JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Council on Economic Education has received a grant from BlackRock to expand financial literacy education opportunities for K-12 teachers and students across Mississippi.
The funding comes as Mississippi begins implementing new state requirements for personal finance education after recently enacted legislation requiring financial literacy instruction for students statewide.
State leaders, including Gov. Tate Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Secretary of State Michael Watson and State Treasurer David McRae, supported the legislation, emphasizing financial literacy as a key part of economics and college-and-career readiness coursework.
Selena Swartzfager, president of the Mississippi Council on Economic Education, said the investment will help educators prepare students for financial decision-making after graduation.
“This is a landmark moment for Mississippi students,” Swartzfager said. “The support from BlackRock will allow MCEE to train educators to teach quality personal finance education based in economic reasoning while also creating more opportunities for students to apply what they learn.”
The grant will allow MCEE to expand professional development, classroom resources and student learning opportunities focused on personal finance and economics education, with an emphasis on investing.
Funding will support teacher training programs, curriculum resources, classroom activities and statewide initiatives designed to help educators teach new financial literacy standards effectively.
BlackRock officials said the company is committed to supporting financial literacy efforts across Mississippi.
“Helping Americans experience financial well-being is core to our mission at BlackRock, and we are pleased to support MCEE’s work across the state,” company leadership said in a statement.
MCEE has long served as Mississippi’s leader in K-12 economics and personal finance education, offering no-cost training and resources to teachers statewide. Its programs include the Master Teacher of Personal Finance, the Stock Market Game, the Personal Finance Challenge and family financial literacy initiatives that reach thousands of students annually.
Swartzfager said partnerships like the one with BlackRock will help ensure students across Mississippi have access to high-quality financial literacy education regardless of where they live.
“Financial literacy is workforce readiness, college readiness and life readiness,” she said. “When students understand budgeting, saving, compound interest, risk and diversification, they are better equipped to make informed financial decisions that can build long-term financial security and generational wealth.”
