Twelve ways a Georgia school, district, community organization, or family already has money for financial literacy, the one question to ask for each, and the order that works.
Georgia’s HB 681 (2022) requires a course in financial literacy for students in eleventh or twelfth grade, beginning with the 2024–25 school year. K–8 economics and personal-finance strands sit inside the Georgia Standards of Excellence for social studies. That means the question a Georgia principal faces is rarely “should we,” and almost always “which line pays for it.” The twelve lines below are the honest answer, with the one question to ask for each.
WhoPublic and charter schools
Financial literacy is a named allowable use under the well-rounded education category. Every district receives an allocation; ask your Title IV-A coordinator which of the three categories your district has budget left in. One invoice code, no new application.
The one question to ask: Ask the district’s federal programs director: “What is our unspent Title IV-A well-rounded balance, and when is the amendment window?”
WhoSchools with a Title I schoolwide or targeted program
Supplemental instruction, technology, and family engagement in high-poverty schools. Financial Foundations™ family letters count toward the parent and family engagement set-aside conversation.
The one question to ask: Ask the principal: “Is our schoolwide plan open for revision, and does it name financial literacy or family engagement?”
WhoPublic, charter; private via equitable services
Funds professional development. iMPACT Partners™ facilitator certification is PD; the curriculum itself is not. Use it for the training line, not the license.
The one question to ask: Pair it with IV-A: II-A pays for certification, IV-A pays for the program.
WhoPublic schools, nonprofits, community organizations that hold a 21st CCLC grant
After-school and summer enrichment. Financial literacy is a named allowable activity. Nonprofits can apply directly through GaDOE’s competition, not only schools.
The one question to ask: Ask your 21st CCLC site coordinator whether enrichment vendors are set for the year or can be added.
WhoHigh schools with CTE pathways
Career readiness and financial capability inside CTE programs. Band 4 (income, borrowing, paying for trade school, the launch plan) fits Business, Finance, and most pathways’ employability standards.
The one question to ask: Ask the CTAE director whether a personal-finance module can sit inside an existing pathway course.
WhoRural districts
Flexible funds spendable on the same Title I, II, and IV-A activities, with less competition. Most rural Georgia districts qualify for the Small, Rural School Achievement program.
The one question to ask: Ask: “Are we REAP-Flex, and what is uncommitted this year?”
WhoNew and expanding charter schools
Curriculum, technology, and teacher training can be written into a CSP budget before the school opens.
The one question to ask: Write the license and the certification into the implementation-year budget, not the planning year.
WhoPrivate, Montessori, and faith-based schools
Federal dollars reach private schools through the local district’s set-aside. The district controls the funds; the private school chooses the services. The content is secular, so it fits faith-based schools cleanly.
The one question to ask: Ask the district’s federal programs office for the equitable-services consultation date; it happens once a year.
WhoFamilies of students zoned for the lowest-performing 25% of public schools
Starting in the 2025–26 school year, eligible families receive $6,500 a year toward private school tuition, curriculum, and approved educational expenses. Eligibility and the approved-vendor process are set by the Georgia Education Savings Authority; check current rules before relying on it.
The one question to ask: Families: confirm your zoned school’s eligibility on the state’s list before applying. Schools: ask whether you are, or can become, a participating provider.
WhoFamilies
Qualified K–12 books, materials, and educational software, up to $2,000 a year per child, tax-advantaged.
The one question to ask: Keep the receipt; curriculum for K–12 is a qualified expense.
WhoTitle I and low-to-moderate-income schools, community programs
Financial education for LMI individuals is a recognized community development service under interagency CRA guidance. A sponsor pays the published license; the school pays nothing. Whether a sponsorship receives CRA consideration is decided by the bank’s compliance function, not by us.
The one question to ask: Name the school and the zip code; the sponsor page at wealthwisekids.org/financial-institutions does the rest.
WhoAny school or community organization
Funders back measurable youth financial capability. Sponsorship units are priced at the same license a school pays, so a grant line and an invoice line match.
The one question to ask: See wealthwisekids.org/sponsor for the four units.
Every setting starts with a free five-week pilot: one cohort, opened by The $100 Week™. No cost, no contract, no card. The pilot produces a report the funding request can cite. Estimate a specific school at wealthwisekids.org/pricing.
It does not promise that any application will be funded, that any sponsorship will receive CRA consideration, or that eligibility rules quoted here will not change. Federal allocations and state programs change yearly; confirm with your federal programs director or the state authority before committing a line. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Send the one link. The Buyer & Procurement Center at wealthwisekids.org/resources holds the W-9 request, the standards crosswalk, the scope and sequence, the sample lesson, and the privacy brief, organized by who you will forward each one to.