Real Solutions - A National Credit Union Foundation Program

The National Community Tax Coalition recently recognized Montana Credit Unions for Community Development for its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, naming MCUCD as its most innovative affiliate.

CUNA News Now – More than 20 individuals from Illinois credit unions are halfway to “graduating” as Certified Credit Union Financial Counselors (CCUFC) of the REAL Solutions Enhanced Financial Counseling Certification Program (FiCEP).

After spearheading efforts for six years, the Washington Credit Union Foundation (WCUF) will be passing fundraising, outreach and administrative responsibilities for Biz Kid$ to the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) to ensure the program gains the maximum support from the credit union system.

NCUF REAL Solutions Program Director Lois Kitsch was recently interviewed by Mike Lawson from CUBroadcast. She talked about REAL Solutions, her experiences when working at the World Council of Credit Unions, and much more.

This video, shot and edited by Fred Brown, is a nice overview the National Credit Union Foundation’s (NCUF) REAL Solutions Program’s first D.C. Financial Reality Fair. The NCUF fair was held in conjunction with the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, DC earlier this year. A Reality Fair is an interactive financial literacy tool for high school students.

The New Jersey Credit Union League and the New Jersey Credit Union Foundation are working to bring Financial Reality Fairs to high schools throughout New Jersey by leveraging existing credit union relationships with the schools. To help fund the initiative, the New Jersey Credit Union Foundation received a grant last year from the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) and REAL Solutions program. A Reality Fair is an interactive financial literacy tool for high school students.

Credit Unions Still Have Time to Complete the Survey Credit unions are making a difference through financial education. For example in 2010, 200 credit unions reached 182,000 students through classroom presentations and over a million people were provided financial counseling or advice. This is from preliminary data collected by the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF), which has been collecting data for its 2011 Credit Union Member Education Inventory.

Low-wealth individuals and families in the Northeast side of Chicago have access to affordable car ownership thanks to North Side Community Federal Credit Union. North Side Community FCU received a grant from the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) to expand their “Used Auto Loan Initiative,” a successful, sustainable auto loan program for low-wealth individuals historically untargeted by credit unions in the community.

Credit union organizations can now apply for new Financial Education Grants from the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) through June 30. NCUF’s annual grant program was formerly known as “Innovation Grants,” but has been updated this year to realign with the Foundation’s new focus on financial education.

The Texas Credit Union League put this video together for press releases and inquiries about the need for payday loan alternatives in Texas.

“We wanted to show the REAL faces of people looking for these loans, and the need. The gentleman in the video was getting a loan for gas… Talking about payday lenders is one thing, but when we went out and interviewed real users it really brought insight to the need for alternatives. Now that we have alternatives in Texas the next step is to focus on awareness of the alternatives.” – Natasha Melugin, Texas Credit Union League

The Wisconsin Credit Union League sent out a great press release on financial literacy month about the great work that WI credit unions do around financial literacy all year-round.

The National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) is collecting data for its 2011 Credit Union Member Education Inventory. Sponsored by state credit union leagues and NCUF’s REAL Solutions program, the data and information gathered from credit unions will enable the credit union movement to demonstrate the power of financial education and counseling on the lives of members and communities across the country.

NCUA recently announced a new opportunity for grant funding. Eligible low-income credit unions may apply for the Financial Education and Financial Literacy Initiative to encourage financial literacy and education training in collaboration with schools, community organizations, and financial institutions.

The Community Reinvestment Initiative supports the Michigan Credit Union League’s advocacy efforts through the CRI Report. The report is compiled each year using data from the CRI Survey and outside sources. Distributed to lawmakers during the CUNA GAC and throughout the year, the CRI Report contains information that demonstrates the good work credit unions do in their communities and further promotes the credit union difference.

What is I-CAN!® E-File? It helps people prepare and E-File their taxes and is a service of a non-profit with a mission of providing services to low-income persons and seniors. In a recent e-newsletter, I-CAN!® E-File highlighted their top 20 partners…and many of them (unsurprisingly) are credit unions! Also, note that in the top spot, Montana Free File is a Montana Credit Unions for Community Development initiative.