Project Category: CityStart

Six Cities to Develop Local Wealth Building Strategies

Posted on by Katie Plat

In this June 2025 press release, the CFE Fund announced that six new cities have been chosen to join the next CityStart cohort. The CityStart initiative helps local leaders develop and implement proven strategies to help local families and communities become more financially stable.

The CFE Fund will partner with the cities of Kansas City, MO; Memphis, TN; Milwaukee County, WI; Savannah, GA; Springfield, MA; and St. Petersburg, FL. Through the CityStart initiative, each city will receive a $100,000 grant to help craft innovative, actionable blueprints tailored to their communities that foster financial stability across generations. The blueprints will align with and serve to support each local Administration’s priorities and partnership opportunities.

Read the full press release here.

The Supervitamin Quarterly Newsletter, Issue 25

Posted on by Katie Plat

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. 

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

Posted on by Katie Plat

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

Posted on by Katie Plat

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

Posted on by Katie Plat

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

Posted on by Soliant Admin

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

Posted on by Soliant Admin

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.