Operation HOPE Partners with Robinhood to Expand 'The 1865 Project' Nationwide

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Sep 29, 2023, 08:30 ET

Groundbreaking initiative supports ongoing mission to finish the work of the Freedman's Bank; Partnership expands economic opportunity for all through increased access to technology and education

ATLANTA, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Operation HOPE today announced that Robinhood Markets, Inc. ("Robinhood") (NASDAQ: HOOD) is deepening its partnership with the Atlanta-based non-profit through the 1865 Project, a new initiative that supports the organization's mission to expand economic opportunity in underserved communities through financial education and empowerment. With Robinhood's support, the '1865 Project' will allow Operation HOPE to further grow and scale its work across America and fuel innovative programs and technologies.

Operation HOPE remains a leading force in financial empowerment due to its commitment to embracing technology-driven products and services to connect with more communities. Bringing more than 30 years of experience providing free financial coaching and credit counseling services, contributions to the 1865 project will help Operation HOPE leverage digital tools to serve some of the hardest-to-reach populations. The '1865 Project' addresses the wealth gap and building economic inclusion in America.

"As the need for financial literacy continues to evolve, Operation HOPE remains committed to forging transformative partnerships with leading innovators, like Robinhood. With their unwavering support of the '1865 Project', we will expand our reach and help change more lives," said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE. "Together, we can harness the power of innovation to empower individuals and communities with the knowledge and tools they need for a brighter, more financially secure future."

"Everyone should have the opportunity to build a stable financial future," said Dan Gallagher, Chief Legal, Compliance and Corporate Affairs Officer of Robinhood Markets, Inc. "Operation HOPE is helping do just that and empowering millions through access to educational tools and resources at a scale that would be unreachable without the help of digital tools. Robinhood is proud to help them grow and scale the vital work they're doing to create a more equitable financial system."

In 2021, Robinhood was the first company to sign Operation HOPE's Investors' Bill of Rights, a call to action for the financial services industry to provide greater financial literacy, knowledge and understanding to their customers. In commitment to this pledge, both organization's will continue to support customers on their investing journeys with regularly updated educational content through Robinhood Learn and the development of programming like Robinhood Money Drills, which provides funding to support personal finance classes for college students.

Launched in June of 2023, The 1865 Project's ultimate goal is to finish the work of the Freedman's Bank— started by President Abraham Lincoln and American social reformer, Frederick Douglass— which was initially designed to teach the formerly enslaved about money. During the Second Reconstruction in the 1960s, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Operation HOPE Global Spokesperson Ambassador Andrew Young advanced this work with 'The Poor People's Campaign'. For more information about the '1865 Project,' click here.

About Robinhood
Robinhood Markets is on a mission to democratize finance for all. With Robinhood, people can invest with no account minimums through Robinhood Financial LLC, buy and sell crypto through Robinhood Crypto, LLC, spend, save, and earn rewards through Robinhood Money, LLC, and learn about investing through easy-to-understand educational content.

About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to "Silver Rights" with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its award-winning community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $4 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. Operation HOPE recently received Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Award for driving entrepreneurship as well as its eighth consecutive 4-star charity rating for fiscal management and commitment to transparency and accountability from the prestigious non-profit evaluator, Charity Navigator. This year, HOPE also launched The 1865 Project, an initiative designed to help level the economic playing field for underserved Americans. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Join the conversation on social media at @operationHOPE.