Building Legacies of Financial Health

We provide the tools and resources to help struggling families create generational wealth. By providing a means tested basic income and financial skills training targeted to those who would benefit most from it, we equip families with the tools to overcome the challenges they’re facing.

These funds and skills create not just financial security, but a family endowment providing long term economic stability and health to those who previously lacked it.

What We Do

Endowing People provides financial education and a basic income to at-risk families for 12 months, giving them the tools and resources they need to improve their financial and social outcomes for generations.
We’re also studying the benefits of basic income and who benefits most, in hopes of better targeting the limited funds that are available for projects of this type.
We have partnered with professors at Averett University to create a scientific study using demographic, psychological and financial factors that will help us determine where funds can make the greatest impact in the future.

Why Help is Needed

There are many people who make just enough money not to qualify for government aid, but too little to live on. We focus on helping those who are in this grey area, because we believe these are the people who stand to benefit most from Financial Literacy Training and a Guaranteed Basic Income.

People in this situation are faced with a terrible set of choices that financial knowledge and a bit of extra money could alleviate.
- – Families barely scraping by are forced to purchase cheaper goods that are much less durable and need to be replaced more often, in effect paying more over time than they would for higher quality goods.
- – They often find themselves on the losing side of bank fees and other “taxes” that middle class people don’t have to pay.
- – Lack of quality food and education puts struggling people at a competitive disadvantage.

There are problems that people face which no amount of money can fix. But there are also many families who are held back simply because they have never had a real financial education, or have never been able to get ahead of their bills for long enough to put money into emergency savings or investments. We want to help families like that develop financial security.

Currently we’re planning a pilot project in Danville, Virginia. Twenty families will take part in a study to measure the effects of pairing a basic income with financial literacy education. If things go well, we’ll expand to other cities in Virginia.

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The Training

Once a month, recipients of our grant must attend a financial skills seminar with other participants.

We cover topics such as how to handle debt, credit scores, the power of compound interest, wealth generation strategies, and practical subjects like parenting and goal setting.

Who Are We?

Endowing People was founded by Rev. David Baker. Pastor Dave is a Danville native, entrepreneur and investor. He has a B.A. from William and Mary and an M.div from Princeton Theological Seminary. Dave is currently the lead trainer for Endowing People.

The Board consists of other people local to Virginia, including:

Dr. Adrienne Brune, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Program Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Averett University.
Rev. Dr. Carl Utley, M.div, D.Min Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

How are we funded?

Empowering People is a public charity, funded by private donations. If you’re interested in helping local families gain lifetime financial security, you can donate online using this link.

Endowing People, Inc. is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. As such, donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. You can look us up online using our EIN: 873653532.