For over 20 years, Cooperative Federal has collaborated with community partners across Syracuse to bring financial education classes to their clients. We partner with workforce development agencies, refugee resettlement programs, community centers, adult literacy programs, affordable housing providers, schools, libraries, health centers, youth programs and more. By embedding financial education into our partners' programs, we help their clients build skills, access resources, and improve their financial health.
Our most popular classes demystify credit scores & credit reports, provide practical strategies for budgeting and money management, and prepare people for major purchases like cars and homes. We also teach banking basics to young people, and to other people who are opening accounts for the first time.
Classes can be taught as stand-alone workshops, or combined into courses with multiple sessions.
Our staff are happy to collaborate with interpreters from your agency to provide classes to audiences with limited English proficiency.
We also have a 4-module curriculum for ESL / ELL audiences.
We offer financial education classes in person as well as virtually. For virtual sessions, we can host your group in a Zoom meeting, or we can join a virtual meeting hosted by your organization.
Our credit union was founded with an economic justice mission. We understand how systemic inequality and institutional racism created generational poverty in Syracuse, and we know that breaking the cycle of poverty is about far more than financial literacy. But we also believe that knowledge is power, and that education can help people overcome barriers and live better lives. Our approach to teaching financial management is infused with this unique combination of social awareness, empathy and personal empowerment.
More than financial literacy, Cooperative Federal is dedicated to fostering financial capability: the combination of attitude, knowledge, and skills needed to make money management decisions suited to your life, including access to appropriate financial services (as defined by the Center for Financial Inclusion). We teach participants to evaluate their options and seek out resources, including but not limited to those offered by our credit union. By offering education together with one-on-one counseling, low-cost accounts, and loans, we’re uniquely positioned to give people not just information, but also the services and guidance they need to get ahead.
Our financial education partnerships typically include the following roles and expectations.
Community Partner responsibilities:
Cooperative Federal responsibilities:
Fees vary and may be waived (on a limited basis) depending on the number, duration, location, topics and other logistics of the program. We may be able to provide complimentary programs using grants raised by Coop Fed, or by working together to apply for grants.
To request a cost quote, please include the following: