Westchester Community College Receives New Grant to Continue Successful Financial Coaching Program
“Westchester Community College is committed to serving its students holistically, focusing on both their academic success as well as their personal success,” said Anthony Trimarchi, managing director, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, and a leader of the firm’s Westchester and Hudson Valley Market Leadership Team. “The Money Smart Financial Coaching Program ensures students have the resources and skills needed to build wealth, manage their finances and best prepare for the future.”
Utilizing the WCC guidebook, Financial Capability through Financial Coaching, along with coaching and technical assistance, the Grant will serve more than 1,200 students at seven community colleges and one HBCU during a three-year period. Students will receive financial coaching which has shown to improve academic performance, reduce time to graduation and improve lifelong financial health.
“It is a testament to the strength of our program that WCC has been selected as the template upon which other schools can build their financial health programs,” said Dr. Belinda Miles, President of Westchester Community College. “Over 5,000 students at WCC have taken advantage of financial wellness programs, and we look forward to promoting economic advancement for thousands more of our students in the years to come.”
The RFP and grant opportunity will be open to community colleges who are committed to and able to recruit and deliver financial coaching to students, with priority given to those who serve predominantly first generation, historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. Funds granted to the colleges will provide training, guidance, and technical support needed to hire staff, and to build a successful, sustainable program, with the assistance of the NCWE/WCC program support team. The
grant will assist recipient colleges in developing a long-term business plan to embed financial wellness into the college’s strategic and budget plans, and to sustain the initiative over time.
Dr. Darlene G. Miller, Executive Director of NCWE stated, “As a nonprofit committed to supporting practitioners and workforce leaders to deliver equity-conscious and impactful workforce education programs, we believe that financial wellness programming is critical to addressing financial security barriers for workforce education learners and will serve to mitigate gender and racial equity wealth gaps.”
The RFP will be available on March 1, 2022. More information about the RFP and the grant can be found at NCWE Projects and Initiatives – The National Council for Workforce Education. Details of the WCC Money Smart Financial Coaching Program are available at Financial Coaching – Westchester Community College (sunywcc.edu)
About Westchester Community College
Westchester Community College provides over 31,000 full-time and part-time students with an education taught by award-winning faculty at one of the most affordable tuition rates in New York State. WCC offers more than 60 degree and certificate programs, including innovative programs in such high-demand fields as cybersecurity, health information technology, respiratory therapy, and digital filmmaking. The college reflects the rich diversity of its region and was the first SUNY campus to be designated a Hispanic Serving Institution.
Westchester Community College Foundation
Since its founding in 1969, Westchester Community College Foundation (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) has raised funds to meet college and student needs not covered by public funds, distributing over $2 million in scholarships annually. Through its fundraising and programmatic activities, the Foundation supports the college’s efforts to provide access to quality education and skills for success.
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