The National Jump$tart Coalition was founded in 1995, based on an idea credited to William E. Odom, who was, at the time, Chairman and CEO of the Ford Motor Credit Corporation. The first meeting, organized by H. Randy Lively, then President and CEO of the American Financial Services Association, was intended to “develop a strategic plan for improving the quality and extent of curriculum modules for personal finance education in the nation’s schools, grades K-12.” In 1997, the Jump$tart Coalition was incorporated as an independent nonprofit organization. Today, it’s headquarters office is in Washington, DC. The National Board is made up of major financial services association, national financial education foundation, Federal Department members and other organization and companies.
The National Coalition does not have financial education programs or curriculum of their own but supports the programs and resources offered by many partner organizations. Each year, a conference for Pre-K through 12th-grade teachers is held on personal finance education in the classroom. As a coalition of more than 100 diverse national partner organizations, Jump$tart brings together the resources, support, and expertise needed to engage, inspire, and appreciate classroom educators from across the country. In addition to providing teachers with professional development hours, the National Educator Conference promotes networking between teachers, speakers, resource providers, and Jump$tart leadership.
The State Jump$tart’s Coalition network consists of 51 affiliated state organizations including Greater Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. Most of them, operate as “grassroots” volunteer efforts, without full-time permanent staff or facilities. These state coalitions are independent nonprofit organizations, each with their own board and bylaws, connected to the national Jump$tart Coalition through an affiliation agreement. Many of them are tax-exempt through national Jump$tart’s group exemption. The state coalitions are supported by either an Eastern or Western State Regional Director.
Check out the National Web Site for more information.
VERMONT JUMP$TART COALITION 