San Diego Financial Literacy Center

What San Diego Financial Literacy Center does

San Diego Financial Literacy Center (SDFLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Escondido, California, with additional offices in National City. The organization delivers free financial literacy education to San Diego County residents through three core programs: Boost For Our Heroes (serving military members, veterans, and their families), Smart With Your Money (community seminars and Financial Opportunity Clinics with pro-bono financial planners), and Wave of the Future (financial education for high school and college students). Service delivery is event-driven and partnership-based, with sessions held at county Live Well Centers, military installations, colleges (UC San Diego, Mesa College, Palomar College, Southwestern College), and community organizations.

SDFLC supplements its core programs with media properties including the Life is Life Podcast, the Smart With Your Money LIVE virtual webinar series, blog content, and the Bite of Reality interactive financial simulation app. The organization has documented reach of 2,326 constituents in a single month and 2,200+ San Diegans during Financial Literacy Month 2017, though no recent scale metrics are available. The technology stack is not material — SDFLC is fundamentally a human-delivered service organization with no proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, or data products disclosed.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded: 100% of programs are free to end users, and operating revenue derives from tax-deductible donations, foundation grants (e.g., SDG&E's Inspiring Future Leaders grant), corporate sponsorships, and pro-bono professional services contributed by partner financial planners. Key institutional partners include the County of San Diego (Live Well), Foundation for Financial Planning, State Farm, FPA, 2-1-1 San Diego SDUnited, and the VA San Diego Healthcare System. The organization operates with 1-10 staff plus a volunteer network under the leadership of Co-Founder and Managing Director Brad Pagano.

Name

San Diego Financial Literacy Center

Legal name

San Diego Financial Literacy Center

Website

https://sdflc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

San Diego Financial Literacy Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free financial literacy education to San Diego County residents through workshops, clinics, and digital content targeting military families, students, and the general community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Financial Literacy Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial & Consumer Literacy (Banking, Credit, Contracts) (EDAAAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personal Finance & Financial Literacy for Students (EDAMAIAH), Credit & Debt Management (Credit Scores, Loans, Repayment) (EDAAAJAC)

Keywords

• Financial literacy education
• Nonprofit community programs
• Military financial assistance
• Youth financial education
• Financial wellness workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: SDFLC operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The organization accepts 100% tax-deductible donations and receives funding through grants from foundations and corporate partners to support its free community programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

San Diego Financial Literacy Center provides free financial literacy education and counseling services to San Diego County residents through three core programs: Boost For Our Heroes (military members, veterans, and families), Smart With Your Money (community seminars and Financial Opportunity Clinics), and Wave of the Future (high school and college students). Programs are delivered via in-person workshops, virtual presentations, one-on-one budget analysis, podcasts, and interactive simulations, all at no cost to constituents.

Product overview

The San Diego Financial Literacy Center provides free financial services through a portfolio of educational programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings consist of three main programs: Boost For Our Heroes (military-focused financial assistance), Smart With Your Money (S.W.Y.M., community seminars), and Wave Of The Future (youth financial education). These are supplemented by media content including the Life is Life Podcast and Smart With Your Money LIVE virtual events, one-on-one budget analysis sessions, and interactive tools like Bite of Reality. The organization operates as a nonprofit providing direct educational services, workshops, and resources to San Diego County residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Boost For Our Heroes: Financial assistance and education program benefiting military members, veterans, and their families
• Smart With Your Money
• Wave of the Future
• Life is Life Podcast
• LifeCents

Products and services

• Boost For Our Heroes Financial assistance and education program for military members, veterans, and their families, providing workshops, outreach efforts, and one-on-one consultations to help those experiencing financial hardship become financially stable.
• Smart With Your Money (S.W.Y.M) Complimentary financial literacy seminars delivered to individuals, families, and organizations throughout San Diego County, including Financial Opportunity Clinics staffed by pro-bono financial planners.
• Wave of the Future Educational program teaching high school and college students about financial topics including avoiding debt, using credit properly, budgeting, credit reports and scores, and student loan repayment.
• Life is Life Podcast Podcast series (also branded Talk Wealth to Me) covering personal finance topics and financial literacy education for the San Diego community.
• Smart With Your Money LIVE Live personal finance series presented via Zoom and social media where SDFLC team members and expert volunteers present topics and answer questions in real time.
• S.W.Y.M One-On-One One-on-one budget analysis sessions and virtual presentations for groups, available by appointment with Foundation for Financial Planning support.
• LifeCents Financial resource tool or platform available to constituents for managing personal finances.
• Bite of Reality Interactive financial simulation in which students download an app and receive a random profile (occupation, salary, family, debt) to learn about real-life expenses through hands-on budgeting decisions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,326 constituents served in a single month through 25 events
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Wealth Consulting GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2017Professional partner providing support at Financial Opportunity Clinics.
• SDG&EcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDG&E provides grant funding through their Inspiring Future Leaders grant to support the Wave of the Future program, enabling financial literacy presentations at high schools including San Marcos High School.
• Foundation for Financial PlanningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresents Smart With Your Money Financial Opportunity Clinics providing pro-bono financial planning services to San Diego residents. Multiple clinics held at Live Well Centers.
• State FarmsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides support for Financial Opportunity Clinics, contributing to community outreach efforts.
• 2-1-1 San Diego SDUnited NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSDFLC is a vetted service provider in the SDUnited network for veterans, allowing collaboration with other organizations to provide comprehensive support services to military members and their families.
• FPA (Financial Planning Association)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional organization whose members provide pro-bono financial planning services at Financial Opportunity Clinics.
• County of San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDFLC is a Live Well partner with San Diego County, hosting events at Live Well Centers throughout the region including North Inland, East County, and South Region locations.
• UC San Diego Financial Aid and Scholarship OfficesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Wave of the Future program presentations including budgeting, credit reports and scores, and student loan repayment options.
• San Diego Mesa CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for Financial Literacy Speaker Series, ClassiCon conference participation, and Financial Opportunity Clinics. Multiple presentations throughout the year.
• VA San Diego Healthcare SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDFLC serves as the financial education resource at annual VA Cancer Survivorship, Prevention & Education event (fifth year partnership).
• STAR/PALsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partnership for expanding reach in San Diego.
• San Diego Food BanksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for collaborative community outreach events.
• San Diego Military Family Collaborative (SDMFC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual conference participation for military family support coordination.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GreenPath Financial Wellness: Nonprofit HUD-approved credit counseling and financial wellness agency offering counseling, debt management plans and financial education—overlapping SDFLC's credit, debt and budgeting curriculum but at national scale.
• Foundation for Financial Planning: National nonprofit that mobilizes pro-bono financial planners through Financial Opportunity Clinics—the exact clinic model SDFLC runs with Foundation for Financial Planning support; a current program partner and the closest mission-aligned peer.
• Money Management International: One of the largest U.S. nonprofit credit counseling agencies, providing debt management plans, housing counseling and financial education; a direct functional peer to SDFLC's credit/debt counseling and literacy services.
• FoolProof Foundation: Nonprofit dedicated to consumer and youth financial literacy through free curricula, workshops and educator resources; very similar mission and delivery model to SDFLC's Wave of the Future and SWYM programs.
• InCharge Debt Solutions: 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing credit counseling, debt management and financial education to consumers and military families; closely mirrors SDFLC's credit-counseling and Boost For Our Heroes offerings at national scale.
• Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF): Nonprofit providing free personal finance curricula, lesson plans and grants to high school teachers; a strong match to SDFLC's Wave of the Future youth programming and student-loan workshops at UC San Diego and area colleges.

Broad incumbents

• National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC): National membership association for nonprofit credit counseling agencies; sets standards and certification for the same credit-counseling category SDFLC operates in and influences how member agencies can compete for referrals.
• Ramsey Solutions (Financial Peace): Large commercial financial education brand offering Financial Peace University courses, books and digital content; addresses the same consumer financial literacy demand as SDFLC but via paid curricula reaching a national audience.
• Junior Achievement USA: Large, well-established nonprofit delivering K–12 financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs; operates the closest nationally scaled analog to SDFLC's youth-focused Wave of the Future with classroom-based delivery.

Others

• FDIC Money Smart: Federal financial education program providing free curricula and instructor resources used by many community financial literacy providers; an enabling, thematically-adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor for end users.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SDFLC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-al_6e_ngIFjdqW6jKIxsw
• Facebookfacebook.com/sdflc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-diego-financial-literacy-center
• Pinterestpinterest.com/sdflc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Diego Financial Literacy Center