Project Category: Summer Jobs Connect

Summer Jobs Connect to Provide Financial Education, Banking Access to Young People in 25 Cities

Posted on by Katie Plat

In this July 2023 press release, the CFE Fund announced the expansion of Summer Jobs Connect (SJC) through Summer Jobs Connect Academy, a new entry point for connecting banking access and financial education to Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEPs).

Citi Foundation, the program’s seed funder, provided an additional $800,000 in support of the Summer Jobs Connect initiative’s tenth year; additionally, the PNC Foundation is supporting the expansion of the Summer Jobs Connect initiative in Albuquerque, NM and Pittsburgh, PA and The Skillman Foundation is supporting this work in Detroit, MI for a fifth year.

 

 

The Citi Foundation and CFE Fund Launch Ninth Year of Summer Jobs Connect

Posted on by Katie Plat

This press release announces an additional $3.5 million in support from the Citi Foundation to provide more than 145,000 low-income youth with summer jobs and access to financial education as part of Summer Jobs Connect in 2022; the Summer Jobs Connect initiative is also supported by The Skillman Foundation and the PNC Foundation. Since launching in 2014, the Citi Foundation has invested over $40 million in this initiative, which has provided 16,500 young people with summer jobs and over 800,000 low-income youth with access to financial education and safe and affordable financial services. 25 Summer Jobs Connect city partners have built these financial empowerment strategies into the infrastructure of their Summer Youth Employment Programs. The CFE Fund also launched a national social media campaign, highlighting youth and partner voices on the impact of Summer Jobs Connect, and a new SJC website.

The Supervitamin Quarterly Newsletter, Issue 24

Posted on by Katie Plat

This issue, Issue 24, provides updates on the CFE Fund’s and partner cities’ financial empowerment efforts, including an announcement of a new partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies to help grow the municipal financial empowerment field. 

The CFE Fund announced a $19 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies to: expand FEC financial counseling through the launch of FEC Academy; support the creation of a new pilot to embed FEC financial counseling into eviction prevention services; build out the Financial Navigators initiative; and invest in a racial-equity focused CityStart initiative. Additionally, this issue includes updates on the 2021 Bank On National Conference which took place in mid-November, with nearly 500 partners in attendance from across the country. This issue also features a guest column from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, highlighting the City’s Summer Jobs Connect initiative work providing summer jobs and financial education for Detroit youth.

 

 

The Supervitamin Quarterly Newsletter, Issue 23

Posted on by Katie Plat

This issue, Issue 23, provides updates on the CFE Fund’s and partner cities’ financial empowerment efforts, including those related to COVID-19 recovery. 

In advance of the newly expanded federal Child Tax Credit monthly payments, the CFE Fund and Bank On coalitions are highlighting the availability of safe and affordable Bank On certified accounts; the CFE Fund recently announced that there are over 100 accounts certified as meeting the Bank On National Account Standards. Additionally, the Summer Jobs Connect initiative has launched its eighth summer, and the CFE Fund recently selected a new cohort of Financial Empowerment Center partners.  This issue also features a guest column from Robin McKinney and Sara Johnson, from CASH Campaign of Maryland, highlighting their work with the Maryland Department of Labor to offer Bank On certified accounts for residents receiving unemployment payments.

The Supervitamin Quarterly Newsletter, Issue 22

Posted on by Katie Plat

This issue, Issue 22, provides updates on CFE Fund’s and partner cities’ COVID-19 response efforts. 

Since the pandemic began, 31 cities and counties have launched Financial Navigators initiatives to provide phone-based financial triage and resource referrals; 35 municipal Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) partners are offering, or are working to launch, one-on-one financial counseling through FEC programs; and more than 80 Bank On coalitions are working to connect their communities to safe and affordable banking products so they can safely receive and use stimulus payments, unemployment benefits, wages, and more. This issue also features a guest column from Nick Gradisar, the Mayor of Pueblo, CO, highlighting the key role the CityStart and Financial Navigators initiatives have had in Pueblo’s emergency response.

The Supervitamin Quarterly Newsletter, Issue 21

Posted on by Katie Plat

This issue, Issue 21, details how the CFE Fund and our city partners continued to respond to COVID-19. Financial Empowerment Center initiative partners received CFE Fund support to meet increased demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the CFE Fund continued building out its newest program, the Financial Navigator initiative, to help cities provide remote financial triage and referrals; and the CFE Fund released the 2021-2022 Bank On National Account Standards. In addition, the CFE Fund announced the new cohort of Consumer Financial Protection Initiative grantees, who will focus first on a COVID-19 consumer awareness campaign and then plan for broader consumer financial protection capabilities within the city. This issue also features a guest column from the American Bankers Association (ABA) CEO and President, Rob Nichols, highlighting a recent partnership encouraging ABA partner banks across the country to offer Bank On certified accounts.  

Video: Summer Jobs Connect – COVID-19 Didn’t Stop SYEPs

Posted on by Katie Plat

Each year, over 110,000 young people work summer jobs and are supported through financial education, banking access, and other financial empowerment resources as part of the CFE Fund’s national Summer Jobs Connect (SJC) initiative, supported by the Citi Foundation. 

This video details how through pivoting to remote programming, cities across the US were able to adapt to COVID-19 and incorporate financial literacy programs and safe, affordable banking access into their SYEPs through Summer Jobs Connect. In addition, SYEPs also supported discussions around racial equality amongst youth and demonstrated how youth can serve their community in crisis times.

 

 

The Supervitamin Quarterly Newsletter, Issue 20

Posted on by Katie Plat

This issue, Issue 20, details the CFE Fund’s and city partners’ response to COVID-19. Financial Empowerment Center initiative partners pivoted to remote counseling; the CFE Fund announced a new program, the Financial Navigator initiative, to help cities provide remote financial triage and referrals; and Bank On coalition partners shared information about safe bank and credit union accounts that could be used to receive stimulus and other emergency payments. In addition, the CFE Fund announced the new cohort of Consumer Financial Protection Initiative grantees, who will focus first on a  COVID-19 consumer awareness campaign and then plan for broader consumer financial protection capabilities within the city. This issue also features a guest column from the City of Newark, New Jersey’s Mayor Ras Baraka on the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program plans as part of the Summer Jobs Connect initiative.

The Citi Foundation and CFE Fund launch the sixth year of Summer Jobs Connect

Posted on by Katie Plat

This press release announces an additional $5 million in support from the Citi Foundation to provide more than 2,550 low-income youth with summer jobs and access to financial education as part of Summer Jobs Connect in 2019. Since launching in 2014, the Citi Foundation has invested over $28 million in this initiative, which has provided 13,535 young people with summer jobs and over 500,000 low-income youth with access to financial education and safe and affordable financial services. Summer Jobs Connect city partners, which include Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York City, St. Louis, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and eight additional cities across the country, have built these financial empowerment strategies into the infrastructure of their Summer Youth Employment Programs. The CFE Fund also launched a national social media campaign, highlighting youth and partner voices on the impact of Summer Jobs Connect, and a new SJC video.

Video: Summer Jobs Connect – More Than Just a Summer Job

Posted on by Katie Plat

Each year, as part of the national Summer Jobs Connect (SJC) initiative, the CFE Fund, with generous support from the Citi Foundation, partners with mayors and local governments from across the country to connect 2,550 young people with summer jobs, and more than 110,000 young people with financial education, banking access, and other financial empowerment resources.

The video below features Summer Jobs Connect partners including the City of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Former City of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, City of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and Former President of the Citi Foundation Brandee McHale.