MADISON, Wis.—The Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU) said it celebrated International Credit Union Day by announcing the recipients of its inaugural Financial Literacy Grant, new initiative it says invests in credit unions and financial cooperatives “delivering meaningful financial education in their communities.”
The grants are worth up to $10,000 each to the organizations
According to the Worldwide Foundation, the grant opportunity drew applications from 15 countries across six regions in its first cycle, reflecting the depth and diversity of financial literacy work happening across the global credit union movement.
The 2026 recipients are:
Traditional Credit Union Limited (TCU), Australia
“The program aims to bring culturally grounded financial literacy to remote Aboriginal communities, centered on practical skills in savings, digital banking and protection from financial scams,” the foundation said.
Loyalty Credit Union, United States.
This project’s goal is to embed structured, curriculum-based financial education within established community services for youth in foster care, families in transitional living and students in under-resourced schools across Florida, according to the foundation.
FULM Association of Citizen, Republic of North Macedonia.
The initiative aims to equip community members to recognize and respond to AI-driven financial fraud, built on the principle that the most effective educators are people from within the community itself.
Antilles Employees Credit Union Cooperative Society Limited, Trinidad & Tobago.
“The program seeks to connect young people to the credit union movement from an early age, through a replicable model of youth financial education designed to grow well beyond the grant period,” the foundation said.
‘The Cooperative Difference’
“What makes this grant meaningful is that it came from the movement and goes back to the movement. Credit unions have always been defined by their commitment to reinvesting in the people and communities they serve – that is the cooperative difference,” WFCU President Mike Reuter said in a statement.. “This grant is WFCU’s way of doing the same: channeling the generosity of our supporters directly into the hands of organizations making financial wellbeing a reality for people who need it most.”
Recipients were selected through a two-stage process: an automated quantitative assessment of all applications, followed by an independent qualitative review conducted by a committee of sector experts, according to the Worldwide Foundation.
