RISE Foundation

Program Overview

The mission of the RISE Foundation is to help people to become self-sufficient by building and sustaining human and financial assets. Since our inception in October 1999 RISE has expanded our programming tremendously and have developed unique program extensions that focus on the entire family unit. The common thread that is woven throughout our programming is financial literacy as well as the goal to empower people to make good financial choices for themselves and their families. Our Goal Card Program develops children from 5th – 12th grade by exposing them early to the fundamentals of saving through intensive weekly, monthly and summer programs focused on "wants" vs "needs" and delayed gratification. Students in the program earn goal points based on their attendance, academics and conduct which they can later redeem during the year for prizes. Our Save Up program focuses on adults from age 18 and up and is based on the principles of an Individual Development Account (IDA) method in which participants commit to improving their credit scores and financial wellness through a 22 month incentive's based financial literacy boot camp. Participants set financial asset goals that include either saving for a home, obtaining a secondary education, developing a micro-enterprise business or a home computer system. If participating in the Saver's Club cohort, RISE matches program participants savings on a $2 to $1 basis up to a maximum of $3,000 towards their financial asset goal. Our Silver Neighbor program empowers seniors 55 and over to protect themselves and their neighbors against predatory financial scams and programs. Seniors converse in learning circles held in their communities and led by their peers who are retired financial professionals. We believe irrefutably that without financial literacy skills, financially vulnerable individuals in our community will never be able to accumulate family assets and more importantly, will never enjoy the freedom and security of having improved life choices. For many wage earner families, the inability to make good financial choices is less a failure of will and more a failure of circumstance.

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