High school students can benefit from a financial education fair on campus. At this stage many students begin to earn a real income from jobs, so the fair experience brings an immediate through providing interactive simulations of saving, spending, and budgeting. The fair concept can be adapted for other grade levels and adjusted for particular forums, such as after school programs or youth camps.
Applications for the 2024 Financial Education Innovation Fund Grant are now closed. This page will be updated if and when more funding becomes available for future rounds.
Contact empowerment@tre.state.ma.us with any questions.
Video: Innovation Fund: Promising Practices Webinar
Skip this video Innovation Fund: Promising Practices Webinar.Why host a Financial Education Fair?
A financial education fair is a fun, interactive simulation of saving, spending, and budgeting based on career choices and lifestyle decisions. Student participants choose an occupation and make a variety of financial decisions, ranging from where to live and how to save for retirement to buying a television or owning a pet. In Massachusetts, these fairs have been given several titles, such as “Credit for Life,” “Reality Fair,” “Reality Check!” and many others.
The target audiences that participate in such fairs are high school students. At this stage many students begin to earn a real income from jobs, so the fair experience has an immediate application. However, the fair concept can be adapted for other grade levels or forums such as after school programs or youth camps.