Why Support Junior Achievement
As the state's largest business/education partnership, JA Rhode Island has spent the last 100 years focusing its efforts on addressing the critical issues affecting Rhode Island, such as the dropout rate crisis, 21st Century skills gap, workforce skills gap, lack of youth financial literacy, and urban and urban-ring school development.
Junior Achievement is the only organization serving Kindergarten through 12th-grade students and using volunteers from our community, rather than paid staff, to deliver our curriculum while sharing experiences with students. Embodying the heart of JA, more than 300 volunteers transform the key concepts of our lessons into a message that inspires and empowers over 5,500 students to believe in themselves, showing them they can make a difference in the world. Participation in these programs provides students with the ability to build a foundation of financial security and career accomplishment that will benefit them, their families, and their communities.
To meet our mission of inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy, Junior Achievement is guided by its core principles, which include:
• Belief in the boundless potential of young people
• Approaching our work with passion, honesty, integrity, and excellence
• Seeking out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and talents in our staff, volunteers, and boards to reflect the geographies and communities we serve
• Teaching principled, market-based economics and entrepreneurship that build a more sustainable world
• Nurturing the power of partnership and collaboration
• Advocating for relevant hands-on learning
Junior Achievement’s Impact
Junior Achievement’s approach to promoting economic mobility is based on a foundation of experience. JA periodically surveys JA Alumni, adults who went through Junior Achievement’s learning experiences as students. In December of 2024, global research firm Ipsos surveyed Generation Z and Millennial JA Alumni. This survey showed that:
• 91% of alumni say Junior Achievement exposed them to different ways of thinking,
• 88% of alumni say Junior Achievement motivated them to succeed in their professional lives,
• 81% of alumni feel like they have a strong financial footing,
• 73% of alumni self-identify as middle class or as a higher income, compared with only 47% of all Millennials and Gen Z individuals, according to Gallup.
Learn more about JA’s impact from the Ipsos survey.
How Is Funding Used?
Junior Achievement of Rhode Island relies on the financial support of individuals, corporations, and foundations to support our work. Your donation helps our work by providing high-quality immersive economic education programming free of charge to schools all around Rhode Island. Funds will be utilized on program development, curriculum materials, program administration including volunteer/teacher recruitment and training, student insurance, recognition for teachers/volunteers, and operating expenses including supplies, printing/copying, and postage.
As a demonstration of our track record and transparency, Junior Achievement of Rhode Island has received the Gold Transparency Award from Guidestar and Candid. View our financials here.