Wisconsin's financial and education regulators are offering the state's public and private K-12 schools grants of up to $10,000 to promote financial literacy.

A total of $250,000 will be available through the program from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and Department of Public Instruction. The Governor's Council on Financial Literacy and the Wisconsin Women's Council also are participating.

“Through our enforcement actions, DFI at times collects payments from entities that have wronged Wisconsin consumers,” said DFI Secretary Peter Bildsten. “Some of those settlement funds are designated specifically for financial literacy efforts. What better way to invest these funds than in the personal financial knowledge of our young people?”

Teachers, schools or districts are eligible to apply for awards ranging from $500 to $10,000. The program is aimed at supporting new and sustainable programs and events by individual teachers and districts.

“With the tremendous number of financial choices that young people have today, it is more important than ever to provide opportunities for students at all grade levels to learn about and engage in conversations around financial literacy and the impact that wise decisions have on their current and future goals,” said state Superintendent Tony Evers.

A subcommittee of the Governor's Council on Financial Literacy will review recommendations from DPI and select the final award recipients.