St. Louis Builds Credit

St. Louis Builds Credit

St. Louis Builds Credit (STLBC) is a citywide alliance that seeks to use credit building as a lever to open doors for St. Louisans to achieve a prime credit score, build savings, and promote financial wellness. We believe that credit building can be a tool for tackling income inequality and decreasing the racial wealth gap. Our vision is that credit can be a force to bring about financial justice and economic dignity for every St. Louisan.

As a leader of the St. Louis Builds Credit Alliance, we are building a network of community partners that can connect clients to any financial product or service they need to succeed in their financial goals at any stage in life.

how can you PARTNER with us

We partner with organizations to provide personal finance classes and credit fairs to their clients, customers, and/or employees. Our classes provide general financial knowledge to help folks foster a strong financial foundation, build savings, and reach their financial goals. 

During our credit fairs, we provide short, one-time, in-person appointments where folks can receive a copy of their credit report and FICO score, as well as personalized action steps for improving their credit. Here are some examples of how we’ve partnered with organizations.

St. Joseph Housing Initiative (SJHI)

SJHI partnered with us to develop personal finance curricula with a focus on buying and owning a home. During this 5-week class series called Homeowner Readiness Academy, participants cover the following topics: 

  • Building Your Money Map: Budgeting Like a Pro, with a focus on building in new savings categories for home maintenance and repairs 
  • What the Heck is Credit?, where folks will learn how their credit impacts the home buying process plus access their own credit reports 
  • Credit Cards: From Mystery to Mastery, with a focus on maximizing credit cards to build credit but avoid impulse spending 
  • Home Buying Basics, where folks learn about down payment assistance programs and what it takes to get approved for a loan (facilitated by our mortgage lending partners)
  • Protecting Your Investment, focusing on home maintenance and being a good neighbor (a SJHI class)

Upon completion of all 5 classes, participants are entered into a drawing for a Lowes gift card to help pay for improvements to their new home. Class series are offered 4 times a year, with 2 of the cohorts in Spanish. Many of the participants go on to purchase rehabbed homes in the Dutchtown and Carondelet neighborhoods in South St. Louis. 

First Bank

First Bank partnered with us to host personal finance classes at their new branch in the Tabernacle Community Development Corporation’s HUB in North St. Louis to provide financial education and get folks banked. During this 4-week series, participants cover the following topics: 

  • Building Your Money Map: Budgeting Like a Pro
  • What the Heck is Credit?
  • Credit Cards: From Mystery to Mastery

In the final week, we provide a credit fair, where participants have the opportunity to obtain a copy of their credit report and FICO score, along with an action plan with personalized tips on how to build their credit. Participants who complete all four weeks receive $100 in their new First Bank account. We plan to provide these class series in partnership 4 times a year.

Want to host a class or credit fair? Interested in partnering with us? Fill out our form and we’ll get in touch!

Our STLBC Alliance members offer a variety of specialized services to support the St. Louis area. Find out what each organization can do for you!

Our Alliance members

St. Louis Builds Credit is possible thanks to these magnificent partners: