Money Talks Program Is a Financial Game Changer for Local Black Women

Neighborhood Allies’ concept for Money Talks – that creating a supportive environment for local Black women to learn from experts and each other — led to gains in both confidence and knowledge of financial issues and investing for local Black women. In early 2022, we recruited a team of trainers – Jessica Perrone, owner of Her Financial IQ; Tamika Barrett, director of family development at Open Hands Ministries; Veronique Scullion, financial planner at Northwestern Mutual; and Violet Graham, controller at Neighborhood Allies. Thanks to a grant from the U. S. Conference of Mayors and outreach support from City of Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, we recruited a pool of 670 Black women in Pittsburgh interested in participating in the program! The first cohort of 50 Black women participated in seven sessions about basic financial wellness, including financial attitudes and beliefs, credit, debt, saving, risk, and making a financial plan. During the summer, we hosted “Money Chats” sessions where participants were encouraged to seek free, one-on-one financial counseling from the Pittsburgh Financial Empowerment Center, free consultations with a Black female financial planner, and additional community resources for banking and saving such as Fund My Future PGH. In March 2023, Money Talks expanded its reach to meet the demand and serve even more Black women in Pittsburgh!

How We Help Foster Economic Opportunity

Wealth Building and Financial Improvement Programs:

Fund My Future PGH

Fund My Future (FMF) helps families start their savings journey, building hope and a healthy lifelong savings habit by helping families save for college and other post-secondary goals. We host a monthly prize pool of $2,000, as well as supportive personal assistance in account opening and regular reminders to save. We also give informational sessions to parents and grandparents with our community partners, promoting complementary programs for families such as PA529 accounts, PA ABLE accounts, and Keystone Scholars. We are available to attend in-person community events to share the program with families.

Bank On Allegheny County Coalition

In Allegheny County, nearly 30% of residents are unbanked or underbanked. Access to a basic transaction account is an important first step in participating in the financial mainstream – depositing earnings securely, paying bills efficiently, accessing credit, and saving. 90 Bank On coalitions around the country work to connect everyone to safe, affordable, and appropriate financial products and services – including Bank On Allegheny County. We are a collaboration between financial institutions, community-based organizations and local government to ensure that all residents have the opportunity to be financially healthy. Our members also offer services and educational resources that help empower people and families to improve their financial capability, health and independence.

Asset Building Network

We created the Asset Building Network in 2016 to address the significant inequities that persist, particularly for people of color and low-and moderate-income people in Pittsburgh. The 40+ organization network is a collaborative community for learning and advocacy to coordinate local resources and strengthen program and policy efforts to increase economic opportunity for all.

Digital Inclusion and Equity Programs: 

Beyond the Laptops

Beyond the Laptops began in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Families and workers were expected to complete school and jobs remotely. Yet tens of thousands of students in our community didn’t have access to the devices or the connectivity required to successfully participate in the education of the 21st century. Along with many partners, we responded to the crisis by supplying over one thousand devices across Pittsburgh. That was followed by the sponsorship of 1000 internet accounts through Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Mental Health Programs: