Twenty-four credit unions across the country won this year’s At-Risk Youth Financial Well-Being Grant from the National Credit Union Foundation, and Unitus Community Credit Union is one of them. The pool of applicants was the strongest in the program’s history.
Unitus will put the money toward a pilot called “L+EARN and Save,” built with its nonprofit partner Project Lemonade and that organization’s L+EARN paid internship program. It will serve 20 to 25 young adults, ages 16 to 24, who are transitioning out of foster care.
What participants get
- Financial education
- One-on-one coaching
- Savings and checking account access
- Saving incentives, including a 3:1 savings match
That match is the eye-catching piece. Save a dollar, and three more get added to it.
Why it matters
Lauren Culp, executive director of the National Credit Union Foundation, called a young person’s financial well-being “the throughline that influences nearly every opportunity that follows, from education and employment to housing and long-term stability.” She said the grant cycle showed “extraordinary commitment” from credit unions eager to tackle those challenges locally.
Unitus President and CEO Steven Stapp sees the participants as people investing in themselves. “Thanks to this grant, they’ll receive the tools, guidance, and financial support needed to build lasting financial stability,” he said. “We know that when people gain confidence in managing their money and see their savings grow, new possibilities emerge for education, housing, career advancement, and long-term success.”
Allison Specter, Project Lemonade’s Development Director, pointed out that people who have spent extended time in foster care often live in poverty and carry a scarcity mindset. Saving, she said, takes on a deeper meaning in that context.
“The act of saving for themselves is an act of hope and faith in their futures,” Specter said. “It’s also an investment in themselves, in a world which has repeatedly told them they are less than, or somehow not worth the same as others.”
In a participant’s words
Aleksia, a current Project Lemonade intern, says financial support would help her learn to save. “I’d start putting money away for the future – like emergencies or big goals – instead of spending it all right away,” she said.
If you’re a Unitus member, this is a good sign of where your credit union puts its energy: into community programs that give young people real tools, not just a pamphlet. And if you know a young adult in or leaving foster care in the area, it’s worth connecting them with Project Lemonade’s L+EARN program to see how they can take part.