Freddie Mac Empowers Underserved Communities With Financial Capability Curriculum

The knowledge needed to take charge of your financial future to rent or own a home is empowering. It can change lives and make a positive impact that reaches future generations. Central to Freddie Mac’s mission is a focus on supporting marginalized consumers from traditionally underrepresented communities.

When they needed an equitable, accessible, inclusive, effective learning solution that would teach the importance of building, maintaining, and using credit and honing financial capabilities, they turned to AllenComm to build two products: one that would teach financial skills to consumers, and one to train people to facilitate financial education.

The team at AllenComm designed and developed a value-added learning solution that prioritized an intentional focus on supporting learners of underserved communities who are routinely underrepresented in financial education and have limited access to credit and wealth.

We created an impactful curriculum using a mobile-first platform with an app-like user experience for the digital learning, including video, interactive learning activities, and an action planner. The course content was built into engaging, effective blocks to increase learning and retention so that participants could take the courses progressively to build a foundation of financial capability.

Anticipated results:

• Empower learners of underserved communities to learn the fundamental money management skills they need to become credit savvy consumers and build financial empowerment
• Reinforce Freddie Mac’s reputation as a trusted source for empowering potential renters and homebuyers to make informed financial decisions that help build, maintain, and sustain credit

AllenComm re-envisioned and developed an updated facilitator program to complement the new CreditSmart ® Essentials solution on the 20^th anniversary of its launch. We updated Freddie Mac’s content to support financial educators as they led both in-person and virtual learning workshops.

 

Our solution included experience-based learning to allow trainers to practice responding to realistic scenarios featuring learner personas; blended learning experiences with asynchronous learning and facilitation masterclasses; and a new certification program. Our technology and software specialists provided the complete package to implement the new learning solution, including a custom portal solution with user-facing LMS, Freddie Mac-facing administrative backend and Freddie Mac Admin-facing portal backend so that the courses and site would be editable and sustainable for Freddie Mac.

Anticipated results:

• Increase the number of sessions led by certified facilitators that will lead to an increase in potential homebuyers and sustainable homeownership and rentership
• Increase the number of facilitators recertified by 25% over 3 years