In 2004, the Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program (OGSLP), a division of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, began developing Oklahoma Money Matters (OKMM), a comprehensive financial literacy initiative. OKMM is designed to improve access to information and resources, forming a central hub to unite and strengthen the efforts of a variety of agencies, organizations, and stakeholders. Goals of the program include heightening awareness of the need for fiscal education, building knowledge of financial literacy principles, and sharing available resources, including publications, curricula, and research.
OKMM has a federal partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service to offer an AmeriCorps Education Award Program, called OKMM-EAP. Through OKMM-EAP, AmeriCorps members serving in host sites across the state educate Oklahomans in personal finance, consumer credit, and student financial aid. Currently, the grant program infrastructure consists of numerous field sites from Altus to Miami, including community colleges and universities, tribal governance, and public service organizations.
OKMM continues to establish partnerships with other entities for which financial literacy is a priority. OGSLP is a founding member of the Oklahoma Jump$tart Coalition, an affiliate of a national organization whose primary goal is to provide and encourage financial education for people of all ages. OKMM has also partnered with the Oklahoma Council on Economic Education, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote economic and personal financial literacy. Potential collaborations with several more higher education institutions, career and technology centers, tribal authorities, and service agencies are under consideration or in development.
OKMM also participates in and supports financial literacy projects, professional meetings, and statewide conferences hosted by a wide variety of organizations, including:
- Oklahoma Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA)
- Oklahoma College Student Personnel Association (OCSPA)
- Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Oklahoma City Branch
- Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies
- Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
What can OKMM do for you?
Higher Education Campuses
- Help you develop a financial education component for existing services
- Offer money management tools for freshman orientation classes
- Provide instructional materials for campus workshops
- Create publications you can share with students and families
- Develop personal finance content for your Web site or newsletter
- Provide educational resources for community financial aid events
- Share research in financial literacy data and trends
- Connect you with financial education providers in your service area
K-12 Schools
- Locate supplemental materials and activities for classroom instruction
- Connect you with local financial education providers for classroom presentations
- Develop financial literacy tools to share with students and parents
- Develop personal finance content for Web sites and newsletters
Students and Parents
- Provide information about preparing financially for college, including financial aid
- Locate educational resources to strengthen family budgeting skills
- Share techniques for teaching children and teens about personal finance
Community Organizations
- Help you develop or enhance educational programs
- Provide educational resources for community events
- Develop financial literacy content and tools for Web sites
- Promote your financial education services and activities
- Share research in financial literacy data and trends
Coming Soon!
Financial Literacy Clearinghouse
OKMM is currently creating a clearinghouse of financial literacy publications, instructional materials and research to help teachers, students, parents, community leaders and businesses locate educational tools and resources to financially empower themselves and others When launched, visitors will be able to browse resources or search the clearinghouse by keyword (i.e. budget, credit, banking), title, resource type or source.