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National Credit Union Foundation Expands At-Risk Youth Financial Well-Being Grant to $650,000 for 24 Credit Union Recipients

Teacher with young adults

Overwhelming response to the call for applications leads Foundation to add $150,000 in additional funding

The National Credit Union Foundation today announced 24 credit unions  were selected to receive funding through its At-Risk Youth Financial Well-Being Grant. The Foundation originally made $500,000 available for the grant cycle but, after receiving the largest response to a call for applications in the grant program’s history, added an additional $150,000, bringing total funding to $647,600 to support more credit unions in launching or expanding programs designed to serve the unique financial needs of young people in communities across the entire country. 

The Foundation’s grant recipients will put new ideas into action to improve the financial well-being of at-risk youth. The projects will allow participants to build real-world financial skills and confidence through experiences that may include saving toward meaningful goals, building credit, managing earned income, exploring entrepreneurship and establishing relationships with trusted financial institutions. Through strong community partnerships, grant recipients will meet young people where they are and create opportunities to turn financial education into action. 

“A young person’s financial well-being is the throughline that influences nearly every opportunity that follows, from education and employment to housing and long-term stability. What we saw in this grant cycle was extraordinary demand from credit unions eager to address those challenges in their communities,” said Lauren Culp, executive director at the National Credit Union Foundation. “The Foundation turns that commitment into action by bringing together resources, innovations, and connections that accelerate and scale what works. More than the dollars granted, this is about changing the trajectory of millions of lives.” 

The 2026 grant recipients are: 

  • Achieva Foundation (FL) 
  • All One Credit Union (MA) 
  • America’s First Federal Credit Union (AL) 
  • Beacon Federal Credit Union (TX) 
  • Carolina Foothills FCU (SC) 
  • Create Credit Union (NV) 
  • CU Hawaii FCU (HI) 
  • Ellafi Federal Credit Union (CT) 
  • Financial Center First Credit Union (IN) 
  • Fox Communities Credit Union (WI) 
  • 1st Bergen Federal Credit Union (NJ) 
  • Greater Cleveland Community Credit Union (OH) 
  • Kitsap Credit Union (WA) 
  • Members First Credit Union (MI) 
  • Minnequa Works Credit Union (CO) 
  • New Orleans Firemen’s FCU (LA) 
  • North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union (NC) 
  • Peninsula Community FCU (WA) 
  • People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union (NY) 
  • Southwest Louisiana Credit Union (LA) 
  • TAPCO CU (WA) 
  • Topside Federal Credit Union (VA) 
  • Unitus Community Credit Union (OR) 
  • Verity Credit Union (WA) 

The grant builds on insights from the Foundation’s Foster Youth Financial Literacy Grant, a 2024–2025 cohort of eight credit unions that engaged more than 2,200 foster youth and helped establish over 400 new savings account relationships. The 2025–2026 cohort of four credit unions ends its grant cycle at the end of this month. 

“The impact these credit unions will have on young people is what drew me to this work, but what keeps me here is what happens between the credit unions themselves,” adds Christine Hickey, Senior Manager, Financial Well-Being Programs & Grants. “Every grant cycle, I watch a group of strangers become a cohort and share what’s working, being honest about what isn’t, and building on each other’s ideas in real time. That connection is where a lot of the real innovation happens.” 

This newest cohort is working on an expanded understanding from previous cycles. At-risk youth include those experiencing poverty, housing instability, justice involvement, educational disruption, or mental health challenges. These groups of young people face significantly higher financial vulnerability than their peers, often lacking access to safe banking relationships and encountering barriers to opening and maintaining accounts. 

The grant period begins September 30, 2026, and runs through September 30, 2027. Grantees will document their work throughout the grant period, and the Foundation will share insights and impact stories to support learning across the credit union movement.  

The overwhelming response to this grant cycle demonstrates both the need and the opportunity to accelerate financial well-being through credit unions. Credit unions, leagues, and industry partners interested in expanding the impact of financial well-being initiatives are encouraged to subscribe to the Foundation’s eNewsletter to follow the cohort’s progress and learn how they can support future grant opportunities. 

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