Financial Empowerment Programs in Canada: An Environmental Scan

Abstract

The primary objective of this research was to identify and examine the design of financial empowerment programs (FEPs) including the types of services offered and how they are delivered in Canadian municipalities. We conducted an environmental scan for FEPs in Canadian municipalities using an internet search and phone and email correspondence with programs and discovered 30 programs. Common services provided by the FEPs include financial literacy workshops, one-on-one coaching, and tax clinics. Innovative FEP services include matched savings programs, online resources, Indigenous services, and financial compensation or reimbursement. For the few FEPs that stated how they were funded, their primary sources were federal or provincial government grants, grants from Canadian banks, community foundations, local libraries, as well as donations from benefactors and fundraising campaigns. In terms of impact, FEPs that have evaluated their services found that individuals were more likely to feel in control, motivated, and confident in their finances after accessing their services. Well-resourced initiatives can have a wide reach—for instance, the Immigrant Education Society in Calgary has reached over 250,000 individuals with their services. Based on these findings, we propose three recommendations for the HTH to consider as steps towards developing their FEP: (1) Use diverse methods to reach diverse populations, (2) Organize a community of practice in Hamilton, (3) Become a financial empowerment champion for Hamilton.