Columbus Awarded Competitive Grant to Create Financial Empowerment Strategy for Women and Families
Cities
for Financial Empowerment Fund Selects Columbus as One of Seven Cities for CityStart
2019 Grant Cohort
[COLUMBUS, OH] The City of Columbus wants to provide women and
families a pathway out of poverty. In July 2019, the City received a $20,000
CityStart grant from Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) to create
a sustainable roadmap for financial stability and empowerment. Columbus’
application was submitted jointly by the Columbus Women’s Commission, on behalf
of the Mayor’s office, and Columbus City Council President Pro Tempore
Elizabeth Brown.
Columbus is one of seven cities selected for the second 2019
CityStart grant, joining Birmingham, AL; Jackson, MS; Jersey City, NJ; New
Orleans, LA; Madison, WI; and Waco, TX. Each city will receive a $20,000
planning grant and an intensive 6-9 month technical assistance engagement
partnership with the CFE Fund.
"Women experience financial instability at a greater rate
than men for a number of reasons,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “I formed the
Columbus Women’s Commission with First Lady Shannon Ginther in my first year as
Mayor of Columbus to advance the economic well-being of women in our community.
The CityStart grant will help us in this important work.”
The CityStart initiative offers a structured approach that
combines local priorities, community input and industry insight to craft an
action plan or “blueprint.” It draws on CFE Fund's extensive programmatic work
with government leaders in more than 80 cities. The goal is to connect critical
on-the-ground insight about the impact of financial instability on Columbus’
families, communities and municipal budget with measurable and sustainable
strategies to improve families' financial lives.
“Providing women with the resources they need to improve their
financial security not only helps them support themselves and their families,
but it also improves our entire community,” said President Pro Tem Brown. “I am
excited to work with our local partners and CFE Fund to make a positive
difference for Columbus women.”
With the support of CFE Fund, Columbus will craft its municipal
financial blueprint and identify implementation steps based on the needs of
residents, key city priorities and partnership opportunities. Development of
the plan will be based on a series of briefings with key stakeholders and a
boot camp that brings together key local constituencies.
“The best way to understand the needs of all women is to engage
directly with individuals and community partners throughout Columbus,” said
President Pro Tem Brown. “Basing our strategy on the lived experiences of the
people who are most affected amplifies the impact of our financial empowerment
efforts.”
In 2018, CFE Fund competitively selected its inaugural cohort of
CityStart cities, which have since created blueprints that outline their
administration's vision for integrating financial empowerment efforts within
local government infrastructure.
"Cities control a host of policies, programs and funding
streams that can transform the lives of residents with low incomes on a large
scale. Across the nation, more and more city leaders are turning to innovative
financial empowerment strategies to improve the financial stability of their
residents," said Jonathan Mintz, President and Chief Executive Officer of
the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund.
"We look forward to working with Columbus Mayor Ginther and
Columbus City Council President Pro Tem Brown to empower and educate residents.
We also thank JPMorgan Chase for their long-standing partnership and investment
in municipal financial empowerment." Mintz continued.
JPMorgan Chase's support of CFE Fund is part of the bank's $125
million, five-year commitment to improving the financial health of people in
the U.S. and across the world, especially those in underserved communities.
"JPMorgan Chase is committed to giving people access to the
tools and resources they need to better manage their financial lives. We are
pleased to support CFE Fund as part of our work to help Columbus residents
improve their financial health," said Corrine Burger, Chief Control
Manager for JPMorgan Chase's Consumer & Community Banking and Asset &
Wealth Management, and Columbus Location Leader.
About the Cities for Financial
Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund)
The CFE Fund supports municipal efforts to improve the financial
stability of households by leveraging opportunities unique to local government.
By translating cutting edge experience with large scale programs, research, and
policy in cities of all sizes, the CFE Fund assists mayors and other local
leaders in over 80 cities to identify, develop, fund, implement, and research
pilots and programs that help families build assets and make the most of their
financial resources. For more information, please visit www.cfefund.org or follow us on Twitter at
@CFEFund.
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