Personal Finance Improvement Programs

 

Focus on empowering women to build wealth by providing training, education, and resources necessary to increase income and purchase assets.  The program includes seminars on investment and home ownership, post-secondary education, and business ownership.  Program activities include financial literacy training, 1:1 matched savings accounts, micro-enterprise training, and micro-lending.

 

Small Business Startup Training:

A comprehensive training and technical assistance program for low and moderate-income women seeking to develop a micro-enterprise.  The program includes business plan development, mentoring, peer support, micro-lending, and advanced business services.  Approximately 150 women will be served in the second full year of the program and approximately 10 micro-loans will be distributed.  

 

Family Savings Account program:

The program provides matching funds to participants once they meet their savings goals.  Savers have 1-3 years to save up to $2,000 for home ownership/repair, post-secondary education for self or child, or business start-up. 

 

Financial Empowerment program:  

Approximately 100 individuals per year participate in the YWCA Financial Empowerment Series  – 4 financial literacy workshops that focus on setting financial goals, developing a budget, understanding and improving credit, and avoiding predatory lenders.