EssentialEducation
InnovativeResearch

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Education

We provide award-winning financial and economic programs and curriculum to tens of thousands of students each year.
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Smart Path

Our award-winning online financial education platform is free for anyone to use, and easy to navigate.
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Research

Our researchers deliver sophisticated analyses of economic issues to help a wide range of clients.
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EssentialEducation
innovativeresearch

We do .

Education

We provide award-winning financial and economic programs and curriculum to tens of thousands of students each year.
More

Smart Path

Our award-winning online financial education platform is free for anyone to use, and easy to navigate.
More

Research

Our researchers deliver sophisticated analyses of economic issues to help a wide range of clients.
More

Thanks To Our 2024-2025 StEP Business Partners!

 

The Susan Sargen Student Enterprise Program (StEP) is shaping the future of thousands of students in Greater Cincinnati by equipping them with essential, lifelong financial skills—and it’s all made possible thanks to our amazing StEP store volunteers!

This school year, we’re beyond excited to have incredible support from local companies that are not only lending a helping hand by volunteering but also investing in StEP’s success through financial backing. These partnerships are driving real change for our students!

Join us in celebrating our fantastic business partners for 2024-2025! 

Interested in volunteering with StEP this quarter? Click the button below for details and registration!

Center Researchers Measure the Multi-Billion Dollar Economic Impact of Black Owned Businesses in Southwest Ohio & Northern Kentucky

Center researchers are in the middle of a multi-year project to measure the economic impact of Black-owned businesses in our region.

Here are some of the highlights from the latest round of research released in July:

  • In 2023, Black-owned businesses in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky generated approximately $1.5 billion in direct sales and employed 9,024 people with earnings totaling $341.2 million.
  • These businesses supported nearly $1.4 billion more in indirect sales, supporting 7,448 jobs with $293.8 million in earnings.
  • Overall, Black-owned businesses contributed more than $2.8 billion in total sales, directly and indirectly supporting 16,472 jobs with $635.1 million in total earnings.
  • State and local jurisdictions benefited from $34.3 million in earnings and sales tax revenue generated by these businesses.
  • The industries with the most Black-owned businesses in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky were the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industry; the Retail Trade industry; and the Other Services industry.

 

“This is another groundbreaking study that displays the growth and economic power of Black-owned businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area,” said Eric Kearney, President and CEO of the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce. “It is important for Greater Cincinnati’s business, civic, and political leaders take note of these accomplishments.”

“Our findings highlight the substantial contributions of Black-owned businesses to the economic fabric of Southwest Ohio,” said Brad Evans, Co-Executive Director of the Alpaugh Family Economics Center. “The data reveals that these businesses are a driving force in job creation and economic development, reinforcing the importance of continued support and investment in minority-owned enterprises.”

This research work also got quite a bit of media attention.

CLICK HERE for Local 12 News coverage

CLICK HERE for WVXU coverage

CLICK HERE for WCPO coverage

Center Researchers Measure the Economic Impact of Non-Profits in our Region

This summer our researchers also measured the economic impact of local nonprofit organizations on behalf of the Human Services Chamber of Hamilton County. The Human Services Chamber is an organization that represents more than 90 human services groups in Hamilton County, with the mission of developing and advocating for public policies that provide opportunities for all community members to reach their full potential.

Among the highlights:

  • Our researchers found that nonprofit groups contributed $2.9 billion in total economic output, supported 41,023 jobs, and accounted for $1.3 billion in total wages.
  • In addition, the study showed nonprofits generated a total of $87.1 million in earnings and sales tax revenue.

This research work on behalf of the Human Services Chamber also got a lot of attention from the media.

CLICK HERE for the Cincinnati Enquirer’s coverage.

CLICK HERE to watch WLWT’s coverage.

CLICK HERE to read the Cincinnati Business Courier’s coverage.

CLICK HERE for Movers & Makers’ coverage.

Summer Professional Development Sessions Draw a Crowd

Educators work incredibly hard during the school year, so summertime brings an opportunity for a well-deserved break. Which is why we’re so inspired by the teachers who turn out for our summer professional development sessions!

Our Director of Programs and Professional Development, Emily Schalk, put together some great in-person PD workshops around Cincinnati this summer.

Educators have visited Cincinnati’s Music Hall, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center in June, learning about everything from career pathways in the arts, to the intersection of art and business, to nurturing character strengths in students!

We’re grateful for our community partners at these organizations for helping us with these engaging sessions. And a big thanks to the teachers who took time out of their precious summer break to learn with us!

Market Madness 2024 Is a Huge Success!

Market Madness 2024 was a rousing success, with more than 1,100 local students, their teachers, and parent chaperones descending on UC’s Fifth Third Arena for a day of entrepreneurship, collaboration, and fun!

Market Madness is the culmination of our Susan Sargen Student Enterprise Program (StEP). Students form classroom businesses, interviewing with our volunteers for leadership roles (CEO, CFO, Marketing Director and more). The kids then decide what products to create, how to mass-produce them, and how to market them. Then, on May 6th, a parade of school buses dropped the kids off outside Fifth Third Arena. We turned the floor of the arena into a marketplace, with kids setting up their sales booths and signs. They then took turns selling, buying, and touring campus. 

A HUGE thanks to our amazing Market Madness sponsor, Sycamore Capital, for making this event possible again this year!

And thanks to our phenomenal army of volunteers who kept the huge crowd of kids happy, safe, and engaged in this fun learning activity.

The 2024 Annual Awards at Great American Ball Park

We had a spectacular night at Great American Ball Park for our 2024 Annual Awards! A huge thanks to the Cincinnati Reds for their collaboration, particularly our fabulous keynote panel including Reds Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Karen Forgus, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall, and Reds President Phil Castellini. And having Reds legend George Foster there made the night even more special!

Congratulations to all our award winners, including Deer Park Community City Schools as our Susan Sargen Student Enterprise Program (StEP) District of the Year, Colette Smith from the Muskingum Valley ESC as our Personal Finance Educator of the Year, our friends from Messer Construction Co. as our StEP Volunteers of the Year, Bill Neyer as our Economic Empowerment Award winner, and Western & Southern as our Research Impact Award winner!

Thanks once more to our amazing sponsors as well! Your support means we’ll be able to bring financial and economic education to even more students next year. 

Weren't able to attend the Annual Awards? Click play to watch the full program!

Measuring the Economic Impact of Black-Owned Businesses within the Southwest Ohio Economy

On behalf of The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce (AACC), the Center’s research team released the results of its study, “The Economic Impact of Black-owned Businesses in Southwest Ohio Communities.”  Our analysis found the economic impact of Black-owned businesses on our region totals more than $2.1 billion dollars. The impact of Black-owned Businesses in Southwest Ohio communities is responsible for directly employing 5,914 people with more than $306 million in earnings throughout the Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

In 2021, on behalf of the AACC, the Center’s research team conducted the first study of its kinds in the nation that quantified the economic impact of Black businesses, setting a benchmark for this analysis.

HOW WE IMPACT OUR COMMUNITY

With the right information, you make better choices. We empower students with high-quality financial education, and provide research clients with the data analysis they need to drive decision-making.

STUDENTS
0 K

participate in StEP Program every year

Students
2 Million+

have used $martPath

IN RESEARCH CONTRACTS
$ 0 M+

 over the past decade

YOUR SUPPORTat Work

$15 supports one child for an entire year of learning in our StEP program
$50 pays for two student teams to participate in the Stock Market Game
$100 covers the cost of economic and financial education lessons and materials for one classroom
$500 pays for a teacher to attend professional development sessions to learn how to integrate economics into the classroom
$5000 provides the materials for one elementary school to participate in our StEP program for an entire year
ProfessionalDevelopment

We’ve been in service to educators for more than 40 years, providing them with high-quality workshops, book clubs and more.

Check out our $martPath Snacks videos and YouTube channel!

Looking for some fun, bite-sized financial literacy? We’ve created a new video series, featuring some of your favorite puppet characters from our original, Emmy-winning $martPath videos. Our new $martPath Snacks videos are short, but just as engaging, and they also deliver early money concepts to an audience of younger children. 

See them yourself by clicking the button below. And please subscribe while you’re there! 

Centering Black Women’s Upward Mobility in the Cincinnati Region

“The economy isn’t equal for everyone”. That’s how our research team led off its presentation on the findings of our work on behalf of The Women’s Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation to assess Black women’s economic mobility in our region. 
Through their analysis, Center researchers found that in 2018, Black women held 10% of jobs in the five lowest-earning occupation groups, but less than three percent of jobs in the five highest-earnings occupation groups. 

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