Butler University and Butler Athletics recently received a four-year grant from Robinhood Markets, Inc. to build upon existing student financial literacy offerings as a partner in the company’s Robinhood Money Drills program. The program aims to support fundamental financial education to help prepare student-athletes for a sound financial future before, during, and after their athletic career. The grant will expand Butler’s existing financial literacy programming for both student-athletes as well as the wider student population.

“We are extremely grateful to Robinhood Markets, Inc. for their generosity and partnership in preparing our student-athletes for a healthy financial future through the Robinhood Money Drills program,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Grant Leiendecker said. “This funding will enhance our efforts to provide holistic support for our student-athletes while also providing an incredible asset to the entire Butler student population.”

The Robinhood Money Drills program was created out of an awareness that without the help of financial literacy training, athletes have historically faced high rates of financial hardship after their competitive career is over. As some student-athletes are now earning income during college through NIL deals, the need for financial literacy training is even more urgent.

“At Robinhood, we believe that financial education is the foundation of long-term financial well-being, and we are proud to support Butler University in expanding their efforts to empower students through the Robinhood Money Drills program,” said Mary Elizabeth Taylor, Vice President of Global Government & External Affairs at Robinhood. “Student-athletes face unique financial challenges and opportunities, and this partnership underscores our commitment to equipping them—and the broader student community—with the tools they need to make informed decisions. With Butler, the Robinhood Money Drills program now reaches student-athletes at 10 schools nationwide, furthering our mission to foster financial empowerment across campuses.”

The grant funding will allow for the expansion of the Money Strong program, a campus-wide offering launched in fall 2024 by Associate Professor of Finance Bryan Foltice and Lacy School of Business Executive Career Mentor Randy Brown. The program was created by Foltice and Brown in response to a need both had encountered in their interactions with Butler students who frequently expressed reservations or uncertainty about managing their finances.

The existing Money Strong program begins with large group Money Talk sessions, which are open to all Butler students and cover topics such as building a personal financial plan and basic investing. Other components of the program include guidance and support for managing student loans, a student-led personal finance club, which already has around 100 members, and personal one-on-one support from Butler faculty, staff, or alumni who have some area of expertise in the field of personal finance.

Funding from Robinhood Markets, Inc. will provide for the expansion of a popular 3 credit hour Personal Finance course for students of any major, which currently reaches capacity each semester. The course will add an in-person section each semester and an online offering in the summer, growing the overall course offering from two sections to five each year. The goal of the increased capacity is to allow more students to access the highly relevant course content while providing more flexible year-round options for student-athletes whose schedules are often constricted by their athletic commitments.

The funding will also support the creation of a new one credit hour Financial Wellness course open to all Butler students that will satisfy the University’s Well-being core curriculum requirement. The course will be offered three times per year, in person in the fall and spring semesters and online in the summer. Existing content from the non-credit-bearing Money Talks sessions will be shifted into the credit-bearing course. 

“Our goal in creating the Money Strong program was to equip Butler students with more knowledge about personal finances, leading to less stress as they get ready to begin their careers,” Foltice says. “The sooner we can help students feel comfortable talking about money and thinking about how their financial decisions might affect their lives down the road, the better prepared they will be to make sound decisions for the future. We are grateful to Robinhood Markets, Inc. for their partnership in expanding the reach of this program to help more Butler students.”