economic mobility and security for individuals and long-term generational prosperity.
Eligible Project Types
The Trust will fund projects that:
- Offer an exploration of attitudes, beliefs, and values related to money;
- Provide a basic understanding of income and expense;
- Present a framework for understanding budgeting, credit score, interest rates, and debt; and
- Teach long-term financial strategies such as saving, investing, and protecting assets and personal information.
Eligible Organizations
The Trust will consider proposals for the types of projects listed above from:
- Organizations working on a statewide or regional level to educate high school students; or
- Nonprofits providing basic financial literacy training to adults.
Size and Duration of Grants
Grants in this focus area will range from $150,000 – $250,000. Grant durations typically range from 1-3 years.
Please note, the grant size and duration listed here are meant as a general guide. A Kenan Grant Officer will work closely with organizations advancing to later stages of our grant process to tailor grant requests if needed.
Featured Grant in Financial Literacy: Virginia Council on Economic Education
The Trust awarded a grant to the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE) for teacher development and to support a Personal Finance Teacher Residency program for under-resourced communities to support VCEE’s goal of ensuring K-12 classroom teachers are equipped to teach economic and personal finance classes. Through VCEE’s work training teachers, 90,000 students are graduating from Virginia high schools with the economic knowledge and financial skills needed to improve their quality of life.
