Financial Literacy

Financial Literacy: The understanding and management of Personal Finance is paramount to acquiring self-sufficiency.  The Word of God states “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. Hosea 4:6  Even if one does not ascribe to the teachings of the Bible, all you have to do is look around to see the truth in this statement.  Poverty levels among Baltimore residents are not decreasing.  In fact, it is not uncommon to see generational poverty, e.g. multiple generations of families dependent upon temporary cash assistance (TCA) from the Department of Social Services.  Although most of the old public housing has been razed in Baltimore City, the poverty it perpetuated still exist. Household filled with negative reminders about lack and limited resources or criticisms of the wealthy, will perpetuate a next generation that will do the same. These learned responses are embedded in the brain and repeat themselves like an old, broken record; a constant reminder of limitations.  Impact Baltimore’s vision is to erase this ingrained internal "knowledge' that tells people that they can never succeed and are doomed to failure - no matter how hard they try through education in seminars, conferences, and workshops.  These free workshops open to the public will start from elementary school through adulthood.

Entrepreneurship

While a single, small business may not generate as much money as a large corporation, it is a critical component of and major contributor to the strength of local economies and local communities. The vision of the EDC is to bring together these small business owners in a Networking Consortium. We will bring together entrepreneurs who are hungry for knowledge, to network, get educated, and work with each other to build their businesses. New and existing businesses will be given assistance with technical, financial and marketing issues free of charge. They can receive assistance with Feasibility Studies, Demographic Studies, Strategic Planning, Business Structuring, Needs Assessments, Business Valuations, Market Analysis/ Research/ Planning Business Plan Development, Loan Package Assistance, Certification Process and Procurement,