Our Mission
Pockets Change is a hybrid organization (s-corp and non-profit 501c3) working with K-12 districts, colleges, and other community organizations across the country.
Our mission is to build intergenerational financial resilience with students, families, and educators. We believe financial education is about much more than numbers, it’s a means for self-care and social justice. It all happens through Hip Hop pedagogy, which focuses on understanding self-identity in relation to the whole. Together we are working to address systemic issues of educational equity and the racial wealth divide.
Our History
Since 2009, Pockets Change has been flipping the script on financial education, making it real, relatable, and rooted in the lives of students, families, and educators. Through Hip Hop pedagogy, we’ve created a movement that empowers young people to take control of their financial journeys and build creative career skills. In 2018, we became a 501(c)(3) to expand access to our fully subsidized programs, reaching over 3,500 students and their families every year. Our workshops, online curriculum, and Hip Hop FinFest bring financial conversations to life for youth & young adults, while our educator professional development amplifies our impact to over 80,000 learners across the country.
We partner with schools, libraries, foster care programs, and community organizations nationwide—including NYC Public Schools, California Foster Care & Kinship Programs, Partnership for Afterschool Educators and more. Our work has been recognized by Sony Create Action and the National Jump$tart Coalition for innovation and creativity. Our lessons & approach have been featured by Forbes, CNBC, Cheddar News, Teach for America, AFCPE, and many others.