Eight Cities to Build Financial Empowerment Efforts with Focus on Racial Wealth Equity

In this April 2023 press release, the CFE Fund announced that a second cohort of eight cities and counties have been chosen to join the CityStart initiative, with a specialized focus on racial wealth equity. The CityStart initiative helps local leaders develop and implement proven strategies to help local families and communities become more financially stable. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, whose mission is to accelerate the pace of Black wealth accumulation in the U.S., is advising the CFE Fund and municipal partners on the design and execution of the latest iteration of the CityStart program with a specific lens on racial wealth equity.

The CFE Fund will partner with local government leaders in Baltimore, MD; Cleveland, OH; Monroe, LA; Newark, NJ; Norfolk, VA; Rocky Mount, NC; Sacramento, CA; and Tallahassee/Leon County, FL to help them address the financial empowerment needs of residents and the opportunities to meet those needs, prioritizing the financial stability needs of Black residents. Each of the eight cities selected will also receive a $75,000 planning grant, drawn from a previous $19 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies. In 2022, the CFE Fund worked with an initial cohort of Cincinnati, OH; Mobile, AL; and South Bend, IN; these cities are in the process of drafting their CityStart financial empowerment blueprints.

Three Cities to Kickstart Financial Empowerment, Racial Wealth Equity Efforts Through CityStart

In this May 2022 press release, the CFE Fund announced that three new cities have been chosen to join the next CityStart cohort, with a new focus on racial wealth equity. The CityStart initiative helps local leaders develop and implement proven strategies to help local families and communities become more financially stable. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative, whose mission is to accelerate the pace of Black wealth accumulation in the U.S., will advise the CFE Fund on the design and execution of the latest iteration of the CityStart program with a specific lens on racial wealth equity.

The CFE Fund will partner with the cities of Cincinnati, OH; Mobile, AL; and South Bend, IN to help them address the financial empowerment needs of residents and the opportunities to meet those needs, prioritizing the financial stability needs of Black residents. Each of the three cities selected will also receive a $75,000 planning grant, drawn from a previous $19 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The Supervitamin Quarterly Newsletter, Issue 25

This issue, Issue 25, provides updates on the CFE Fund’s and partner cities’ financial empowerment efforts, including an announcement that the Bank On movement has certified more than 200 bank and credit union accounts, with partner financial institutions comprising 56% of the U.S. deposit marketshare. Additionally, the issue describes the launch of a new pilot, Small Business Boost, to bring FEC financial counseling to small business owners and entrepreneurs; shares updates from the Financial Navigators initiative; and details a new expansion of the CityStart initiative to incorporate a racial equity lens. Additionally, this issue features a guest column from ChexSystems President Ron Whyte, highlighting how the ChexSystems Bank On bundle works to reduce the traditional barriers of negative banking history for under- and un-banked people. 

CFE Fund Announces New $19M Commitment from Bloomberg Philanthropies

In this November 2021 press release, the CFE Fund announced its latest partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies that will greatly expand local government-led financial stability efforts across the country over the next three years. With nearly $19 million in new support, the CFE Fund will replicate its proven Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) model – which helps low- and middle-income residents decrease debt and increase savings – under its nationwide FEC Public platform, resulting in as many as 100 cities and counties total looking to offer FEC financial counseling services. Additionally, the CFE Fund will establish a new network of 10 “Financial Empowerment Cities” that will institutionalize government efforts by supporting new financial empowerment offices and cohorts of leaders. The CFE Fund also will help to catalyze new commitments from as many as 30 local governments, partnering with Black-majority localities and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative to create community-informed financial empowerment strategic blueprints through its CityStart initiative, and continuing the Financial Navigators emergency response initiative. Finally, support from Bloomberg Philanthropies will also enable the CFE Fund to pilot a new financial counseling integration in five cities to test FEC eviction prevention strategies in response to COVID-19 housing instability, and field a multi-city evaluation of FEC impact in three to five partner cities.

Navigating From a Good Idea to Public Financial Empowerment Commitments: An Outline of the CityStart Process

This brief, Navigating From a Good Idea to Public Financial Empowerment Commitments, outlines the experiences of the past two CityStart cohorts in moving from general interest in financial empowerment to concrete commitments to municipally-led efforts. The CFE Fund’s CityStart engagement supports local leaders in convening stakeholders, identifying local challenges and opportunities, aligning with Mayoral or municipal priorities, and then strategically planning for successful government programming. Using the experience of 17 cities who have participated already in CityStart, this Brief can provide city governments and key stakeholders interested in getting started with financial empowerment work with an understanding of how the CityStart engagement can facilitate the success of that process locally.

Supervitamin Quarterly, Issue 15

This issue, Issue 15, highlights the findings from the CFE Fund and Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ 2017 Bank On Data Pilot; along with new Bank On resources; updates on the scaling of the Financial Empowerment Center initiative under the FEC Public platform; early successes seen from CFE Fund’s CityStart initiative; updates on Consumer Financial Protection efforts; and highlights from the fifth year of the Summer Jobs Connect initiative. It also includes local updates from the CFE Coalition, and a guest column from Daniel Davis, Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Supervitamin Quarterly, Issue 8

This issue, Issue 8, provides an update on the Next Generation Municipal Financial Empowerment awards; a brief on financial empowerment’s role in positive youth development from our Summer Jobs Connect initiative; and an announcement of a Request for Expressions of Interest for organizations to serve as a long-term partner to evaluate financial institution products for Bank On National Account Standards consistency. The issue also includes an update on the CFE Fund’s technical assistance work, the CFE Coalition’s 2016 Policy Agenda; and a guest column from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Counseling, Sarah Gerecke.

Supervitamin Quarterly, Issue 7

This issue, Issue 7, provides a number of Bank On updates, including the launch of the Bank On National Account Standards, the announcement of the Bank On Capacity Grant Fund, and updates on critical support from Bank On partners, both regulators and financial institution. The issue also includes a new report, jointly authored by the CFE Fund and the National Consumer Law Center, on the effect of account screening consumer reporting agencies on banking access; a series of briefs from the Summer Jobs Connect initiative; an update on the work of the Next Generation Municipal Financial Empowerment awards; and evaluation findings and resources related to SaveUSA, a tax-time matched savings program. Finally, the issue includes a guest column from Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairman Martin Gruenberg on Bank On and the importance of access to banking efforts.

Next Generation Municipal Financial Empowerment Award Given to Five U.S. Mayors: Award Recognizes, Supports Emerging Municipal Financial Empowerment Leaders

The CFE Fund’s Next Generation Municipal Financial Empowerment Award grows the municipal financial empowerment field by cultivating and supporting innovative ideas from new mayoral administrations. This May 2015 press release announces the five city leaders chosen through a competitive RFP process to receive this award: Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, San José Mayor Sam Liccardo, and Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler.

The award, generously sponsored by Capital One, includes both a planning grant and dedicated technical consulting from the CFE Fund. Together, awardee mayors, their teams, and the CFE Fund will develop innovative local government strategies to address poverty through programs such as financial counseling, access to safe and appropriate banking products, asset-building opportunities, and consumer financial protections.