Goodwill Manasota receives funding to bolster financial literacy in community
Three-year grant totaling $192,000 from United Way Suncoast will help to lower barriers to success, assist employees and community members in achieving financial stability
SARASOTA/BRADENTON, FL – In an effort to help community members achieve financial stability, United Way Suncoast has awarded Goodwill Manasota a three-year grant totaling $192,000 in support of financial literacy training. These funds will assist Goodwill employees and community members in improving employability skills as well as increasing access to supports and resources, with a focus on financial literacy.
United Way Suncoast has supported these efforts since 2021, with an initial gift of $55,000 for that program year. In 2022, United Way awarded a three-year grant of $165,000, increasing the amount in this year’s three-year award to $64,000 per year/$192,000 total through 2028.
The funds from United Way will support operational costs related to Goodwill’s GoodPartner Coach and Learning and Development programs. The overarching goals for this effort are two-fold: to help individuals to receive exposure, skills and supports to obtain and retain employment that pays a family-sustaining wage; and to sustain their access to benefits, attain safe and affordable banking, and move toward sound financial behaviors.
All of Goodwill Manasota’s 800-plus employees – 70% of whom have a documented disability and/or self-identified barrier to self-sufficiency – are assigned a GoodPartner Coach (GPC), who does a needs assessment and then helps individuals through the setting of goals and receiving employability skills training. For community members who visit a Goodwill Job Connection location seeking to improve their career prospects, they are assigned a case manager to help them to get and keep a job, whether with or outside of Goodwill. But employment is just one step toward financial stability.
Employees and community members who would benefit from financial literacy support develop – with the assistance of a GPC and/or a Job Connection team member – a personal budget and are also provided guidance on consumer credit. Unbanked individuals receive guidance on setting up a bank account. One-on-one budgeting classes and online budgeting classes are also available to those who need extra support in this area.
Other features of Goodwill’s financial literacy services include referrals to agencies that can assist with credit rehabilitation as well as first-time homeownership. Goodwill also has partnerships with financial institutions for team training, to ensure GoodPartner Coaches and Learning and Development staff can be most effective at helping others.
GoodPartner Coaches also provide training regarding the benefits of filing taxes, utilizing VITA (free tax assistance) sites, and how the Earned Income Tax Credit works. In partnership with United Way, Goodwill hosts VITA sites at its offices and trains its coaches to provide support at these sites.
“Earning a paycheck is just the first step to financial stability. If someone has never learned how to budget or been taught financial literacy, the chances for self-sufficiency are greatly reduced,” said Goodwill Manasota President and CEO Donn Githens. “Thanks in part to the grant from United Way Suncoast, our GoodPartner Coach and Learning and Development teams will continue to work with Goodwill employees and community members so that they can improve financial stability and get on the path to self-sufficiency.”
This grant was provided through the “Financial Stability Investment Stream” of United Way Suncoast’s most recent grant cycle. Funded projects focus on United Way’s priority population, “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). The ALICE population represents hardworking yet struggling residents who have little or no savings and are often one emergency from falling into poverty.
“This funding cycle marks a major step forward in both equity and effectiveness,” said United Way Suncoast CEO Jessica Muroff. “By focusing on sustained, multiyear investments, we’re helping our partners build capacity, deliver measurable results, and better serve ALICE families across the region.”
Over the next three years, Goodwill leaders expect to impact approximately 1,400 people – a combination of employees and community members seeking assistance at Goodwill’s Community Resource Centers/Job Connection sites in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties.
For more information about Goodwill, call 941-355-2721 or visit experiencegoodwill.org.
PHOTO ID: Goodwill Manasota team members Natalie Caukwell (GPC), Ann Meggs, GPC program manager, Antonia Rolle, director of Mission Services, and Paunyne Xavier (GPC)
Provided photo/Goodwill Manasota
About Goodwill Manasota
Goodwill Manasota is an industry-leading 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With philanthropic donations and revenue generated by the sales of donated goods, Goodwill assists people with disabilities, veterans, seniors, and those with other barriers to employment by providing jobs, job skills training, and free career services. For more information or for a listing of locations, visit www.experiencegoodwill.org or call 941-355-2721.
