The campaign led by Goalsetter and the NBA Players Association seeks to help youth build financially secure futures through saving, investing, and financial education.
NEW YORK, NY, February 08, 2021 – NAF, a national education and workforce development nonprofit serving high school students throughout the country, announced today that it will team up with Goalsetter and its “Drafted” initiative to bring financial freedom to one million Black and Brown kids through its family-friendly, financial literacy and smart spending app.
The campaign, which launched on February 1 with NBA star players Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes, and Anthony Tolliver and former NBA star player Baron Davis, will run throughout Black History Month and will feature an onslaught of celebrities, influencers, community organizations and corporations who will “draft” kids from across the country into financial freedom.
“We are thrilled to partner with Goalsetter in their efforts to expand financial literacy and education to the next generation of leaders through this innovative banking app that is equally as fun to use. Now, more than ever, the importance of saving money and preparing for the future is critical and with this important tool, we can feel confident in knowing that our students are being set up for success,” said NAF CEO JD Hoye.
Currently serving over 117,000 young people through career academies, NAF has been working for over 40 years to provide equal access to opportunities for all students. NAF students who participate in the “draft” will be given a unique sign-up code specific to their academy for the Goalsetter app. For each student who downloads Goalsetter and opens a savings account, Goalsetter will make a $1 donation to their local NAF academy.
NAF academies that sign up their students for Goalsetter will be providing young people a leading-edge banking and financial education app, which includes access to:
- An FDIC-insured savings account Weekly fun financial literacy quizzes, powered by memes and gifs
- A Cashola Card, the Goalsetter tween and teen debit card backed by Mastercard
- Unique features like “Learn to Earn” that lets kids earn money for every financial literacy quiz question they get right, and “Learn Before you Burn” which automatically freezes kids’ debit cards if they don’t take their quiz for the week.
- Gifting functionality, which enables families to gift money towards kids’ goals via the Goalsetter app
“We are excited to collaborate with NAF to give the gift of financial literacy to every student NAF serves,” said Goalsetter Founder & CEO Tanya Van Court. “Our mission is to empower the youth of today to fulfill their dreams of tomorrow. Through NAF and its deep connections to school districts across the country, we know that many more students will discover how the Goalsetter app can teach them critical financial concepts with engaging game-based financial quizzes. The best gift we can give our kids is the opportunity to learn money before they begin to burn money.”
The “Drafted” Initiative
Goalsetter creator and founder Tanya Van Court created the app in 2018 after reading a report that forecasted the median wealth of Black and Hispanic Americans to fall to zero by 2053. Concerned with this statistic, Van Court created “Drafted,” believing that bringing athletes and other inspirational figures into children’s lives as mentors to “draft” them into the league of financial literacy would be an effective and engaging way to make them aware of the importance of acquiring financial power.
Goalsetter uniquely engages kids from all backgrounds in understanding how to build wealth and learn financial language by offering savings accounts coupled with fun, quiz-based games that are developed using memes and GIFs from hip-hop artists, social media influencers, and pop culture personalities.
This groundbreaking program is committed to helping today’s youth save money and spend smartly, and is based on research from leading educators that shows that children with savings accounts (regardless of amount invested) are six times more likely to go to college and four times more likely to own stocks as young adults.
As a partner in the Drafted initiative, NAF will encourage educators within the NAF network to participate in the project by downloading the app and drafting their students into the league of financial literacy and financial freedom for all.
For more information about Drafted and Goalsetter, please visit https://drafted.goalsetter.co/
About NAF
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure high school students are college, career, and future ready. NAF’s educational design is uniquely comprehensive in its approach to education and skill development, enabling students of all backgrounds to participate in a meaningful education and gives businesses the opportunity to shape America’s future workforce by transforming the learning environment to integrate STEM infused, career-relevant curricula and work-based learning experiences, including internships.
Since 1980, NAF has been partnering with communities to improve outcomes for students, especially where institutional and social barriers are the most prevalent, by implementing NAF academies – small learning communities within existing high schools. NAF has grown from one NAF Academy of Finance in New York City to hundreds of academies across the country focusing on growing industries including: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences.
During the 2020-2021 school year, over 117,000 students attended 619 NAF academies across 37 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. In 2020, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated with 87% of graduates planning to go to college.
About Goalsetter
As a family saving, financial literacy and smart spending app, Goalsetter makes it easy for the whole family to go cashless and learn how to be money-smart. Goalsetter’s smart money app for families includes: FDIC-Insured Savings Account; the Cashola Teen and Tween Debit Card with parental controls, Game-based financial literacy quizzes; “Learn before you Burn” parental control feature on the debit card and the “Learn to Earn” game-based pay-to-play reward system. Goalsetter was founded by Tanya Van Court, a former Nickelodeon and ESPN executive. Click here to learn more about Goalsetter’s robust app and offerings.
About the NBPA
The National Basketball Players Association is the union for current professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1954, the NBPA’s mission is to protect and support the rights and talents of our players, magnify the power of their collective will, and amplify their voices as leaders who will transcend sport and society globally.
The NBPA advocates on behalf of the best interests of all NBA players, including the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, the filing of grievances on behalf of the players, or counseling players on benefits, educational and post-NBA career opportunities. Business opportunities are generated by THINK450, the subsidiary of the NBPA charged with managing the players’ group licensing rights.
Dedicated to preserving the legacy of its members, the NBPA Foundation provides support and assistance to persons, communities and organizations around the world that seek to improve the lives of those in need.