Indigenous Financial Literacy

Culture can impact our values about money, our traditions around money, our attitude about money, our ideas about who makes financial decisions, and our trust of financial institutions. When creating financial literacy resources and programming, culture is an important factor to keep in mind.

The following culturally relevant financial literacy resources were developed by Indigenous people for Indigenous people:

First Nations Financial Fitness is a made-in-BC website, developed by the Indigenous Financial Literacy Committee in BC. Much of the website is based on information from the First Nations Financial Fitness Handbook developed by the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of BC.

Financial Health and Wealth, from the Native Women’s Association of Canada, recognizes that the financial wellness of all Indigenous peoples is essential to achieving an independent and healthy life. This toolkit is intended for all Indigenous peoples.

It’s All About the Money is a student workbook from a financial literacy pilot project developed by the Native Women’s Association of Canada. It covers personal relationship to money, credit, managing money, savings and investment, application of learning, and reflection. Interesting ideas for interactive learning activities are included.

The Game Plan is a graphic novel from Indigenous Story Studio that tells the story of Jake who runs into financial problems when he uses a payday loan to pay off his credit card. He learns about budgets, interest, fees and penalties.

Managing your money: Tools and tips to help you meet your goals is a series of seven worksheets from Prosper Canada to help Indigenous individuals and families to set and work towards money goals. Each financial topic and activity is paired with a teaching from the animal world that draws on their skills, strengths and experiences in managing resources. These worksheets are designed to facilitate one-on-one conversations or to be used in financial education workshops.

Related Blog Posts

Welcome to our Homelands

Designed for newcomers, Welcome to our Homelands is a brief video introduction to Indigenous peoples in Canada and a glimpse of Indigenous history. Produced by ISS of BC, this video …

New Blended Learning Guide

Want to combine in-person and online instruction for adult literacy students? You’ll want to browse this new guide. The What, Why, Who, and How of Blended Learning for Adult Basic …

Trauma-Informed Literacy Instruction

Trauma-informed practice can be a confusing and overwhelming term. Learn more about this important practice.