Groundwork · New York City

Where you grow up shouldn't determine what you know about money.

Groundwork is a student-led financial literacy initiative that brings free, plain-language financial education to underserved communities across New York City. No jargon, no cost, no catch.

Bring Groundwork to your community See what we do
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What we do

Three layers, one goal: financial confidence.

Like the three arcs in our mark, our work builds outward from a single foundation. Everything is free for participants and for the organizations that host us.

A free financial literacy course

Budgeting, credit, interest rates, saving, and investing fundamentals, designed for total beginners. Every concept is explained in plain language, starting from zero.

Open to everyone

In-person community workshops

Not one-off events. We partner with libraries, public schools, shelters, community centers, and nonprofits to run a structured, ongoing program with the same community over an extended period, building lesson on lesson.

Ongoing · in person

A certificate program

Participants who complete the course earn a certificate they can put on a resume or LinkedIn. Real proof of real knowledge, from day one of their financial lives.

Resume ready

The curriculum

One lesson at a time. One community at a time.

Every partnership follows the same arc: core foundations, taught in order so each lesson stands on the last.

01

Budgeting

Where money actually goes, and how to give every dollar a job before it disappears.

02

Credit

What a credit score is, why it follows you everywhere, and how to build one from nothing.

03

Interest rates

The force that quietly works for you when you save and against you when you borrow.

04

Stocks, bonds & index funds

What the market really is, stripped of the noise, and how ordinary people take part in it.

05

Building a portfolio

Putting it all together: a simple, sensible plan participants can start with what they have.

Completely free. There is no cost for partner organizations and no cost for participants. Everyone who completes the program earns a Groundwork certificate.

About us

Two students who believe money shouldn't be a mystery.

We're high school co-founders at the United Nations International School in New York City. Our time interning in private equity showed us how financial knowledge compounds for the people who have it, and we manage our own personal portfolios to keep learning firsthand. Groundwork exists to hand that same knowledge to the communities that are usually left out of the conversation.

Portrait of Leonardo Croce Escobar
Co-founder

Leonardo Croce Escobar

Student at the United Nations International School. Learned the ropes of financial analysis during a private equity internship and manages his own personal portfolio, with a strong interest in making finance genuinely accessible.

Portrait of Malik Kalin
Co-founder

Malik Kalin

Student at the United Nations International School. Built his foundation in finance through a private equity internship and manages a personal portfolio, driven by the belief that financial education should reach everyone.

Financial knowledge shouldn't be an inheritance. It should be groundwork that everyone gets to stand on.
Finance for Everyone

How a partnership works

Three steps from first email to first lesson.

We keep the process simple on purpose. Your organization brings the community, and we bring everything else.

Reach out

Send us an email about your organization, the community you serve, and when you'd like to run the program.

Plan together

We work with you to match the pacing, schedule, and lessons to your space and your group. Total beginners are exactly who this is built for.

We teach

We come to you and run the lessons in person, with all materials provided. Participants who finish earn a Groundwork certificate.

Common questions

What does it cost?
Nothing. The program is completely free for partner organizations and for every participant. No fees, no fundraising asks, no catch.
What do you need from us?
Just a room and a group of people who want to learn. We handle the curriculum, the materials, and the teaching.
Does my group need any background in finance?
None at all. Every lesson is written for total beginners and explained in plain language, starting from zero.
What do participants walk away with?
Practical skills in budgeting, credit, interest, and investing, plus a certificate they can put on a resume or LinkedIn.

Contact us

Bring Groundwork to your community.

Run a student center, library, school, shelter, or nonprofit that serves young people? We'd love to bring the program to you, at no cost to your organization or your participants.


Who we work with

Community centers and youth programs

Public schools and libraries

Shelters and nonprofits

Any organization serving communities without access to financial education