Bread Financial® improves financial wellness in underserved communities

One year later, grant recipients share stories of success 

As part of its Financial Literacy Month celebration and overarching commitment to build a bright financial future for its customers, associates and communities, in April 2023, Bread Financial™ announced it had awarded $1 million in grants to help low to moderate income consumers improve their financial well-being and advance economic equality.  

From a pool of more than 165 applicants, 21 grants – ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 – were provided to non-profit organizations in select cities with a demonstrated track record of making a measurable impact in their communities. Since April 2023, more than 25,000 individuals have been served through programs providing job skill training, financial literacy education, personalized finance counseling and more.  

To date, cumulative results of the programs funded by Bread Financial include: 

• More than 1,700 individuals obtained or improved employment. 
• Nearly 4,600 individuals improved their credit score or financial position.  
• More than 5,500 individuals increased their financial knowledge.  

Below, learn more about select grant recipients and the ways they are championing financial literacy in their communities one year later. 

Per Scholas: Empowering tech talent for economic equity 

A non-profit organization offering no-cost technical training and career support for people who aspire to join the tech industry in Columbus, Ohio, Per Scholas’ mission is to advance economic equity by bridging the gap between skilled talent and leading businesses.   

By providing equitable access to tech education and employer networks, Per Scholas has helped more than 25,000 individuals launch successful tech careers, the majority of whom are people of color. To continually enhance the financial literacy and skills of its participants, Per Scholas, with the help of its Bread Financial grant, also offers wellness and wealth workshops throughout its curriculum and provides continuing education for alumni like Kalib Travis who, as a service desk technician, now earns nearly double what he did prior to the program.  

“It was overwhelming in terms of how much knowledge we had to take in,” said Travis. “But there was support the whole time, from my teachers, my classmates, professional development, and from Per Scholas as a whole. It was so well-organized and well-taught; it was awe-inspiring. And the amount of information and knowledge I gained throughout the program was not something I could have done on my own in just 15 weeks.” 

In 2023, Per Scholas enrolled 215 students, who had an average pre-training income of $17,670. After graduating with a 90% success rate, these students launched their tech careers with an average income of $45,000.  

Girls Inc. of New York City: Inspiring girls through education and technology  

Girls Inc. of New York City inspires girls to be strong, smart and bold through various life-transforming programs, including its Her Future financial literacy curriculum funded in part by its Bread Financial grant. Using experiential education and technology, Her Future is helping teen girls transform their relationship with money by meeting girls where they are and integrating into their everyday lives.  

In 2023, the program served 2,600 students across the city who gained essential skills and knowledge to manage their money and developed confidence and interest in careers in the financial sector. Upon completion of the curriculum, 96% of participants expressed interest in a career in finance or business, 67% of participants helped their family members with financial matters, and 100% of participants felt confident in making career and life decisions about money after learning about topics including credit score, credit debt and financial planning.  

One participant benefiting from the program is Nahima, who first joined Girls Inc. of New York City in middle school. Currently a senior at Hunter College where she studies economics, Nahima is proud to be pursuing a career in a male-dominated field and plans to become an entrepreneur upon graduation.  

"When we were doing financial literacy [in eighth grade], I was thinking, 'Why are we doing this? What am I going to do with budgeting, banking and all that?'” said Nahima. “But now that I'm an adult, those classes have actually helped me a lot."  

Chicago Commons: Helping parents and caregivers achieve financial success  

A community-based organization that provides high quality early childhood education, family-centered adult education and senior services to more than 3,500 individuals annually, Chicago Commons works to address the multifaceted needs of families through programs like its Family Hub.  

Located at Chicago Commons’ four directly operated early childhood education centers, Family Hub helps enrolled parents and caregivers set priorities, develop action plans and meet their goals around a variety of topics including health and wellness, employment and financial wellness. Family Hub serves more than 500 families annually across all its services and programs. 

Funded by one of Bread Financial’s grants, in 2023, the financial wellness programming has helped more than 200 parents and caregivers make progress toward their financial goals by offering one-on-one financial coaching to 75 individuals, employment and education resources to more than 200 individuals and bilingual financial workshops focused on budgeting and money management to more than 110 individuals. 

As a result of the programming:   

• More than 110 individuals obtained or improved their employment.  
• Nearly 450 individuals applied for at least one public benefit.
• More than 75 individuals received job training or work-based learning.