PROVIDENCE – Citizens Financial Group Inc. is providing $2.6 million in financial education grants to strengthen programs and volunteer support for students, individuals and small-business owners for Financial Literacy Month in April, the bank announced.
The idea is to increase students’ knowledge and confidence in their financial futures, the bank said.
“At Citizens, we believe that financial knowledge is a foundation block for long-term success,” said Citizens Chairman and CEO Bruce Van Saun. “By investing in financial empowerment programs and sharing our insights to deliver financial education, we are helping students, families and entrepreneurs gain the confidence and skills they need to make informed financial decisions.”
The grant funds will go to the bank’s national financial education partners, Junior Achievement and Council for Economic Education, as well as 132 local nonprofits across the communities the bank serves.
The Junior Achievement nonprofit provides students with real-world financial education, career readiness skills and entrepreneurship training.
The Council for Economic Education nonprofit works to addresses the gender gap in financial literacy by providing young women with financial education, career mentorship and exposure to finance-related professions.
A third initiative, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, which provides funding and volunteer support to organizations offering free tax assistance for individuals earning $67,000 or less, will also receive a portion of the grant money, the bank said.
The funds will also be used for ongoing volunteer assistance from Citizens associates to continue delivering the Citizens Money Essentials financial education curriculum, which helps teach people the tools they need to budget, save, invest and make informed financial decisions, according to Citizens.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
