Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to pro bono financial planning for people in crisis or need, has announced that it will award grants to 20 nonprofit organizations around the country, each working to deliver pro bono financial planning to populations who could not otherwise afford or access services. Together, these organizations will benefit from more than $533,000 in grants that FFP will issue in 2024.
Pro bono clients served by the grant recipients’ programs will include families affected by cancer, military veterans, active service members and their spouses, at-risk seniors, domestic violence survivors, and more. FFP’s grants are awarded to a range of community-based and national nonprofits who serve these key groups and whose efforts can be scaled.
This year, grant funds from FFP will support the following organizations:
- 3rd Decade in Tucson, AZ
- After Innocence in Oakland, CA
- Angel Foundation in Mendota Heights, MN
- Apprisen in Gahana, OH
- Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, NC
- Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation in Brooklyn, NY
- Britepaths in Fairfax, VA
- Cancer Support Community San Franciso Bay Area in Walnut Creek, CA
- Coordinated Assistance Network in Clearwater, FL
- Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) in Denver, CO and selected FPA® Chapters
- Flyte in New Orleans, LA
- Increasing H.O.P.E Financial Training Center in North Charleston, SC
- NCEF-NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation in Chicago, IL
- Prepare + Prosper in St. Paul, MN
- San Diego Financial Literacy Center in San Diego, CA
- Savvy Ladies in New York, NY
- Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX
- Tzedek DC in Washington, DC
- Wings for Widows in Wayzata, MN
- Working in Support of Education (W!SE) in New York, NY
Among this group of notable organizations is Texas Tech University, where FFP is working with Associate Dean for Academics and Professor of Personal Financial Planning, Dottie Durband, her colleagues, and Sasha Grabenstetter, now at eMoney, to update the “Apple Seed” Curriculum, which prepares college students at CFP Board Registered Programs to work with low-to-middle income pro bono clients. Initially developed in 2013 through a grant from FFP, the curriculum will be updated to include new content related to: technology advancements; self- and social awareness, inclusivity, empathetic communication, and cultural humility and competence; as well as the six principal knowledge topics covered in the CFP Board’s psychology of financial planning domain.
Once completed, the revised curriculum will be tested among financial planning students from Texas Tech University’s Charles Schwab Foundation Personal Financial Planning Clinic. “The update to this curriculum aims to enhance the comprehensive training and preparation of future financial professionals and pro bono providers,” says Durband. “Providing students with training on pro bono will build their knowledge, skills, and confidence as financial planners, while fostering a commitment to helping those in need.” The new Apple Seed Curriculum is funded in partnership with Fidelity Investments.
In 2024, FFP will also award its fifth annual Alexandra Armstrong Innovation Grant to Flyte, a New Orleans-based nonprofit organization that empowers entrepreneurs, primarily Black women from low and moderate-income households, with the skills and resources needed to overcome systemic financial inequities. This special grant – named for FFP co-founder and trustee Alexandra Armstrong, CFP® – is presented annually to a nonprofit organization demonstrating remarkable creativity and impact in its programming.
“We are incredibly grateful to receive this grant,” says Alexander Bigbie, Founder and Executive Director of Flyte. “Our flagship Entrepreneur Empowerment Program works hard to provide personal and business financial training to nearly 60 early-stage small business owners annually. With this grant funding, Flyte will introduce our 2024 cohort members to CFP® professionals for much-needed one-on-one, personal financial coaching.”
Continuing in 2024 will be a series of earmarked grants as part of FFP’s Communities of Color initiative, funded in partnership with BNY Mellon’s Pershing, which supports organizations focused on supporting low-income families in need, particularly families of color.
FFP will also maintain its support of the Angel Foundation and establish a new relationship with the Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area as part of its signature Pro Bono for Cancer effort, which supports pro bono financial planning services for cancer patients and their families. Since its inception, our Pro Bono for Cancer program has served over 2,340 families via the volunteer efforts of 664 financial planners.
On January 15th, FFP opened applications for its 2024 grants cycle, with funding made available in January 2025. Eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are invited to apply by visiting FFPprobono.org/grants. The application process will close on April 30, 2024.
About the Foundation for Financial Planning
Foundation for Financial Planning (FFP) is the nation’s leading charity dedicated to advancing pro bono financial planning for at-risk populations, including active military members and wounded veterans, people with cancer and other serious medical diagnoses, seniors and family caregivers, low-income individuals and their families, domestic violence survivors and many more. Over its more than 28 years, FFP has provided $9.3 million in grants to national and community-based pro bono programs; worked with partners to activate more than 29,000 financial planners to volunteer their time and talents; reached over 730,000 people in crisis or need; and acted as a leader and catalyst to foster a rich tradition of pro bono service across the financial planning profession. Visit FFPprobono.org to learn more.
