Office of State Bank Commissioner Grants for Financial Literacy Include JAG-K
Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) will receive a $15,000 grant from the Office of the State Bank Commissioner (OSBC) to assist in its mission to help students prepare for successful futures.
The OSBC recently released a statement announcing $160,286 in grant awards to eight Kansas organizations to provide financial literacy education throughout the state. (See news release on the OSBC website)
JAG-K teaches young people career and leadership skills, provides work-based learning opportunities, and helps them earn credentials, gain employment, and enter postsecondary training and education.
One of the main tenets of JAG-K is financial literacy. The organization teaches students about sound financial practices and offers participants an opportunity to engage in a financial literacy competition each spring.
The mission of the OSBC is to “ensure the integrity of regulated providers of financial services through responsible and proactive oversight, while protecting and educating consumers.” Although its primary role is regulatory, the OSBC protects and educates Kansans through its Consumer Education Grant Program. Each year, funds are provided to organizations that provide financial literacy training to Kansas consumers.
The recipients of OSBC Consumer Education grants are: Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Inc. (Salina), Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. (Topeka), Kansas Council on Economic Education (Wichita), The Pando Initiative, Inc. (Wichita), Mirror, Inc. (Newton), USD 350 St. John Jr/Sr High (St. John), Kansas Bankers Educational Foundation (Topeka), and JAG-K.
“We are pleased to partner with the Office of the State Bank Commissioner to promote wise financial practices to students,” said JAG-K president and CEO Chuck Knapp. “We share the OSBC’s belief that students must develop financial literacy skills to fully realize their potential. We are thankful and excited for the opportunities that this grant presents.”
JAG-K is a multi-year, in-school program for students in grades 6-12 that offers tools to successfully transition students into post-secondary school, the military, or directly into the workforce with marketable skills. JAG-K provides opportunities for students to explore careers through employer engagement relationships. Those experiences may include field trips, job shadows, internships and summer or part-time employment.
JAG-K helps students prepare for post-secondary education and employment opportunities. The 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization is a state affiliate of the national JAG program network which operates in 38 different states and territories. It is primarily funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant to the State of Kansas administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). In addition to school districts and DCF, JAG-K partners with the Kansas Department of Education. Other JAG-K funding sources include ADM, AT&T, Evergy, Goldstein Charitable Trust, John Deere, the Kansas Health Foundation, the Kansas Insurance Department, the Kansas State Bank Commissioner, Stormont Vail Health, Synchrony Financial, the Taco Bell Foundation, the City of Topeka, United Way of the Plains and Walmart.
To learn more about JAG-K, visit www.jagkansas.org, ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas’ on Facebook, and on Twitter at @JAG_Kansas.