With a recent $150,000 grant from the PNC Foundation, Wealth Watchers Inc. is teaming up with the bank to provide financial educational workshops for low-to-moderate income (LMI) residents and minority, small business owners in the region.

Together, they are working to build viable communities by expanding the financial knowledge of LMI individuals for the purpose of understanding the importance of basic finance and accumulation of wealth.

“PNC is committed to driving real change in areas in which we can make the greatest impact, and we believe that Wealth Watchers financial courses will have a positive and significant impact on the residents of Jacksonville,” said Chris Kalin, PNC regional president for North Florida. "This grant reflects PNC’s work to provide viable solutions for future entrepreneurs, and a path toward creating sustained wealth within LMI communities, while reflecting our efforts to move all of Jacksonville forward financially.”

The robust, in-person and virtual financial education series will be offered in English and Spanish and include courses on personal finance, small business, home ownership, homebuyer education, pre- purchase housing counseling, foreclosure, and eviction prevention. Other solution services offered will include a landlord and tenants-rights workshop for renters and foreclosure prevention counseling for homeowners who are experiencing a financial hardship.

This funding is part of PNC’s nationwide $88 billion Community Benefits Plan, which is inclusive of a previously announced commitment of more than $1 billion to support the economic empowerment of Black and LMI communities.

“Our ultimate goal is to build wealth for future generations and together with PNC, we can ensure that Blacks and Hispanics in Jacksonville have the tools needed to develop and increase their wealth,” said Carrie Davis, president and CEO of Wealth Watchers. “We know and understand the importance of securing and maintaining financial stability in LMI communities, and this substantial grant will help us to provide the necessary counseling that will take some of these disadvantaged neighborhoods to a better socio-economic level, destined for wealth for generations to come.”