What’s possible when financial well-being is built for real life
For many young people transitioning out of foster care, financial independence is not just a goal but an urgent reality.
At 18 or 21, they’re expected to navigate housing, employment, and everyday financial decisions, often without the safety nets many others rely on. And while financial education can help, knowledge alone doesn’t always translate into confidence. That’s where credit unions are stepping in differently.
Meeting people where they are
At Colorado Credit Union, their commitment to community impact is embedded in how they operate. Through their Community Impact Initiative, the credit union has prioritized long-term partnerships and solutions that advance financial empowerment and economic mobility.
That approach came to life in Denver through a partnership with TGTHR to End Youth Homelessness. Together, they built a pathway for foster youth in their community.
Through the “Fund Your Future” program, credit union staff showed up directly at TGTHR’s housing locations to bring financial education, tools, and support into the spaces where young people already live and build their lives.
A total of 27 young adults participated in the program, and for many, that access led to a powerful first: their first savings account.
By the end of the program, 25 of the 27 participants had successfully opened savings accounts, removing one of the most common, and often overlooked, barriers to financial well-being. They just needed help getting started.
From information to action
But what makes this program stand out isn’t just access but what came next. Participants attend workshops and then engaged in a full experience designed to turn knowledge into action:
- Financial education sessions focused on real-life decisions
- Self-paced tools to build confidence over time
- Incentives tied to milestones that encouraged consistent participation
- One-on-one support from trusted credit union staff
“This program was designed to meet young adults where they are – with compassion, trust, and practical tools they can use right away,” said Teagan Werden, community impact manager at Colorado Credit Union. “We saw firsthand how financial education, when paired with encouragement and access, can empower individuals to take meaningful steps toward stability. That’s the heart of why we do this work.”
The results speak for themselves:
- 15 participants completed all program components
- 82% plan to apply what they learned in their everyday lives
- Participants reported real behavior changes like opening accounts or creating budgets and building savings habits
The power of a relationship
For many participants, this program marked the first time they had a relationship with a financial institution.
Each participant was connected with a dedicated credit union staff member they could turn to for guidance on everything from opening an account to building credit and setting financial goals.
That kind of support helped build trust, confidence and a foundation for their future.
Monte, one of the program participants, put it simply, “I’ve never actually had a bank account. I was looking to learn about credit and everything and [Fund Your Future] actually gave me a lot of knowledge. I’ve never had a credit score. I’ve never had credit to my name, so this was the beginning of everything. It opened my eyes a lot. It changed a lot for me.”
What financial well-being really looks like
At the conclusion of the program, participants rated their experience 9 out of 10 on average both in satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.
The real impact is found in what participants shared they are doing now as a direct result of this program:
- More confident managing money
- More intentional with spending and saving
- Beginning to build credit and plan for the future
For many, this program was the starting point for improving their financial well-being. They have a path forward to build their confidence and ultimately their financial stability.
What’s possible
Programs like “Fund Your Future” show what’s possible when credit unions and community partners come together with a shared purpose to create real change.
For Colorado Credit Union, the work isn’t stopping here. As they look to the future, they are building on this momentum by establishing a charitable arm to expand and sustain their impact.
“Earlier this year, we proudly launched the Colorado Credit Union Cares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The Foundation allows us to deepen our community impact and build a lasting legacy of financial empowerment by continuing to invest in financial education, tailored solutions, and long‑term support for the communities we serve,” Werden shared.
What started as a single program reflected a much deeper need and now a commitment to long-term impact, and one that extends beyond a grant cycle and into the future of the communities they serve.
Across the country, credit unions are stepping up to remove barriers, expand access, and help individuals build lasting financial well-being. The National Credit Union Foundation is proud to support and elevate this work. When we can connect ideas, invest in innovation, and help scale what works, financial well-being doesn’t just inform, it transforms.
Colorado Credit Union was the recipient of a 2024-2025 Foster Youth Grant.