About

Our Mission
is to educate the American public and reach underserved communities by teaching meaningful financial life skills, encouraging positive financial behaviors, and providing access to outcome-based, educational resources over the long-term.

Who is CFEF?

The Community Financial Education Foundation (CFEF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) national financial literacy foundation based in Washington, DC. Founded in 2007 by executives in the financial services industry, CFEF's founders recognized the growing divide between the availability of consumer credit and the lack of financial education about these products, and more importantly, consumers' understanding of their own financial situation.

CFEF expanded the scope of the founders' vision and now offers CFEF offers free financial education workshops across the spectrum of personal finance topics. CFEF reaches underserved community groups across America and those in need of getting started or back on track to financial responsibility. We promote this initiative as "My Starting Point".

CFEF believes that knowledge is power. Financial education is a critical component for individuals to attain independence, security, and gain access to wealth. Americans often neglect basic financial principles, due to our "want it now, buy it now" culture. CFEF has created financial education initiatives that focus on the fundamentals of financial responsibility: creating a budget, projecting expenses, setting savings goals, understanding loan terms and improving credit scores.

Values

  • Promoting a better understanding by policy-makers, community leaders, and participating companies of the need for financial education and community development programs.
  • Encouraging communication and cooperation among community organizations, government agencies, financial institutions and other community development practitioners.
  • Providing thought leadership in the financial education communities to help eradicate the growing problem of financial illiteracy in communities across America.

Philosopy

CFEF combats financial illiteracy by providing innovative outcome based financial education programs.

Culture

We are a trusted financial education group providing a quality program that helps individuals achieve their financial stability and independence.

PROGRAMS

MYSTARTINGPOINT.COM

CFEF's MyStartingPoint influences the direction of financial education through an innovative, results based financial empowerment program. Our goal is to change individual financial behaviors.

CFEF provides underserved individuals with the tools needed to begin, continue and complete an online financial literacy program that allows them to define and achieve their financial goals.

We accomplish this by:

  • Identifying the need in communities
  • Designing a financial education program based on the need
  • Leaving an ongoing legacy through MyStartingPoint.com

FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT WORKSHOPS AND PILOT PROGRAMS

CFEF workshops are designed to fit unique community needs identified through community partners across America.

Each month CFEF hosts a series of Financial Empowerment workshops in underserved communities across America. Workshops are tailored to fit the unique financial needs of our audience. We provide training in all areas of personal finance. Workshops typically last between two and three hours with time for individual counseling at the conclusion of each workshop. We offer training in both English and Spanish in an effort to further CFEF's mission of promoting the importance of financial education across America. CFEF also strives to address the diversity of underserved communities needing help getting started or back on track financially.

The goal of these workshops is to engage participants to become better money managers by teaching important financial life skills. Each participant is given access to MyStartingPoint.com where they can continue their education long after the workshop is over.

CFEF PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Financial Education Advocacy – Through our network of policy makers, CFEF advocates on the importance of financial education in communities and schools across America. As financial products continue to become more sophisticated and consumers have access to credit in a variety of new ways, CFEF believes that support for early financial education is crucial to the success of America's future. Personal finance education should be mandated by the federal government and taught in our nation's schools at all grade levels. We work to ensure that policy makers are well-informed about the benefits of including financial education curriculums in public schools. CFEF challenges and advocates for each state to make personal finance part of the core curriculum.

Faqs

WHAT DOES THE CFEF DO TO PROMOTE FINANCIAL LITERACY?

MyStartingPoint – For those seeking help with their finances, we have a tool called MyStartingPoint, a free interactive financial education program designed to aid consumers in creating household budgets, projecting future expenses, setting savings goals and improving personal credit.

Early Education – We also promote good financial education in our nation's schools at all grade levels. The CFEF works hard to promote the benefits of financial education and advocates each state bringing personal finance instruction into public high schools.

Grants & Scholarships – CFEF provides grant and scholarship provisions to community groups and individuals that express a need and are dedicated to promoting financial education. Contact us to learn more.

WHAT ISSUES DO YOU ADDRESS?

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Social Issues – Address the importance of financial education and increase financial literacy rates in communities across America.

Political Issues – Generate awareness of the importance of financial education in schools and communities across America.

WHO ARE YOUR KEY STAKEHOLDERS?

Communities We Serve – CFEF provides individuals, nonprofit community partners, public charter Schools across America with a quality financial education program.

Corporate Partners – CFEF provides corporate partners with a quality turnkey financial education program for their employees and customers.

Government officials – CFEF works closely with community leaders to ensure they understand the importance of financial education and the need for CFEF's programs in the communities they serve.

Board of Directors – CFEF staff works directly with the CFEF board to discover their desires for financial education and to ensure CFEF is successful.

WHY is FINANCIAL EDUCATION SO IMPORTANT?

By learning to better manage their money, individuals broaden their economic horizons and enrich both their lives and their community. We believe financial education is a lifelong process that continually benefits consumers and their communities.

WHAT MAKES CFEF UNIQUE AND DISTINCTIVE?

CFEF's financial literacy initiatives are distinct from other financial literacy programs in several ways:

MEASURABLE RESULTS

  • pre and post assessments to all participants of its programs
  • Financial Wellness Score monitors individuals success

LONG-TERM FOCUS

  • Our programs are not limited to one workshop
  • We provide an online resource so individuals can continue their education

INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING PATHS

CFEF leverages its pre and post assessments with its online platform to help create customized learning paths for individuals to help them achieve their financial goals.

MULTI-LINGUAL MATERIALS

CFEF produces all of its content and delivers workshops in both English and Spanish.