The Financial Times (FT) launched the FT Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign (FT FLIC), a new charitable initiative dedicated to promoting financial literacy and inclusion worldwide. This campaign was announced in November 2020 and became a formal charity in the first half of 2021, succeeding the FT's seasonal appeal which ran for 15 years and raised over £19.5 million for various charities.
FT FLIC aims to deliver clear and compelling content on basic financial subjects, working with partners to distribute this information to those who need it most, initially in the UK and then globally. Key figures involved include FT deputy editor Patrick Jenkins, consumer editor Claer Barrett, and contributing editor Lucy Kellaway. The initiative will create accessible educational material in video, written, and interactive formats, coordinating with journalists and partnering with charities and organizations like FT Schools.
The campaign's goals include empowering individuals with financial knowledge to manage their money, decode the financial world, and understand crucial issues from credit card interest to taxes. Research conducted by the FT found that 90% of 3,194 people polled across England learned "nothing at all" or "not very much" about finance at school. FT FLIC will develop educational programs, campaign for policy changes to integrate financial literacy into school curriculums, and address the literacy gap for women and marginalized communities. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has endorsed the charity, and it had received approximately £250,000 in donations and seed funding from the FT by September 2021. Experian is match-funding donations during a seasonal appeal to support FLIC.
