Fairfax County Public Schools to Receive ICI Education Foundation Investor Education Grant

Washington, DC, March 4, 2011- Fairfax County Public Schools will receive more than $23,000 from the Investment Company Institute Education Foundation (ICIEF) grant program designed to advance investor education within the greater metropolitan Washington, DC area.

The $23,442 grant will provide teacher training in investment education at Fairfax County Public Schools through face-to-face sessions and online videos. The grant will also support the development of student lessons in investment education, differentiated by grade and course. Beginning with ninth graders in the 2011-12 school year, all Virginia high-school students must complete a course in personal finance in order to graduate.

“We are pleased that Virginia has recognized the importance of basic money management skills for the future success of their students,” said ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens. “We need to ensure that educators get all the information they need to implement this new requirement. Providing investment education to all Americans at every level, from elementary school through retirement, is a responsibility shared by educators, employers, and national and local governments, as well as financial service firms.”

“Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is pleased to partner with the Investment Company Institute Education Foundation (ICIEF) to further educate FCPS students in the area of investments. Through the grant from ICIEF, FCPS will educate thousands of students a year about investments. This partnership will bring together financial educators and industry professionals to develop exciting investment lessons for our students,” said Beth Downey, FCPS Instructional Coordinator.

Fairfax County Public Schools joins Junior Achievement of the National Capital Area, STRIVE DC, UNCF, the Arlington County Office of Virginia Cooperative Extension, the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education, and the University of Maryland in receiving ICIEF grants since the program launched in 2009.

ICIEF is soliciting additional grant applications from schools and other nonprofit organizations which are looking to add investor education to financial education courses, programs, or activities within the greater Washington, DC area. Applications are accepted continuously and reviewed quarterly. For more information about ICIEF, previous grantees, and the investor education grant program, including eligibility requirements, please see www.icief.org.