Funding The Future

MUSICIANS TEACH FINANCIAL PRINCIPLES TO STUDENTS THROUGH UNIQUE, LIVE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES NATIONWIDE.

IN 2023, FUNDING THE FUTURE DELIVERED OUR PROGRAM TO OVER 34,200 STUDENTS IN 71 SCHOOLS ACROSS 21 STATES. STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS CONSISTED OF 47.34% WHITE, 23.61% BLACK, 22.11% HISPANIC, 2.45% ASIAN, 1.31% AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE, .10% NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER, AND 3.08% TWO OR MORE RACES. OF THE 71 SCHOOLS VISITED, 38% WERE FREE & REDUCED LUNCH ELIGIBLE. DURING OUR SHOWS, STUDENTS WERE ENCOURAGED TO ASK QUESTIONS AND PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM. STUDENTS ASKED GREAT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING, HANDLING CREDIT, WATCHING FOR CREDIT PITFALLS, AVOIDING PAYDAY LENDERS, AND INVESTING. WE ALSO SHARE WITH SCHOOL STAFF OUR CURRICULUM PACKET, WHICH PROVIDES THEM WITH BEFORE AND AFTER THE SHOW ACTIVITIES TO FURTHER ENGAGE THE STUDENTS. THE CURRICULUM IS REVIEWED EACH SEMESTER, AND UPDATED REGULARLY, TO REFLECT ANY CHANGES TO THE NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR PERSONAL FINANCIAL EDUCATION CREATED BY THE COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC EDUCATION (CEE) AND THE JUMP$TART COALITION FOR PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY (JUMP$TART). THE MUSICIANS ARE ALSO CONSTANTLY REFINING THEIR MESSAGE, ITS DELIVERY, AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH THE STUDENTS BASED ON THEIR OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SHOWS AND THE FEEDBACK FROM THE STUDENTS AND SCHOOL STAFF. AFTER A SHOW, STUDENTS AND SCHOOL STAFF ARE ASKED TO COMPLETE A POST SHOW SURVEY. FOR SCHOOL STAFF, THEY WERE ASKED, ON A SCALE OF 1-10, THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE MUSICAL AND FINANCIAL LITERACY PORTIONS OF THE SHOW AS WELL AS IF THE SHOW MET THEIR EXPECTATIONS. THE AVERAGE FOR ALL THREE QUESTIONS IN 2023 WAS 9.017. IN TERMS OF THE STUDENT SURVEY, USING A SCALE OF 1-5, STUDENTS WERE ASKED THE SAME QUESTIONS AS THE SCHOOL STAFF, WHICH AVERAGED AROUND 4.21. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF FINANCIAL LITERACY BEFORE AND AFTER THE SHOW. RESPONSES WERE 3.35 FOR PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND JUMPED TO 4.22 AFTER THE SHOW. A FINAL QUESTION WAS HOW LIKELY THEY WERE TO TAKE AN ACTION STEP TO IMPROVE THEIR FINANCIAL FUTURE AND THE AVERAGE RESPONSE WAS 4.19. AS AN INCENTIVE FOR STUDENTS TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY, STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD FREE MUSIC FROM THE MUSICIAN. STUDENTS AND SCHOOL STAFF WERE ALSO DIRECTED TO OUR TOOLKIT PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AFTER COMPLETING THE SURVEYS.