CFED Announces Launch of the New JoinBankOn.org

kristyCommunity Development Solutions

CFED, National Partners Announce New Bank On Website
First-Ever Local Unbanked Population Data Tool Released

JoinBankOn.orgCFED, with support from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and in partnership with the San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment, the National League of Cities and the New America Foundation, has launched a new-and-improved Bank On website, which we invite you to visit at JoinBankOn.org.

This digital resource, redesigned based on intensive input from users across the country, is the new online home for the national community of Bank On initiatives and individuals and organizations working to promote financial access for low- and moderate-income Americans.

JoinBankOn.org was originally developed by the Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco to widely share the lessons learned from the innovative Bank On San Francisco initiative launched in 2006. According to San Francisco Treasurer José Cisneros, the new site “is the online home of the nationwide movement to ensure everyone has access to the financial mainstream. It provides communities with easy access to information and resources for starting or enhancing local Bank On programs.”

Local Unbanked and Underbanked Data

One of the newest features of JoinBankOn.org is Research Your Community, a tool to get estimates and maps of the number of unbanked and underbanked households in your local community. This new tool allows you to:

Download estimates of unbanked and underbanked households at the state, county, city, MSA and census tract levels.
Download supplementary demographic data on at-risk populations in your community.
Print a customized report on the financially underserved members of your community.

Additional Features of JoinBankOn.org

A directory of Bank On programs across the country. Find a Bank On program in your community, learn about their initiative and connect to the program administrators all at JoinBankOn.org.
Downloadable resources where users can find and share materials useful at every stage in the development of a Bank On program.
Guides to help users start a program, including step-by-step instructions and recommendations for how to bring Bank On to your area.
News & Events, highlighting what’s going on around the country in financial access and economic inclusion.
Discussion forums where members can ask questions, share best practices and learn more about promoting financial access in their communities.

Sign Up to Stay Informed or Become a JoinBankOn.org Member

To stay informed on the latest news in the Bank On community and the larger financial access field, sign up to receive email updates. Or become a JoinBankOn.org member to participate in discussion forums and upload resources and news and events. Registration for JoinBankOn.org is free and simple. Click here to become a JoinBankOn.org member.

We cannot express how thrilled we are to be able to provide this new-and-improved online resource and we hope you will find it to be an attractive, helpful, easy-to-use space to share and find information in your efforts to promote financial access. Should you encounter any questions or wish to provide feedback, please do not hesitate to send an email to [email protected].