Corporate Central just handed $200,000 to two groups of college students who want to run their own credit unions. The money splits evenly: $100,000 to the Seattle University Credit Union Initiative and $100,000 to the George Washington University Credit Union Initiative.
The announcement came at Momentum 2026, Corporate Central’s flagship annual conference for credit union professionals. The gift targets one of the toughest early obstacles in launching a credit union: raising startup capital.
Cash, Not Cheerleading
This isn’t a first date. Seattle University’s initiative joined Corporate Central as an Associate Member in November 2025, and George Washington’s followed in February 2026. The new pledge adds direct funding to relationships that already existed.
Chris Felton, President/CEO of Corporate Central, says he has heard plenty of vendors claim to back the movement. “Over the years, I have heard countless times from all sorts of companies with ‘credit union divisions,’ ‘credit union departments,’ or a ‘credit union focus’ that ‘we support the credit union movement,'” he said. “But we are a credit union, and credit unions do more than talk the talk. We walk the walk. Investing in these two wonderful initiatives was a no-brainer. It’s what credit unions do. We support our members and look for ways to help all members: small, large, and start-ups.”
Clearing the Path to a Charter
Starting a credit union takes serious planning, enough startup capital, and regulatory approval. To help groups through that stretch, Corporate Central amended its membership bylaws to create an associate category for credit union initiatives. Members in that category get access to deposit and investment solutions while they wait on charter approval.
The new gift goes further by putting money directly into both initiatives as they work toward becoming operational.
Cisco Malpartida Smith, board chair for both initiatives, named the hurdle plainly. “Raising the startup capital needed to establish a new credit union is one of the most significant barriers these initiatives face,” he said. “Corporate Central’s $200,000 contribution directly addresses that challenge and brings us meaningfully closer to making these credit unions a reality for our university communities.”
A Classroom With a Vault
The proposed credit unions would be staffed entirely by volunteer student employees, covering every role from teller to CEO. Students would get hands-on experience in governance, financial services, and member service, building leadership skills and financial know-how while seeing the cooperative model up close.
“These initiatives represent an opportunity to turn the university community into a living classroom,” said Malpartida Smith. “Students will be able to apply what they learn while helping build and lead a financial institution that serves their peers. Corporate Central’s support is an investment in more than two new credit unions. It is an investment in the next generation of credit union leaders, employees, and members.”
Felton sees the same payoff. “By supporting these student-led initiatives, we are giving a new generation the chance to experience the credit union difference, see a better banking model, develop as leaders, and carry the cooperative movement forward,” he said.
By pairing deposit and investment access with direct funding, Corporate Central is helping two campus ideas grow into working credit unions, and training a steady supply of future credit union advocates along the way.