Junior Achievement and Chime Partner to Empower Students with Financial and Career-Connected Skills for a Growing Digital Economy

Partnership will Provide Students with Real-World Experience Managing Money and Building Career Readiness, Financial Progress

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Junior Achievement USA (JA USA) today announced a strategic partnership with leading financial technology company Chime to empower students with critical financial and career readiness skills. The partnership will support the evolution of JA Finance Park^® –  a hands-on educational experience designed to help middle and high school students confidently manage money – with rollouts set to officially begin this year in San Francisco, Minneapolis, Denver and Peoria. Through this partnership, JA USA and Chime will create a dedicated space in JA Finance Parks where students build financial skills through interactive activities, with AI used as a tool to help them explore and better understand emerging technologies.

As the modern economy and future of work continue to evolve rapidly with the rise of AI, the need for foundational financial and work-ready skills has never been greater. The World Economic Forum projects that 65% of current students will work in jobs that do not yet exist, making personal finance skills vital for economic mobility and progress. This partnership bridges that gap by ensuring young people are equipped to navigate a complex, digital-first economy.

As Junior Achievement evolves JA Finance Park, the experience is being redesigned to mirror the complexity of this modern economy. The program uses technology to help students engage with real-world scenarios – empowering them to explore career paths, understand financial tradeoffs, and see how today's decisions shape long-term opportunity and confidence.

"Technologies such as AI are reshaping the future of work, and now is the time to be proactive in preparing students for what's next," said Jack Harris, CEO of Junior Achievement USA. "By partnering with Chime, we are using experience-based, career-connected learning to help students thrive, ensuring they receive the firm grounding in financial concepts needed to achieve economic mobility."

"Chime is committed to helping everyday people unlock financial progress, and that starts with providing students with the resources and experience they need to build long-term financial wellness," said Sara El-Amine, Vice President of Community at Chime. "Our partnership with Junior Achievement USA will equip young people with tools that prepare them to make informed financial decisions for today and the future."

This partnership comes during April's Financial Literacy Month, a moment to highlight the importance of financial progress for everyday Americans. It also builds on Junior Achievement's new strategy "Education for What's Next," which focuses on preparing Generation Z and Gen Alpha with the durable skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing economy. The partnership with Chime advances Junior Achievement's mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy, bringing together innovative curriculum and proven experiential education to expand opportunity for the next generation and help build lifelong financial progress early.

About Junior Achievement USA
Junior Achievement is education for what's next. As a strategic partner working in collaboration with educators, employers, investors, leaders, and the communities they serve, we are dedicated to helping students achieve academically today and economically tomorrow. As a leader in experiential learning operating on a national scale with over a century of experience, we are driving toward lasting change. This means ensuring a generation of students has the transferable skills and competencies needed to navigate a rapidly changing world. By delivering career-connected learning, we are invested in accelerating economic mobility through education. By helping students become confident, capable, and connected today, we can ensure they have access to opportunity-filled futures tomorrow. Junior Achievement reaches more than 4.8 million students annually across nearly 100 U.S. markets, and is part of JA Worldwide, which serves over 19.9 million students in more than 100 countries. Learn more at www.ja.org.  

About Chime       
Chime (Nasdaq: CHYM) is a financial technology company founded on the premise that core banking services should be helpful, easy, and free. We offer a broad range of low-cost banking and payments products that address the most critical financial needs of everyday people. Our member-aligned business model has helped millions of people to unlock financial progress™. Member deposits are FDIC-insured through The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC, up to applicable limits*.

SOURCE Junior Achievement USA