Popular Financial Education Program Will Remain Available to College Students
DENVER—The National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE®) is partnering with the Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance (HEFWA) to transfer ownership of the nationally-recognized financial education resource, CashCourse®. This partnership will ensure that CashCourse can continue to be a trusted resource for college students and faculty as NEFE focuses on providing continued support to the financial education community.
“NEFE’s financial education programming has been a staple to our success since our founding. As part of our curriculum portfolio, we launched CashCourse in 2007 to meet demand for a non-commercial, high-quality and evaluated program to help college students chart their financial futures,” says Billy Hensley, Ph.D., president and CEO of NEFE. “CashCourse has had tremendous success serving students and I am thrilled that this program will live on, providing the opportunity to help many more for years to come.”
NEFE is donating the entire CashCourse platform, including intellectual property and resources, to HEFWA as part of a philanthropic effort. In addition, NEFE will support HEFWA with grant funding and consultation over a two-year period to ensure a smooth transition. CashCourse, currently being used at more than 1,200 colleges and universities in all 50 states, provides self-guided student coursework, articles, interactive tools and educator materials to build financial knowledge.
“We’ve been a proud partner supporting the mission of the Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance for many years. Indiana University and the HEFWA team has the network and capability to take this program to the next level and this arrangement ensures this important work will continue,” adds Hensley.
HEFWA, operated out of Indiana University, will immediately begin utilizing CashCourse as part of its offerings to institutional members.
“We are incredibly humbled in the National Endowment for Financial Education’s trust in us to be able to continue the legacy they have established with CashCourse,” says Phil Schuman, executive director of HEFWA. “As an organization, HEFWA is focused on helping find ways to improve financial wellness among students in higher education. Being able to provide CashCourse to institutions across the country is a big step toward this mission. We are looking forward to expanding our services to continue to make the alliance the premier organization for student financial wellness conversations and support.”
In 2020, NEFE began the process of retiring its financial education programs, which also includes Smart About Money and the High School Financial Planning Program® (HSFPP). This is one step in the organization’s continued evolution toward an institute model that advances high-impact scholarly research and facilitates collaboration with practitioners, advocates and policymakers.
“While we are gratified for what we accomplished with CashCourse, we are refocusing our work. This transition to HEFWA affords us the opportunity to chart a new course beyond curriculum,” says Hensley. “Our foundation is not changing. We will eagerly champion effective financial education and continue to support those striving to make a difference in the financial well-being community.”
About HEFWA
The Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance (HEFWA), led by Indiana University, is a network of professionals dedicated to bringing together postsecondary organizations to inform national conversations that impact the financial wellness field, public policy and educational support services.