News & Information
Foundation Initiatives
Grant Programs
- Each year in the spring and in the fall, the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation announces an open application period for credit unions seeking grants for financial education projects or initiatives. Applications are evaluated by the Foundation Board on factors such as credit union value, community impact, collaboration and creativity.
- The Minnesota Credit Union Foundation provides professional development grants for credit union staff and volunteers to continue their education and sustain the credit union movement. In addition to standard grants, MnCUF also promotes its Small Credit Union Grant Program, which provides expedited grants to those organizations meeting certain criteria.
Financial Education Initiatives
- In 2011, the Foundation partnered with the University of Minnesota Extension, funding the development of a series of online webinars to increase teachers’ knowledge and competency in financial topics. The trainings are intended to equip educators to teach personal finance courses and improve the financial management skills of young adults. Archived versions of the webinars are available. ► more
- MnCUF is a proud supporter of Biz Kid$, a public TV series where kids teach kids how to make and manage their money. This series teaches the basics of economics and entrepreneurship, plus a complete curriculum helps get students and credit union professionals involved in the concepts from each episode. ► more
- In 2011, the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) and its REAL Solutions® program conducted a comprehensive national study on the financial education efforts of credit unions through the nation. This survey includes information from Minnesota credit, spotlighting their efforts to help their members improve their financial knowledge, increase personal savings, decrease debt, and live within a budget. ► more
- To help Minnesota credit unions establish or improve existing financial counseling programs, the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation has made available a new Financial Counseling Best Practices guide, published by the Michigan Financial Education Council in 2011. ► more
Disaster Relief Support
- CUAid was developed by NCUF in cooperation with state credit union foundations, state credit union leagues, and the Credit Union National Association’s Disaster Preparedness Committee in 2006. In recent years, the Foundation has provided disaster relief support in Minnesota and beyond, giving local flood relief grants, as well as providing earthquake and tornado disaster relief MnCUF supports the National Credit Union Foundation in its various CUAid efforts, which is a national online giving center that identifies disaster situations and channels contributions within the credit union system to assist with relief efforts. CUAid contributes 100 percent of donations to credit union disaster relief.
Education on Cooperatives
- For the past several years, the MnCUF has supported the Cooperative Network’s “Co-ops YES!” Youth Leadership Conference. Through this dynamic annual event, young people from Minnesota and Wisconsin learn to understand and appreciate the purpose, operation and scope of cooperative business. The Minnesota Credit Union Foundation sponsored Minnesota high school students’ attendance to this conference in March 2013, which educated more than 100 total attendees on cooperative business. This included a session specifically on credit union careers, led by the Minnesota Family Involvement Council.
Annual Report
This publication highlights last year’s major activities of the Foundation, which provided funding for high school students’ cooperative education, supported credit union professional development, and promoted a variety of financial literacy efforts. As the charitable arm of the Minnesota credit union movement, the Foundation continually works to promote the credit union philosophy of “people helping people” to the communities that credit unions serve.
Minnesota Credit Union Foundation Annual Report 2012