About Financial Scholars
Financial Scholars empowers high school students and their families to take control of their financial futures. We equip the next generation with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to build long-term wealth and drive economic mobility.
Our mission
Economic mobility starts with financial empowerment. Yet too many students and families still lack access to practical, high-quality financial education.
Financial Scholars partners with schools to launch and strengthen credit-bearing personal finance courses, support teachers with the tools and training they need to succeed, and bring personal finance to life through real-world learning opportunities for students and families.
Our goal is to help schools become community hubs of financial empowerment. We equip students, teachers, and families with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to make informed financial decisions and build stronger financial futures.
Our story
Financial Scholars was founded in December 2020 in Philadelphia. Since then, we have trained over 190 high school teachers to serve over 14,000 students. The organization grew out of the recognition that generational wealth gaps and inequality in access to financial education leave young people unprepared for complex financial decisions, and that the best place to bridge this divide is right in the classroom. What began as a targeted local initiative to bring practical financial education to high schoolers has evolved into a robust regional partnership model that aims to offer implementation expertise to schools nationwide.
Our vision
We envision a future where financial empowerment education is universal, zip codes do not dictate financial opportunity, and every family has the resources to build intergenerational wealth. When young people master money management early, they don't just transform their own trajectories; they lift up their families, strengthen local businesses, and build resilient, prosperous communities.
Our moment
We are in a generational moment for financial education. Across the country, a growing wave of states are mandating dedicated personal finance coursework for high school graduation. This creates an unprecedented opportunity to turn basic access into something far more powerful: a guarantee that every student receives high-quality, life-changing financial education before entering adulthood. But policy alone is not enough. Success requires strong implementation. Teachers need rigorous training, schools need sustained support, and students need engaging, relevant learning that builds confidence and capability. Financial Scholars exists to help communities meet this moment. We translate policy into practice and build the systems needed to make financial education not just required, but transformational.
Our approach
Sustainable change requires more than a one-time workshop. We build comprehensive financial education ecosystems by working alongside educators, school administrators, corporate volunteers, and community organizations. By training teachers, mentoring students, and engaging caregivers, we create a supportive network around every learner that reinforces positive financial habits for a lifetime. Our programming includes curriculum and professional development for daily in-school personal finance education and investing enrichment powered by corporate and university volunteers, paid summer career exploration programming for teens, and evening financial empowerment workshops for adults in our school communities.
Why it works
Strong financial education requires more than access to a course: it requires high-quality instruction, relevant learning, and opportunities to apply it. We create awareness around careers in business and finance for individuals who may not otherwise have that exposure. We incentivize college savings by helping set up 529s and contributing for parents and caretakers who achieve 100% program attendance. Through a commitment to equity and a focus on accessibility, we aim to bridge the opportunity gap and ensure that historically under-served students have equal access to the knowledge and skills necessary for financial empowerment.
A message from our founder
When I founded Financial Scholars in 2020 amid heightened national conversations around racial wealth gaps, my goal was to address a fundamental, universal need: ensuring every student receives a practical financial education, regardless of background or ZIP code. We deliberately began in historically under-resourced school communities. Young people entering adulthood with smaller financial safety nets have far less room for error. Read More >>
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Core team
Kerry Wagner Woodward
Executive Director
Kerry Wagner Woodward is the first Executive Director of Financial Scholars. She oversees curriculum and professional development, school partnerships, corporate sponsorships, program expansion, mission advocacy, and collaborates with the Board of Directors on the strategic vision of the organization.
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Betsy McNeil
Executive Director, CT Financial Scholars
Betsy McNeil is a mission-driven nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience expanding opportunity for children and families. She brings a deep commitment to advancing equity, collaborative leadership, and building organizations that create lasting impact in communities facing systemic barriers.
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Carl Morrow
Education & Engagement Strategist
Carl is an educator with experience in high school mathematics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship. He has taught in public, charter, and independent schools and leads PFS’s Adult Financial Empowerment series, creating learning experiences that equip students and communities for success beyond the classroom.
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Danielle Hernandez
Program Director
Danielle Hernandez is the Program Director at Financial Scholars. She supports high school educators by offering guidance on instructional strategies, enhancing curriculum, and creating professional development programs that enhance content knowledge and allow for collaboration among educators.
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Elisa Oliver
Director of Program Support
Elisa is an educator and coach with over a decade of experience in curriculum design, instructional leadership, and personal finance education. She’s passionate about culturally relevant teaching and believes all students deserve classrooms that reflect their full selves and prepare them for a financially empowered future.
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Kascia Williams
Connecticut Program Director
Kascia Williams is a nonprofit program leader and educator with experience developing programs, supporting teams, building community partnerships, and creating meaningful learning opportunities for young people and families.
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These talented educators help train new teachers as Financial Scholars expands
Our sponsors*
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* Sponsor list reflects sponsors from the past 3 years (2023-2026)
