Voya Foundation

Voya Foundation makes a meaningful difference in the community by investing in a focused and impactful way. We support programs with well-defined metrics and measurable outcomes that work toward the same goal — to help create financially resilient youth.

Voya Foundation grants are focused on Financial Resilience. We work to ensure that youth are equipped with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) expertise and financial knowledge necessary to compete in the 21st century workforce, make smart financial decisions that lead to a secure retirement, and are equipped with healthy stress management and decision-making skills that prepare them to navigate the ups and downs associated with their journeys through adulthood.

We accomplish this by partnering with organizations that:

1. Provide innovative and experiential K–8 STEM learning opportunities to promote an early interest in STEM career fields, and improve teachers’ capabilities in STEM; or
2. Provide financial education curriculum to grade 9–12 students focused on navigating major financial milestones including student debt, credit, home ownership, financial products and services/financial capability, and family needs; or
3. Provide invaluable research around the intersection of mental health and financial wellness, and programming to support mental health and financial wellness on campuses or other in-person or virtual areas where young adults congregate.
    

Voya Foundation also provides higher education scholarships for students of achievement as part of our Voya Scholars program and scholarships to individuals pursuing careers in mental health including health care and administration, social work and related fields.

In addition, Voya Foundation provides funding to a select group of partnerships to promote employee engagement and disaster relief. Voya Foundation is not currently soliciting new collaborations in employee engagement or disaster relief.

Due to the volume of inquiries received, Voya Foundation is unable to hold preliminary conversations with potential partners. Additionally, applications are accepted on an invitation-only basis. If you believe your organization’s program focus aligns with our giving priorities, please send information through the Voya Foundation Contact Form and our staff will be in contact if we would like to fund your proposal or more closely tailor it to meet the needs of our communities.

Voya Foundation will never solicit funds or collect personally identifiable information for the purposes of soliciting funds. Please contact us through the Voya Foundation Contact Form if you are solicited to contribute money or asked to provide personally identifiable information to Voya Foundation.

At Voya Foundation, we help youth prepare for the changing talent and skill needs of the employment landscape. Readiness for the 21st century workforce makes individuals better able to face challenges in finding and/or keeping employment and may help lead to a stable income over a lifetime as a means to financial resilience.

Our children’s education focus is guided by research and experience. We believe that the most impactful programs that help prepare youth for the 21st century workforce start early and provide participants with hands-on, experiential STEM learning opportunities. For that reason, we support high-quality, experiential STEM learning opportunities for children in grades K–8.

Programs are evaluated based on improvements in covered STEM concepts and increased interest in STEM careers generated over the course of the program.

Additionally, Voya Foundation’s research has shown that another key indicator of the effectiveness of STEM education lies in the experience and credentials of STEM teachers themselves. For that reason, as part of our focus on assisting teachers across the U.S., we also support organizations providing STEM training and education opportunities to current or aspiring K–12 teachers.
 

At Voya Foundation, we believe that empowering young people to better understand and take control of their finances is an essential step toward achieving financial resilience.

Our financial literacy focus is guided by research and experience. We believe that the most impactful financial literacy programs teach youth how to navigate life’s financial milestones and occur right as participants are on the cusp of achieving financial independence. For that reason, we support organizations that provide financial literacy curriculum to students in high school (grades 9–12). Programs must cover several or all of the important financial milestones listed below:

• Student debt
• Credit
• Home ownership
• Investing and understanding of financial products and services (financial capability)
• Family financial planning

Success of our financial literacy partnerships is measured by improvements in knowledge of the above topics as well as participants’ increased interest in careers in business, finance and financial services.

The cornerstones of our financial literacy programming and the biggest measures of our success are the impacts of our two signature partnerships in financial literacy: Junior Achievement and the National Personal Finance Challenge.

Acknowledging the connection between one’s financial journey and their emotions, stress and decision-making, Voya Foundation partners with organizations working to better understand this relationship and support young adults as they navigate the early and often unstable stages of financial independence. Centered on a three-pronged approach that equips young adults with the tools to manage career, family and health stressors that may impact their financial wellness journey, Voya Foundation focuses on:

• Scholarships for aspiring mental health practitioners

  Demonstrating Voya’s long-established support of education, this program provides scholarships for aspiring mental health practitioners, researchers, innovators and/or health care administrators. The scholarships are intended to expand access to mental health and education for everyone and increase the diversity of the mental health workforce, ushering in new perspectives and experiences to enhance the field.

• Mental health research

  To help combat the stigma surrounding mental illness and inform the development of financial resources for young adults, Voya collaborates with experts and thought leaders to explore how mental health issues impact financial resilience and a sound financial future, and how greater financial literacy can help prevent mental stressors.

  Voya aims to use this research to identify and help close access barriers for mental health services for young adults. This research explores the ways in which the financial services industry can support mental health throughout the financial planning process.

• Mental health programming for young adults

  Voya partners with institutions of higher education and nonprofits operating in virtual and in-person spaces where young adults congregate, to provide academic and professional resources and tools to navigate the ups and downs of their journey to financial resilience.