Money Smart Youth Financial Education Program

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Executive Summary

Money Smart Youth Financial Education Program is a nonprofit in Texas that teaches financial skills to high school students from low-income families: budgeting, banking, credit, student loans, scams and entry-level investing. Trained high school peer educators teach younger students, which builds financial knowledge and leadership at the same time.

Many young people leave school without knowing how a bank account, a credit score or a student loan works, and the mistakes they make can last for years. A clear course, a trusted peer and a first account can help them avoid costly traps.

With this grant we will serve about 300 students in Year 1 at 4 schools. We do not sell financial products or give individual investment advice, and we do not promise any financial result. We promise clear lessons, a neutral curriculum and respect for every family.

Our Year 1 budget is about $151,500, growing to about $196,000 by Year 5 as we add sites, coaches and participants. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 3 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a Program Coordinator and a part-time instructor) and 6 by Year 5.

We are asking the Southwest Economic Opportunity Foundation for $48,000 for the Program Coordinator and curriculum materials. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

Money Smart Youth Financial Education Program is a nonprofit organization in Texas. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. Every young person should graduate knowing how to budget, bank, use credit wisely and avoid the money traps that hurt families.

What we do.
- Teach financial education in high school classrooms: budgeting, banking, credit, student loans and entry-level investing.
- Train high school students as peer educators who teach younger students.
- Run a savings challenge with a partner credit union that opens first accounts.
- Hold family money nights in English and Spanish.
- Give each student a workbook and a simple budget tool.
- Train and pay a part-time instructor for each partner school.

Our values. Respect for every participant, honesty with families and partners, safety first and a place for everyone who wants to belong.

What we do not do. We do not sell financial products, give investment advice for individuals or take a fee from students. Our partner credit union opens accounts only with a parent's consent for minors, and we never receive payment for referrals. We do not promise any financial result. We follow the rules of our partner sites and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of bankers, teachers and parents began running after-school money workshops in a high school. Students asked for more and teachers asked if older students could lead them. We kept simple records of who came and what they learned. This proposal asks for support to move from after-school workshops to a steady program with paid, trained staff and the materials to match.

Problem & Opportunity

Many young people leave school without ever learning how a bank account, a credit score or a student loan works, and the lessons they miss are expensive ones.

Cost. Private financial classes cost money, and families who most need the lessons rarely have time or cash to attend.

Access. Many schools do not offer a financial literacy course, and those that do may offer it only to some students.

Safety and trust. Young people and families are targets for predatory lenders and scams, and many do not know how to spot them.

Missed benefits. Students who never learn money basics may take on debt they do not understand and miss chances to start saving early.

What we hear.
- A student says she signed up for a store credit card without knowing what the interest rate meant.
- A teacher says her students ask about money more than any other topic.
- A banker says first accounts could change a family's habits.
- A mother says no one ever taught her about credit.

We do not claim that a program can solve every challenge. We believe that clear lessons, trusted peers and a first account can help young people avoid costly mistakes.

Products & Services

Money Smart Youth Financial Education Program gives high school students from low-income families a safe, welcoming place to learn money skills that last.

How the program works.
1. Schools. We partner with four high schools that give us classroom time.
2. Lessons. Instructors teach six short lessons on budgeting, banking, credit, student loans, scams and investing basics.
3. Peer educators. Trained juniors and seniors lead sessions for younger students, with an instructor present.
4. Savings challenge. Students who want to may open a first account with a partner credit union, with a parent's consent.
5. Tools. Every student receives a workbook and a simple budget tool.
6. Family nights. Families attend a short evening session in English and Spanish.
7. Follow-up. We survey students at the start and the end to see what they learned.

What a typical session looks like. Participants arrive and check in with a staff member, settle in together, work on the day's activity in small groups and finish with a short talk about what went well. Staff praise effort, correct mistakes kindly and make sure no one is left out.

Staff. Our instructors pass a background check, complete our training in financial education and are paid for their time.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. Programs are free. We welcome every student and offer materials in English and Spanish.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. High school students from low-income families who attend our partner schools. Eligibility is based on school lunch status or income guidelines our board sets, and every student in a partner classroom may take part.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our after-school workshops we served full rooms and kept a waiting list. Schools told us that many more students want the course than we can serve. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 300 participants at 4 schools. By Year 5, with more staff and sites, we plan to serve about 700.

Where participants come from.
- Teachers, counselors and school administrators.
- Banks and credit unions.
- Churches and neighborhood centers.
- Students who tell a friend.

Who else benefits. Families gain skills and a first account. Schools gain a ready-to-teach course. Banks gain customers who understand their products.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a student who knows what a budget can do. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. School financial literacy courses. Valuable and not offered at every school. We partner with schools and fill gaps.

2. Online courses and apps. Flexible, with little personal guidance. We add trusted peers and teachers.

3. Bank programs. Helpful and tied to the bank's own products. We stay neutral.

4. Nonprofit credit counseling. Excellent for adults in trouble. We reach young people before they borrow.

5. Family conversations. Important, and not every family feels ready to have them.

What makes us different.
- Free to every student.
- Peer educators who students trust.
- A neutral curriculum that does not sell products.
- A first account for students who want one, with parent consent.
- Family money nights in English and Spanish.

Why this gap matters. Existing programs do good work, and most serve people who can already pay or who live close to them. The people we serve are the ones left over: they live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong schedule or have no one to ask. We are built to reach them.

We have spoken with school counselors, credit unions and other financial education programs to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- Schools. We will work with teachers and counselors to put the course on the schedule.
- Banks and credit unions. We will ask them to sponsor classes and share volunteers.
- Families. We will hold a short information night at each school.
- Churches and centers. We will talk with leaders who know families.
- Word of mouth. Many students will find us through a friend.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching staff and sponsors.
- Invite bankers, accountants, teachers and college students through schools and professional groups.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and training in safety, privacy and respectful practice.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of participants and what they said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for those with the greatest need and for people new to the program. We keep a waiting list when the program is full.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, lessons taught, accounts opened and how many participants return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the staff, buy equipment and materials, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign site agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Begin the first lessons at four schools.
- Months 4 to 10: Teach the course each semester, train new peer educators and hold family nights.
- Months 11 and 12: Run a spring savings challenge, survey students, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. Lessons are held in classrooms and libraries at partner schools, provided at no cost.

Safety and privacy.
- Peer educators are always accompanied by an instructor and never meet students alone.
- Student financial information is never collected beyond what a credit union requires with a parent's consent.
- Every staff member and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Staff work in pairs or in view of others whenever participants are minors or in a vulnerable situation.
- We keep an emergency plan at every site, and participants complete an emergency contact form.
- We keep records private, share them only with a participant's permission or as the law requires and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $6,000 of equipment once at the start: tablets and laptops for lessons ($3,500), projector and portable sound ($1,500), classroom supply kits ($1,000). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. The Program Coordinator, paid $40,000 a year, manages schools and peer educators. A part-time instructor, paid $16,000 a year, teaches classes. We add an instructor in Year 3.

Management & Organization

Alicia Moreno, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a credit union loan officer who saw how many young people took on debt without understanding it. I will complete the training we require of our instructors so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Staff. The Program Coordinator manages schools and peer educators, and a part-time instructor teaches classes. Each passes a background check. These positions are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a banker, a high school teacher, a parent, an accountant who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a former participant. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. A school counselor, a credit union leader and a financial aid officer give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $48,000 a year; program Coordinator, paid $40,000 a year; part-time Instructor, paid $16,000 a year.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 300 participants at 4 schools.
- Run at least two full seasons and a summer session.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants attend most sessions.
- Have at least 80 percent of participants return for a second season.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions and games attended, from our records.
- Skills learned and goals met, from the coach's checklist.
- Equipment issued and returned, from our log.
- Participant and family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 400 participants at 5 schools.
- Year 3: About 500 participants at 6 schools.
- Year 4: About 600 participants at 7 schools.
- Year 5: About 700 participants at 8 schools.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 40 percent of our budget, down from about 62 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $48,000 from the Southwest Economic Opportunity Foundation for the Program Coordinator and curriculum materials, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Program Coordinator salary, $40,000.
- Supplies: Curriculum materials and workbooks, $8,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 51% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $151,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,300 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $93,500; bank and Credit Union Partners $30,000; school District Partnership $20,000; individual Donors $8,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $48,000; program Coordinator $40,000; part-time Instructor $16,000; peer Educator Stipends about $12,000; curriculum Materials and Workbooks about $8,000; savings Challenge and Family Nights about $6,000; teacher Training about $3,000; transportation about $3,000; administration and Insurance about $8,000; about $2,800 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $13,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $3,500 for tablets and laptops for lessons; $1,500 for projector and portable sound; $1,000 for classroom supply kits; $2,000 for attorney review of the consent form and privacy policy; $1,500 for banners, bilingual flyers and a simple website; $1,500 for background checks and instructor training; $2,000 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($13,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $36,000, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $49,000. We start with $6,000 from our founding board and $45,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a credit union, $51,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $151,500 in Year 1 to about $196,000 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $93,500, $81,000, $85,500, $73,000 and $78,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: bank and Credit Union Partners from $30,000 to $54,000; school District Partnership from $20,000 to $40,000; individual Donors from $8,000 to $24,000. Our surplus is planned at about $6,300 in Year 1, about $6,800 in Year 2, about $8,000 in Year 3, about $8,200 in Year 4 and about $9,700 in Year 5. We grow from 4 schools to 8 by Year 5, adding a part-time coach for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $46,400, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $6,060 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per student. In Year 1, our total costs are about $484 per student served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more student served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $266 per student.

After the grant. Bank and school district funding, corporate sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Participants and families share their stories, and businesses can sponsor a team or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and the city that want a safe, free financial education option for every child.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury. Certified coaches, proper equipment, groups matched by age and skill, a written emergency plan and insurance.
- A site is no longer available. We keep agreements with more than one site and a plan for bad weather.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of trained backup coaches and share lesson plans.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and rides based on family feedback.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy, use secure systems and train every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow partner and donor support each year.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one neighborhood, a handful of students and a small team, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $93,500 in Year 1, growing to $78,000 in Year 5.
- Bank and Credit Union Partners: $30,000 in Year 1, growing to $54,000 in Year 5.
- School District Partnership: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $40,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $8,000 in Year 1, growing to $24,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $48,000; program Coordinator $40,000; part-time Instructor $16,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: peer Educator Stipends $12,000; curriculum Materials and Workbooks $8,000; savings Challenge and Family Nights $6,000; teacher Training $3,000; transportation $3,000; administration and Insurance $8,000. These grow between 4% and 5% a year.
- Equipment: $6,000 at the start, then $1,500 to $2,500 a year.
- Startup costs: $13,000, paid once from $51,000 in startup money.
- Participants served: about 300 in Year 1, growing to about 700 in Year 5. Sites: 4 in Year 1, growing to 8 by Year 5. The course is taught each semester, with a spring savings challenge.
- About 4% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs