If your school doesn't have a budget for Intertwined — or if you'd rather not use one — there's a third option: bank sponsorship through the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).
What is the CRA?
The Community Reinvestment Act is a 1977 U.S. federal law requiring banks to serve all segments of their communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Banks earn CRA credit by investing in community programs — and financial literacy education for schools is one of the most clearly aligned forms of CRA investment.
Most banks now actively look for CRA-eligible opportunities in their communities. Sponsoring a school's financial literacy program is a near-perfect match for these requirements.
How CRA Sponsorship Works with Intertwined
The structure:
Your school approaches a local bank about sponsoring Intertwined access for your students.
The bank funds the subscription in exchange for CRA credit and community recognition.
Intertwined receives payment from the bank, just as if the school had paid directly.
Your school gets full access to Intertwined's curriculum, simulations, and resources at no cost.
The bank receives recognition within Intertwined's platform (optional sponsorship acknowledgment visible to teachers, students, and parents).
Everyone wins: the school gets free resources, students learn financial literacy, the bank earns CRA credit, and Intertwined gets sustained funding.
Why Banks Want to Sponsor
Banks have multiple incentives:
Regulatory compliance — CRA credit improves the bank's federal rating
Community relations — Banks want visible, positive presence in their service area
Future customer pipeline — Today's financially literate students are tomorrow's customers
Brand-building — Schools and parents notice and appreciate community investment
Most well-run banks have a designated CRA officer or community engagement officer specifically tasked with finding partnerships like this.
How to Approach a Bank
Step 1: Identify potential bank partners
Look for:
Banks within a 5-mile radius of your school (proximity matters for CRA)
Banks with visible community engagement (you've seen them sponsor local events, sports, etc.)
Natural relationships — does a teacher or parent already work at a local bank?
Both large national banks and small community banks (each has different CRA dynamics)
Step 2: Make the connection
Identify the right contact at the bank. Often it's the:
CRA Officer
Community Engagement Manager
Branch Manager
Marketing or Communications Director
If you have a personal contact at the bank, start there. Otherwise, call the local branch and ask for the CRA contact.
Step 3: Make the pitch
Your pitch should cover:
Who you are — Teacher, school, and what financial literacy you're currently teaching (or want to teach)
What Intertwined is — Brief overview of the platform
Why it matters — Financial literacy statistics, why this fits CRA requirements
What sponsorship looks like — The financial commitment, the timeline, what the bank gets in return
The ask — How much funding you need and over what period
Intertwined provides editable pitch templates and supporting documents that you can use with the bank — contact support to request them.
Step 4: Follow through
If the bank agrees:
Connect them with Intertwined to formalize the financial arrangement
Plan a kickoff event or photo opportunity (banks love these for marketing)
Commit to a year-end report showing impact (we'll help you produce this)
Maintain the relationship through periodic updates
Reporting Back to the Bank
A year-end report is critical for keeping the bank engaged year over year. Reports typically include:
Number of students reached
Curriculum coverage
Engagement and completion metrics
Standout student stories (with appropriate privacy considerations)
Photos or testimonials (with appropriate permissions)
A thank-you and continued partnership invitation
Intertwined provides report templates and can help you generate the underlying data. The report is usually 4–8 pages and takes 2–3 hours of teacher time once a year.
Sponsorship Acknowledgment
The Intertwined platform supports optional sponsor acknowledgment — a "Sponsored by [Bank Name]" graphic visible to teachers, students, and parents whenever they access the platform. This is entirely optional, but most bank sponsors appreciate the visibility.
The acknowledgment is configurable: full sponsor branding, simple text mention, or no acknowledgment at all.
Multi-School and Multi-Year Sponsorships
Banks can sponsor:
A single classroom
A whole school
Multiple schools in a district
Multi-year commitments
Multi-year and multi-school sponsorships are often more attractive to banks because they generate sustained CRA credit and longer-term community presence.
Getting Help With CRA Outreach
Intertwined's team has supported many schools through bank sponsorship outreach. Resources we provide:
Pitch templates (editable, customizable for your school)
CRA fact sheets you can share with banks
Sample sponsorship agreements
Annual report templates
Direct support through the sponsorship conversation if needed
To request CRA outreach materials, contact support and reference "CRA bank sponsorship support."
Related articles:
10.2 Upgrading or Changing Your Plan
10.3 Subscription FAQs
12.1 Getting Help