Student Freedom Initiative (SFI) and Stackwell Expand the Student Investment Program (SIP) to 16 HBCUs with $150,000 Grant From the Institute of Consumer Money Management. Expanded Program Will Reach Up to 300 Students Across New Partner Schools
Washington, D.C. March 2, 2026 — Student Freedom Initiative (SFI), a national
nonprofit dedicated to reducing the racial wealth gap through education, today
announced the expansion of its Student Investment Program (SIP) in partnership
with Stackwell, an innovative fintech platform making investing real for emerging
wealth builders. This program is supported by a $150,000 grant from the Institute of Consumer Money Management (ICMM).
Now entering its third year, the expanded program will serve up to 300 students
across 16 HBCUs and MSIs, providing each participating student with up to $1,000
in investment capital, along with structured financial education designed to build
long-term investing knowledge, confidence, and habits. In total, the third cohort of
SIP will be allocating $200K to help students start to build strong foundations for
their financial resilience.
The Student Investment Program is designed to remove common barriers to
investing by pairing capital with education and behavioral support. Grant funds are
distributed in installments, encouraging students to stay invested and build
comfort with long-term market participation rather than short-term speculation.
The 2026 SIP cohort includes students from the following institutions:
- Bowie State University
- Claflin University
- Clark Atlanta University
- Dillard University
- Florida A&M University
- Florida Memorial University
- Hampton University
- Morehouse College
- Norfolk State University
- Prairie View A&M University
- Southern University and A&M College
- Texas Southern University
- Tuskegee University
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- University of the District of Columbia
- Xavier University of Louisiana
“This expansion reflects our belief that financial education and asset ownership
should be embedded in the college experience,” said Keith B. Shoates, President
and CEO of Student Freedom Initiative. “By bringing SIP to more campuses, we’re
giving students earlier access to the tools, capital, and confidence needed to build
lasting financial security and greater freedom in their post-graduation choices.”
“We designed SIP to help students see themselves as investors — not someday, but
now,” said Trevor Rozier-Byrd, Founder and CEO of Stackwell. “By expanding to 16
schools, we’re scaling a model that combines real capital, real market exposure, and
real education. This is about building investor identity early and making long-term
wealth building accessible.”
The support from the Institute of Consumer Money Management builds on the
success of ICMM’s prior support for the Student Investment Program in 2025, which demonstrated strong student engagement and growing interest in early investing as a tool for financial empowerment.
“ICMM is pleased to continue our partnership with Stackwell to support innovative
approaches to financial capability,” said Dr. Diane Chen, Founder and Executive
Director of ICMM. “By supporting the third year of the Student Investment
Program and centering HBCU students, we aim to expand access to practical
investing experiences that can shape financial confidence and behavior early in
adulthood.”
The Student Investment Program is part of SFI and Stackwell’s broader
commitment to closing wealth gaps by increasing participation in asset ownership
and improving financial wellness outcomes for students historically excluded from
investing opportunities.
Applications for the 2026 cohort open March 2, 2026.
To learn more about becoming a SIP funding partner, please contact SFI at
sip@studentfreedominitiative.org or Stackwell at
partnerships@stackwellcapital.com.
About Student Freedom Initiative
A single-purpose nonprofit organization, Student Freedom Initiative aims to reduce the wealth gap through the lens of education. This is achieved by providing a catalyst for freedom in professional and life choices for students attending Minority Serving Institutions (“MSIs”) by increasing their social and economic mobility using a student-centric, evidence-based, holistic, and collaborative approach. Initially focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Student Freedom Initiative enables mobility through four transformational components: (1) Student Freedom Fund as a private education loan alternative to Parent PLUS loans, (2) Internships and industry-driven certifications, (3) Comprehensive Supports, and (4) Institutional Transformation (e.g., access to affordable broadband, strengthening endowment governance and risk adjusted returns, workforce development in clean energy and living spaces). Student Freedom Initiative collaborates with community-based organizations, businesses, and governmental entities through public-private partnerships to make sustainable, systemic changes to support the entire MSI ecosystem.
About Stackwell
Stackwell is an innovative fintech platform dedicated to increasing financial
wellness and asset ownership among multicultural emerging wealth builders.
Stackwell’s platform provides automated portfolio construction to simplify
investing, financial wellness education to increase investor confidence, and
science-based engagement tools to drive behavioral change and financial goals
realization. By addressing cultural, social, and emotional barriers to financial
inclusion, Stackwell is helping our communities build wealth and thrive.
About the Institute of Consumer Money Management (ICMM)
The Institute of Consumer Money Management is a nonprofit research foundation
dedicated to advancing evidence-based strategies that improve financial security
and economic mobility. ICMM supports high-impact programs and applied
research that bridge academic rigor and real-world practice.
