Financial empowerment

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Celebrating 4+ years of promoting banking access in our community!

By: Kristi Luzar  |  News & Events, Uncategorized

Thank you to the 40+ people from the Bank On Greater Milwaukee coalition and Milwaukee Alliance for Economic Alliance (AEI) who joined us to celebrate our 4th anniversary on Tuesday, September 19. Our partner, the AEI, shared an overview of findings from the FDIC’s most recent Unbanked and Underbanked Survey and changes we’ve seen in the consumer landscape as a result of the public health pandemic.

Additionally, Lisa Locke from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis presented on the Bank On National Data (BOND) Hub, an interactive dataset tracking Bank On certified account activity across the country and partnerships that promote economic inclusion.

Our celebration of Bank On Consumer Success included a report from Constance Alberts, Program Director, on the accomplishments of the coalition. We unveiled our new Bank On Greater Milwaukee (BOGM) Impact Report, featuring data from coalition members and partners on our impact in 2022 and shared a preview of the forthcoming update of the BOGM website.

Lastly, we recognized our volunteers and key projects that have been in progress over the past year, which include:

  • Banking Flier for Teens
  • BOGM Advocacy Map 2.0
  • How to Open a Bank Account Video
  • “What’s In Your Wallet” educational flier
  • Banking Access: Prior To Release

All of these efforts emphasize strong, collaborative partnerships with financial institutions, community-based organizations, and local government. We thank our coalition members and volunteers for their support!

View the presentation slides and the BOGM 2022 Impact Report.

Keep an eye out for the updated BOGM website to go live by the end of this year!

Collage of photos from Bank On Greater Milwaukee's 4th anniversary event, held on September 19, 2023

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Bank On Greater Milwaukee celebrates Financial Literacy Month and is recognized!

By: Kristi Luzar  |  News & Events

Bank On Greater Milwaukee logo

Each April we celebrate and promote activities that help people and families learn more about personal finance habits, tools and resources that help them strengthen their financial health. Bank On Greater Milwaukee also releases its annual Your Smart Money Resource Guide and participates in community events, book reads with young people and more.

Check out the Bank On Greater Milwaukee Resources page where you’ll find a number of blog posts on different financial topics and featuring local financial literacy efforts, including 10 Tips to Celebrate Financial Literacy Month and posts about 529 plans, debt relief, retirement planning, and more. This blog post provides a compilation of local and national resources that promote financial literacy throughout the year.

You can also access the resource guide, which is a printed full-color, full-size booklet available in English & Spanish, and offers information and resources on a variety of financial topics. Download it here and contact Constance at constance@uedawi.org if you’d like Guides to distribute!

Also, UEDA worked in collaboration with 6 community partners to sponsor a place-based Financial Health Counselor Certification (FHCC) training last week. We are thrilled that our community will now have 15+ newly certified counselors to serve people and families via the National Association of Credit Counselors! Next steps include putting in place regular network meetings for counselors and a second training cohort in early Fall.

Financial Health Counselor Certification Training group photo - cohort 1 April 2023
FHCC Training Cohort 1: April 17-21, 2023

Special thanks to Bader Philanthropies, U.S. Bank, Zilber Family Foundation and the partners listed below for making this first training cohort happen!

  • African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee (AALAM)
  • Center for Self-Sufficiency, Inc.
  • FDIC Milwaukee Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI)
  • Pathways to Financial Empowerment
  • Riverworks Development Corporation
  • Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC)
  • YWCA Southeast Wisconsin
Constance Alberts of Bank On Greater Milwaukee with WI Governor Tony Evers and First Lady Kathy Evers
Left to Right: First Lady Kathy Evers, Constance Alberts, Bank On Greater Milwaukee Program Director, and WI Governor Tony Evers

And last but not least, we are proud to share that Bank On Greater Milwaukee was recognized by the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy with a 2022 Financial Literacy Award in the Legacy Category. Recipients are recognized for for providing exceptional financial literacy and capability education in an inclusive and innovative manner.

The legacy award is given to an organization, business, or individual whose purpose and heritage is ingrained in sustained financial literacy and capability efforts. Read more about the this amazing recognition by DFI here>>

We appreciate this recognition of our work and thank our Bank On program funders, who are integral to the success of this collaborative initiative.

  • Associated Bank
  • CIBC Bank
  • Forest County Potawatomi Foundation
  • Huntington National Bank
  • Johnson Financial Group
  • MGIC
  • Old National Bank
  • PyraMax Bank
  • U.S. Bank Foundation
  • We Energies Foundation
  • Zilber Family Foundation
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Bank On Greater Milwaukee Two Year Anniversary and 2021 Leadership Awards

By: UEDA Administrator  |  News & Events

On September 16, 2021 Bank On Greater Milwaukee (BOGM) celebrated their two-year anniversary with a virtual awards ceremony that recognized six local entities for their efforts to improve the overall financial health of the Milwaukee community.

As a program of the Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin (UEDA), Bank On Greater Milwaukee serves as a collaboration between financial institutions, community-based organizations and local governments to provide residents safe, affordable, and certified banking accounts.

“A basic transaction account is an important first step to participating in the financial mainstream”, said Constance Alberts, Bank On Greater Milwaukee Program Manager. “We are extremely fortunate to engage a coalition of community organizations, banks, credit unions, and governmental entities who are dedicated to ensuring more households belong to the financial mainstream by developing low-barrier accounts and providing supportive financial education services.”

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