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Nine nonprofit organizations in Ohio will receive much needed funds to help those they serve make informed financial decisions through a set of grants announced by Citizens today. Under the bank’s Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program, these nonprofits will receive a total of more than $138,000 to support work in this critical area across the state. This years’ funding recipients in Ohio include:
- Cleveland Neighborhood Progress for Community Financial Centers
- Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People for the Affordable Homeownership Initiative
- Enterprise Community Partners for the Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition
- HFLA of Northeast Ohio for Financial Empowerment through Interest-Free Lending
- Junior Achievement chapters in Greater Cleveland, North Central Ohio and Mahoning County for financial education for youth
- United Way of Summit & Medina County for Financial Empowerment for Akron’s Low- to Moderate-Income Residents
- University Circle Inc. for Financial Essentials for Small Business Owners & Greater Circle Business Alliance
As part of the Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program, the bank this year will provide $1.5 million in contributions to more than 105 nonprofits in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York. The initiative helps the community by supporting programs that give people the confidence and tools they need to budget, save, invest, be financially healthy and inspire them to pursue their goals.
As recent research suggests, many Americans are worried about achieving their economic and financial goals. Annually, Citizens and Junior Achievement USA host a national survey to identify the financial challenges facing teens. This years’ results showed that COVID-19 has significantly impacted how teens are thinking about their financial futures, prompting 25 percent of them to delay their college plans in the face of reduced financial support from parents and guardians because of the pandemic. The findings, which indicate broad-based concern among teens regarding how they will pay for higher education, highlight an increased need for financial literacy educational resources to assist them in making financial decisions that impact them over the long term.
“We believe that having strong financial knowledge is essential in achieving your goals and reaching financial security,” said Jim Malz, President, Citizens, Ohio. “Through Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money we provide members of our communities with the knowledge, confidence and resources they need to make smart financial decisions that will put them on a path forward.”
For additional information on Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money, visit Citizens’ website.