Wealth Builds

Wealth Builds is an audacious initiative of Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) that aims to end intergenerational poverty and close the wealth gap by empowering young people and families with the education, assets, and resources to build successful financial futures. Launched in 2021, Wealth Builds provides direct investments and wealth-building assets — including seeded College Savings Accounts, Youth Opportunity Funds, and scholarships — while connecting scholars to financial literacy classes, career exposure opportunities, entrepreneurship seminars, internships, and holistic cradle-to-career services. Together, these supports help young people build the knowledge, skills, and financial foundation needed to pursue higher education, careers, homeownership, entrepreneurship, and long-term economic mobility.

Wealth Builds-Universal Economic Mobility (WB-UEM) is a scalable, national framework that combines cradle‑to‑career supports, financial education, and direct access to capital to ensure every child — regardless of zip code — has sustained access to the skills, resources, and full ecosystem of supports required to achieve long‑term economic mobility.

A Child Capital Stack of Asset Boosts is a child portfolio of assets seeded with capital to catalyze wealth generation. This can include, but is not limited to: Baby Bonds, College Savings/529 Accounts, Trump/530A Accounts, Youth Opportunity Funds, college scholarships, and direct cash transfers.

A Child Capital Stack may consist of any combination of the following asset boosts:

• Baby Bonds – Publicly funded trust accounts designed to provide children with an early financial asset that grows over time.
• 529 Accounts – Often referred to as a “College Savings Account,” this investment account helps young people kickstart their college savings and reduce debt.
• 530A Accounts – Often referred to as a “Trump Account,” this is a tax-advantaged IRA designed specifically for young people.
• Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) – An investment fund with an initial $10,000 allocated by HCZ to scholars that has the potential to grow over time. When they reach age 25 — and upon completion of key milestones — scholars can access their YOF investment for activities that generate wealth, including buying a home, paying for continuing educational expenses, starting a business, and funding retirement.
• College Scholarships – Financial awards young people can earn from colleges and universities, federal and state governments, employers, and private foundations to help pay for college tuition and expenses. HCZ scholars have the opportunity to earn college scholarships directly from HCZ.
• Direct Cash Transfers – Funds provided to children and families such as stipends, child tax credits, and cash assistance programs that put cash directly into the hands of children and their families.