Harlem Children's Zone Acquires FinTech Platform, Goalsetter, to Accelerate Universal Economic Mobility

Acquisition combines HCZ's proven model with Goalsetter's innovative financial education technology to expand access and impact at scale

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ), one of the nation's leading anti-poverty organizations, announced the acquisition of Goalsetter, a financial technology platform that delivers best-in-class, engaging, technology-enabled learning experiences for people seeking to enhance their financial know-how, capabilities, and confidence.   

The acquisition marks a significant step in HCZ's Wealth Builds–Universal Economic Mobility (WB-UEM) strategy, a national framework designed to help children and families build long-term economic security through cradle-to-career supports, financial education and experiences, and direct access to capital via a Child Capital Stack of asset boosts.

"We know that economic mobility is a two-generation challenge," says Harlem Children's Zone CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse. "With this acquisition, we are solving for a critical component of Universal Economic Mobility by melding a proven financial education platform and HCZ's decades of experience providing people with the knowledge and tools to build strong futures for themselves and their families. This is more than an investment in financial education. It is an investment in critical national infrastructure for economic mobility."

Harlem Children's Zone has decades of experience driving outcomes at scale, beginning as a one-block pilot, expanding to over 100 blocks in Central Harlem, and now working with over 70 communities across the United States. HCZ seeks to use its learnings, decades of experience driving outcomes at scale, and renowned best practices to provide pathways to economic mobility for all of America's children and families.

"Goalsetter was built on the belief that everyone should have access to the financial knowledge and tools that can shape their future and livelihood," said Tanya Van Court, Chief FinTech Officer at Harlem Children's Zone and Founder of Goalsetter. "Joining Harlem Children's Zone gives us an extraordinary opportunity to build on that work. Together, we can continue enhancing the platform, expand access for learners of all ages and walks of life, and demonstrate what is possible when mission, innovation, and technology come together to serve the most people."

Goalsetter creates opportunities to deliver high-quality, developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant financial education with extensive reach,  including to low-income and rural communities that have historically had limited access to these resources. Its current offerings include Goalsetter Classroom, which provides standards-aligned financial education curriculum for middle and high school students, and MoneyLingo, a mobile-first financial education experience for college-aged students and adults in the workforce, covering practical topics such as saving, investing, credit, debt, and financial decision-making.                                                         

"This acquisition sends an important signal to the field," said Owusu-Kesse. "Social impact organizations should not have to choose between mission and scale. By bringing a proven technology platform into HCZ, we're demonstrating how non-profit organizations can be centers of business excellence, using vehicles of innovation, AI, and technology to create efficient and effective pathways to scale and impact. This acquisition strengthens our in-house capacity to build, innovate, and continuously improve outcomes."

The organization plans to build upon Goalsetter's existing offerings by exploring financial education products for younger learners and creating opportunities to establish a continuous financial learning journey from early childhood through adulthood.

"This is ultimately about extending opportunity to all," added Owusu-Kesse. "By connecting financial education, technology, family engagement, and access to assets, we can help create more accessible pathways to economic mobility."

Services to current Goalsetter clients will be unaffected by this acquisition.

SOURCE Harlem Children's Zone