Our Story

Publicly launched in October 2021, the Firstmark Foundation, a 501(c)(3) Public Charity, serves as a giving arm of the credit union to focus on the needs of schools. The Foundation’s common purpose is to make a tangible, positive impact in the education community through the collective giving of our membership. Powered by members enrolled in Power of the Dollar^® Checking, the Foundation will fund significant needs across our school districts, such as constructing new facilities, improving existing amenities, and enhancing learning spaces.

The Foundation Team (from left to right): Diane Bacon, Marisa Pérez-Díaz, and Christy Bradshaw

Since its inauguration, the Foundation has helped support the early infrastructure costs of CAST Teach High School, The Holdsworth Center’s professional development program for superintendents in Texas, and a residency program for educators with the CAST Schools Network. Additionally, the Foundation has successfully funded 55 education grants across Bexar County and the surrounding area, where the grants afford school employees the opportunity to create innovative programming and initiatives that help students learn and engage with important content and concepts. Through the Foundation, we want to continue to help improve our school communities, assisting programs such as CAST Teach, CAST Schools, and The Holdsworth Center. Better prepared educators mean better prepared students.

The Foundation is committed more than ever to the success of our school employees who work hard to educate our children, but also to those students. In partnership with the San Antonio Area Foundation, the Cunningham Scholarship is offered to 20 college-bound students who each receive $1,000 to help cover the cost of their higher education. The Foundation also provides a financial literacy program which introduces the fundamentals of money management to middle and high school students. Understanding the basics early in life can be an empowering motivator for smart financial decision-making.

The Foundation continues to make exceptional strides in building a positive presence throughout our local education community by providing essential financial relief and fundamental resources to help equip school employees for the vital work they do. The contributions made by the Foundation would not be possible without our Power of the Dollar^® members, who continue to provide a stream of resources to fund important initiatives that help create sustainability within the education system.

Power of the Dollar^® – Making an Impact

The Foundation’s ability to provide for our local education community stems from Firstmark’s Power of the Dollar^® Checking. Members enrolled in the Power of the Dollar^® Checking pay a $1 monthly impact fee that directly funds the Foundation and allows members to save more while giving more.

With new members joining daily, the number of lives we can impact together grows in tandem. The needs of the education community are many, and with just $1 per month, we can make a lasting difference in the communities we serve. If you have not yet enrolled in the Power of the Dollar^® Checking, we invite you to join today. To learn more, please visit firstmarkcu.org/checking.