Stocks in the Future

Why did you become involved with this organization?

“I got involved two years ago via a coworker. We went into a classroom to teach middle school students about stocks and bonds, and it immediately clicked.  We’re in a moment where the wealth gap has been growing. There is a clear-cut delineation between the haves and have nots—worse than during the French Revolution. When I got to see firsthand the students in the program—and how their knowledge surpassed mine at that age—it cemented my desire to be part of the organization. I’m now on the board and have been involved ever since.”

What is the grant for and how will it benefit the community?

The mission of Stocks in the Future (SIF) is to develop highly motivated middle school students who are eager to learn and dedicated to attending class through the use of incentives coupled with a financial literacy curriculum focused on investing that reinforces math, language arts and social studies. Partnering with the Baltimore City Public School System and other public and parochial schools that lack resources, SIF serves at-risk students. The grant will allow us to further SIF’s plans to broaden our program to include other populations: high school students (including pregnant teenagers), young adults and ESOL students using new Spanish language curriculum.

The problems in underserved communities are all interconnected—whether it’s education, access to food or financial issues. You can’t go to school if you’re worried about your next meal. If we can help solve for one of those issues, we can push the ball a little towards equality and hopefully impact the community in a positive way.