Operation HOPE and the New York Stock Exchange Partner to Empower Youth Entrepreneurs

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Financial inclusion nonprofit Operation HOPE, Inc. (HOPE) and premier equities house New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) today announced a trailblazing partnership, which includes funding for two HOPE Business In A Box Academies through the NYSE Foundation, and a public funding opportunity for student participants. "Taking Every Kid Public" enables the average citizen, company, or foundation to invest between $50 and $500 into a student's business idea, through the HOPE crowdsourcing website in partnership with NYSE.

In partnership with the NYSE, the HOPE Business In A Box Crowdsourcing website will serve as the conduit that will encourage Americans to invest in America's youth. Students who participate in the HOPE Business In A Box Academies program post their business plans on the site and can use the crowdsourcing platform to raise funding on their own. "We are honored to partner with the New York Stock Exchange and have the support of the NYSE Foundation to fund two HOPE Business In A Box Academies, said John Hope Bryant founder, chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE. " "Taking Every Kid Public" will take Wall Street to Main Street and build support for America's youth from the local streets of Manhattan and into the national hearts and minds of American citizens. Empowering youth with a vision and the desire to succeed will help renew the American economy. By teaching youth the 'language of money', together HOPE and NYSE will help them succeed and grow."

"We're proud to have the NYSE Foundation supporting the HOPE Business In A Box Crowdsourcing initiative," said Duncan Niederauer, CEO of the New York Stock Exchange.  "By underwriting two HOPE Business In A Box Academy public schools in New York City, we're playing a small part in helping give kids in our city a new sense of hope."

The NYSE Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1983.  The NYSE is recognized as one of the world's premier equities exchanges and the global leader in IPOs for 2013 with 84% of the Fortune 500 listed on the NYSE.  As a key part of taking companies public, both throughout the United States and around the world, the NYSE plays an important role in the capital raising process that helps create lasting jobs and pursue new business opportunities for publicly traded companies.

To ensure its success, HOPE national pro-bono partner BBDO has committed to developing and driving a media campaign, "Taking Every Kid Public."  By encouraging print, radio, television, campaign, billboard, digital and other media asset owners to donate remnant space, HOPE increases opportunities for public involvement and the success of participating underserved students.

"Taking Every Kid Public" is a part of Project 5117, HOPE's multi-year campaign to continue the unfinished work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by bringing economic equality to the underserved. The youth initiative will be measured on a national and local level through the Gallup-HOPE Index. GHI is a 100-year commitment between HOPE and Gallup to measure the economic energy of America's school-aged youth.  

About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Since its inception in 1992, HOPE, a global nonprofit focused on financial dignity, has empowered more than 2 million individuals and directed more than $1.5 billion in private capital to America's low-wealth communities. It has recruited a growing army of 20,000 HOPE Corps volunteers, and helped raise average credit scores for financial case management clients more than 120 points over an average 18-month period. It currently serves more than 300 U.S. cities, as well as South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and most recently, the United Arab Emirates. HOPE's next phase will be focused on Project 5117, a multi-year initiative that will track and increase business role models for youth, boost credit scores for adults, and empower underserved communities, as a part of its "silver rights" mission to make free enterprise work for everyone.

SOURCE Operation HOPE