Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation

What is the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation?

In the spirit of cooperation and unity, the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation was formed in 1996 to benefit credit unions, nonprofit organizations, and communities as an indirect result of support requested and given by Pennsylvania credit unions to assist those impacted by the Oklahoma bombings, which occurred the year prior. From their start, credit unions have rallied around the People Helping People® philosophy and the Foundation provides the vehicle to allow Pennsylvania’s credit unions to serve others throughout the state, the country and the world.

What does the Foundation do?
The Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation has four primary areas of funding: Financial Literacy initiatives; Small Credit Union Assistance; Professional Development; and Disaster Relief. Working with credit unions, chapters, and community organizations, the Foundation moves to achieve its mission of changing people’s lives by promoting education, disaster relief and credit union relevance.

How does the Foundation help?
The Foundation has provided assistance in the following ways.
• Financial Literacy funding examples: Funding to open a student branch in a local high school, to purchase classroom materials, to provide adult financial literacy training for the unbanked and underbanked, and to help teens understand the importance of making sound financial decisions.

• Small Credit Union Assistance examples: Funding to conduct a marketing campaign to attract new members, to purchase upgraded computer hardware and software, and to assist with a changeover to EMV cards.

• Professional Development grants have been given so credit union staff could attend the Judge / Bradley Leadership program, CUNA Management training, and to participate in webinars.

• This year, disaster relief was provided to a credit union which set up a fund to assist a staff member with the loss of her home due to fire, to efforts to assist those impacted by the earthquake in Nepal and to assist two credit unions in Haiti to stabilize and grow following their 2010 earthquake.

Who is the Foundation?
The work of the Foundation would not be possible without the generous support from credit unions, chapters, vendors, individuals, corporations, and the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association. Requests for funding are reviewed and approved by the Foundation’s 13 member board of directors, based on guidelines developed to ensure that each dollar will be used for its greatest impact.

Why should you support the Pennsylvania Credit Union Foundation?
Simply put, because we’re better together. Individually, we can all have an impact, but when we combine our resources, that impact dramatically expands. Together, we can help others on a scale that wouldn’t be possible alone. Please join us in making Pennsylvania’s residents financially fit, and our commonwealth a strong, stable economic force in our country.

Your support makes it possible for the Foundation to proudly promote the credit union philosophy of people helping people obtain financial independence by supporting financial literacy and educational initiatives, small credit union assistance, professional development of credit union staff & volunteers, and disaster relief support for credit union communities.