Purpose: To recognize organizations for their innovative approaches to financial education, which have benefitted students, consumers, and/or the financial literacy community at large.
Eligibility: Any for-profit company or business, nonprofit organization or association, academic institution, government agency, or collaborative endeavor.
Eligible to Submit Nominations: Employees or officials of Jump$tart national partner organizations; officers of affiliated state coalitions; and the current awards committee.
Deadline: Nominations must be submitted by November 15, 2025.
Selection: The honoree will be selected by a committee of Jump$tart Board and Partner representatives. Results will be announced in early 2025.
Participation: A senior representative of the honoree organization will be invited to receive the award at the Jump$tart Coalition Awards Event in Washington, D.C. in April 2025. The honoree will be invited to address event guests, including leaders from the business, finance and education communities, as well as government agencies and the media.
Previous Honorees: Experian, 2016; PwC, 2017; Funding the Future, 2018; Visa, 2019; Discover, 2020-21; and Pockets Change, 2022; Singleton Foundation, 2023.
Criteria:
The committee will consider:
- The fresh, creative, unique approach that the organization took with a single financial education program or collective elements of its overall financial literacy effort.
- How the innovation supported the organization’s effectiveness in achieving its own objectives.
- How the innovation resulted in significant and/or widespread impact.
- Ways in which the program’s or organization’s innovation has led or inspired the financial literacy community; especially in the promotion of equity and inclusion.
Background: In 2016, Jump$tart recognized its long-time partner Experian for its use of social media as a consumer education platform with a special award for its innovation. Based on the positive reaction to this award, Jump$tart institutionalized the Innovation Award in 2017 to recognize and encourage innovation in the financial literacy field.