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EVERFI Commits $100M to End Systemic Social, Economic Inequity in K-12 Schools

The social impact education provider will offer free digital education and tools to close gaps that lead to long-term, systemic inequalities for at-risk students.

Published 4 years ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Solen Feyissa/Unsplash

This week, leading social impact education innovator EVERFI, Inc. announced a $100 million, three-year commitment to strategically target specific topic areas that lead to systemic social injustice and economic disparities across the country. The three-year initiative will focus on reaching students in the most at-risk, high-poverty areas of the US.

In an effort to “educate the whole citizen” and create an ecosystem of change, EVERFI’s new Social Impact Index will build new and expand current courses in subjects that are historically missing from conventional education in the US but critical to overall social, emotional and financial wellbeing — including College and Career Readiness; Financial Literacy; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Social Emotional Learning; Substance Misuse; Sustainability; and Violence Prevention and Response.

Each Index topic area provides an overview of the associated societal challenge and offers a five-year goal for EVERFI to measure impact, reach and/or societal change. The Company’s large catalog of digital learning content on critical life skills is and will continue to be free to K-12 teachers and students nationwide.

“There is a missing layer in the education system today. The symphony of crises playing out across the world has cast a light on the lack of financial education, health care literacy, insurance literacy, emergency savings, and mental wellness instruction in America’s schools,” said Tom Davidson, Founder and CEO of EVERFI. “When students learn these critical life skills, they become highly correlated competencies. When they are left unattended to, they become highly correlated crises. This moment in time gives us a tremendous opportunity to empower students with this learning using innovation and technology. EVERFI and our partners are stepping in today to fill that gap.”

Founded in 2008 with the mission of closing the educational divide that exists for children in low- to moderate-income communities, EVERFI works closely with the nation’s school districts to train teachers and provide free digital learning — all funded solely by private sector companies and organizations — to close the gaps that lead to social inequality, gaps that have only widened since the onset of COVID-19.

Since its founding, EVERFI digital learning has reached more than 41 million learners across the K-12, higher education, and adult markets with more than 250 digital education courses on social issues. EVERFI recognizes more than 3,100 strategic partners — including a diverse array of major brands such as:

Beyond Meat — last month, the plant-based meat giant partnered with EVERFI to create a free, science-based course on sustainability that will be available to students, teachers and parents across the country. The course, designed for fifth through eighth graders, is grounded in real-world experiences and covers topics on global resource constraints, the importance of biodiversity, climate change and how to innovate for a healthy life.
Mastercard — in partnership with EVERFI, Mastercard’s Master Your Card School Program aims to provide financial education to students at no cost to schools or taxpayers. It features an interactive, new-media learning platform specifically designed to introduce financial literacy skills and build financial capacity necessary as students transition into adulthood.
NFL and the United Way — in 2016, the two organizations launched a 42-year partnership called Character Playbook™, a national education initiative powered by EVERFI, focused on youth character development and healthy relationships. The course is comprised of six interactive, digital modules that help middle-schoolers understand key concepts around positive character development, social-emotional learning, and building healthy relationships. The interactive digital program has been implemented directly in schools in all 32 NFL team markets and their surrounding communities over the next three years.

To support the nation’s school systems, teachers and families during this unprecedented time, EVERFI will continue its work reaching children in their home or hybrid learning environment with the goal of delivering more than 24 million total hours of critical life-skills learning to K-12 students over the next three years. Educational interventions for youth have shown substantive effects on social-emotional development, school progress, antisocial behavior, poverty and crime.

School districts that leverage EVERFI’s Index courses at scale are eligible to receive the EVERFI Champion Seal in recognition of their commitment to students’ long-term success in life.

Learn more about EVERFI’s work and the scope of its new commitment here.