|
|
HISTORY
ECP was founded in March 2006 by Jonathan Kivell, a master’s student in public policy at Georgetown University. Having worked as an intern with Dr. Jeanne Hogarth at the Federal Reserve Board during the Summer of 2005, Jonathan became very well acquainted with finance-related issues in low- and moderate-income communities. As Dr. Hogarth’s research has ranged from credit card usage practices for LMI individuals to methods of money transfer for immigrants, Jonathan saw that the key to healthy consumer financial practices was education.
With the understanding that financial literacy is an integral part of the development of LMI communities in the US, Jonathan researched the work being done by large institutions in this area. He found that while many organizations were writing the curricula, very few were responsible for implementation. And while teachers in public schools around the country were encouraged to review the financial literacy materials made readily available, they lack the incentives necessary to bring these curricula to the classroom.
The cornerstone of ECP’s strategy is the idea that financial literacy programs can be brought to schools independently of the bureaucracy and time constraints that have also impeded them. Through its strategy, ECP aims to link groups of potentially disconnected organizations: authors and providers of financial education programs.
| |
