The SIFMA Foundation’s annual Capitol Hill Challenge™, presented by the Charles Schwab Foundation, is an exciting national financial education competition for public middle and high schools that reaches every U.S. Congressional district.

Washington, DC, February 1, 2021 – SIFMA and the SIFMA Foundation today kicked off the 18th annual Capitol Hill Challenge (CHC), presented by the Charles Schwab Foundation. This national 14-week financial education competition pairs members of Congress with up to two public schools in every congressional district to teach middle and high school students about saving, investing, and civics. CHC’s remote platform enables schools, teachers and students to engage in an exciting educational program reinforcing financial literacy and civics, whether learning in school, remotely, or via a hybrid model.

CHC student teams manage a hypothetical $100,000 online portfolio of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, impact investments, and cash, and learn integral workplace skills such as collaboration and critical thinking. At the end of the competition, the top 10 performing teams win prizes and national recognition or a paid trip to Washington, D.C. (as permissible per health/safety guidelines), to engage directly with government, business, and education leaders. For the past eight consecutive years, schools in every congressional district representing every member of Congress have participated in the program.

“We’re pleased to kick-off the 2021 Capitol Hill Challenge, an important financial education competition that brings the capital markets into classrooms using SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game, especially in this time of virtual learning” said Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr., SIFMA President & CEO. “Our industry is committed to helping students learn the importance of saving and investing, while also providing them a solid foundation to achieve their future financial goals. Along with the SIFMA Foundation, we are proud to partner with Charles Schwab Foundation as the title sponsor of the Capitol Hill Challenge.”

“Many teens do not receive the financial education they need to successfully manage their money, and programs like the Capitol Hill Challenge can help advance middle and high school students’ understanding of personal finance and the capital markets,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, President, Charles Schwab Foundation. “Our commitment to this program and SIFMA Foundation stems from our belief in the power of financial education to enable people to achieve long-term financial success.”

The Capitol Hill Challenge features the SIFMA Foundation’s acclaimed Stock Market Game™, an online, curriculum-based financial education program that reaches 600,000 students annually – either virtually or in the classroom – and gives students a better understanding of fiscal policymaking, capital markets, and global economic trends. It is proven to advance students’ performance on math and economics tests and improves students’ and teachers’ personal financial behavior.

“SIFMA Foundation is proud to offer every member of Congress an extraordinary opportunity to help their local public schools access financial education and keep students excited and engaged in learning through the Capitol Hill Challenge,” said Melanie Mortimer, President of the SIFMA Foundation. “By investing in financial capability, we are investing in the success of our youth, our democracy and this nation.”

Since the Capitol Hill Challenge began in 2004, the program has coordinated more than 5,500 matches of U.S. Representatives and Senators with schools, reaching more than 133,000 students. Middle and high school students from all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia are participating in this year’s competition.
For more details and to view updates about this year’s program, visit the Capitol Hill Challenge website at www.stockmarketgame.org/capitol-hill-challenge.html

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About SIFMA Foundation’s Stock Market Game™

The Stock Market Game™ is an online simulation of the global capital markets that engages students grades 4-12 in the world of economics, investing, and personal finance and prepares them for financially independent lives. More than 600,000 students including 300,000 girls and 200,000 students of color take part annually, across all classroom and virtual learning environments, in all 50 states and around the globe. The Stock Market Game has reached nearly 20 million students since its inception and is proven to raise student standardized test scores in math and economics and positively impact teachers’ personal financial behavior. To learn more, please visit: www.stockmarketgame.org.

About the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education

The SIFMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of the financial markets for individuals of all backgrounds, with a focus on youth in underserved communities and students of color. Drawing on the support and expertise of the financial services industry, the SIFMA Foundation provides high-quality financial education programming that strengthens economic opportunity across communities and increases individuals’ access to the benefits of the global marketplace. Notable Foundation programs include The Stock Market Game™, the InvestWrite® national essay competition, the Capitol Hill Challenge™, and Invest It Forward®. For more information on the work of the SIFMA Foundation, visit www.sifma.org/foundation.

About SIFMA

SIFMA is the leading trade association for broker-dealers, investment banks and asset managers operating in the U.S. and global capital markets. On behalf of our industry’s nearly one million employees, we advocate on legislation, regulation and business policy, affecting retail and institutional investors, equity and fixed income markets and related products and services. We serve as an industry coordinating body to promote fair and orderly markets, informed regulatory compliance, and efficient market operations and resiliency. We also provide a forum for industry policy and professional development. SIFMA, with offices in New York and Washington, D.C., is the U.S. regional member of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA). For more information, visit http://www.sifma.org.

About Charles Schwab Foundation

Charles Schwab Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization funded by The Charles Schwab Corporation (Charles Schwab). Its mission is to create positive change through financial education, philanthropy, and volunteerism. More information is available at www.aboutschwab.com/community. The Charles Schwab Foundation is classified by the IRS as a charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is neither a part of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC) or its affiliates.

About Charles Schwab

Through its operating subsidiaries, The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) provides a full range of wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services to individual investors and independent investment advisors. Its broker-dealer subsidiaries and their affiliates offer a complete range of investment services and products including an extensive selection of mutual funds; financial planning and investment advice; retirement plan and equity compensation plan services; referrals to independent, fee-based investment advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent, fee-based investment advisors through Schwab Advisor Services. Its primary banking subsidiary, Charles Schwab Bank, SSB (member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender), provides banking and lending services and products. More information is available at www.aboutschwab.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

TD Ameritrade, Inc. and TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc., members FINRA/SIPC, are separate but affiliated companies and subsidiaries of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation. TD Ameritrade is a trademark jointly owned by TD Ameritrade IP Company, Inc. and The Toronto-Dominion Bank.