Our History

A poem inspired the name.
Responsibility, Initiative, Solutions and Empowerment gave it meaning.

....Just like the moons and like suns,
With the certainity of tides,
Just like the hopes springing high,
Still I rise.

Maya Angelou

Begun in October, 1999, RISE was the brainchild of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, the Memphis Housing Authority and the United Way of the Mid-South. Born to help Memphis public housing residents achieve financial self-sufficiency, and thereby making the city a healthier place, RISE is about raising expectations.

Above poverty, bankruptcy and foreclosure.
Above unemployment, crime and self-destruction.
Above depression, anger and apathy.

Through strategies we’ve pioneered and continue to refine, RISE has developed unique expertise in helping entry-level wage earners to budget, save and accumulate assets. Our work has led to a deep understanding of the larger community issues that are working against families in Memphis and Shelby County

When the steady diet is despair, serving up a
little homemade hope is pretty nourishing.

In the first year, on a budget of $22,000, RISE served 48 public housing families and helped those families create assets of $83,000. Each family started our Save Up program with less than $200. By May of 2009, the number of families served has grown to over 400, and RISE has helped them create more than $5.1 million in assets.

We call our participants Risers, and because of what
we’ve accomplished together, things are looking up.

Raising community involvement and sharing knowledge. More than 180 not-for-profits, businesses, government agencies, financial institutions and faith-based organizations meet regularly under our banner to explore how to better educate and motivate low-income families to improve their financial health.

Raising grades and rewarding achievement. RISE is teaching students in schools with the highest concentration of low-income families how to set and achieve their goals in school and life, and then providing incentives to reach those goals. And we’re doing the same thing for their families in the communities where they live and work.

Raising productivity and lowering absenteeism. Since its inception in 2004, more than 1,000 employees from over 40 companies have successfully completed our workplace curriculum in financial literacy, Common Cents.

Raising the value of education and self-improvement. There has been a noticeable shift in how our Risers are using their savings to build their assets and their future. From cars to education. From driving to hard drives. In fact, the amount of money being invested in things like tuition and computers doubled over the last year. More than just getting behind the wheel, they want to get ahead.

Raising credit scores and self-worth. On average, the credit scores of Risers have climbed from 562 to 627. And, as further proof that financial education works, none have reported using rapid refund anticipation loans after completing our financial classes, none have lost a home to foreclosure, and the average value of the homes purchased has grown $10,000 in the last year.

We’re growing. And so are our city’s chances.

Contact RISE, and help us lift someone up. As an operating foundation and a 501(c)3 public charity, your investment in RISE is tax-deductible.