What students learn
- Budgeting & money management
- Banking & cash flow
- Credit & debt
- Income & taxes
- Saving & investing
- Risk & protection
- Entrepreneurship & ownership
Pillar 03
Education, Health & Wealth Building
STAT Academy & ESA
Every student deserves the tools to build wealth, health, and a future.
What this pillar does
Education that transfers: from the classroom to the bank account to the community.
The Amar’e Stoudemire Foundation is looking to expand its impact through its education pillar, with a particular focus on financial literacy for high school students. The initial goal is to serve students in Arizona, building a strong local program that can ultimately be expanded to reach young people in communities across the country.
Financial literacy has long been part of the foundation’s mission, and this initiative creates a more focused effort to give students practical financial knowledge and skills they can use as they prepare for adulthood.
The pillar houses the foundation’s education programs, anchored by S.T.A.T. Kids: a K–12 initiative built around financial literacy, youth entrepreneurship, mentorship development, and leadership & life skills. It is fully compliant with Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) guidelines and runs both virtually and in person.
The lineage runs deep: STAT Academy was founded in 2013 with Rabbi Rosenberg. Education has been part of the founder’s journey from the beginning.
The pillar’s financial literacy work has been featured by Phoenix’s 12 News, showing youth and families how money works and how to build lasting security.
The reach is the widest of any pillar: rooted in Arizona and active from New York and California to Sierra Leone and Jerusalem.
As Seen on 12 News: Financial Literacy in Action
The Amar’e Stoudemire Foundation’s Financial Literacy Program was featured on Channel 12 News in a special report by reporter Nohelani Graf, highlighting the impact our program is making in the community by teaching youth and families how money works, how to build wealth, and how to create financial stability for future generations.
This program is part of our larger mission to provide education, workforce development, and economic empowerment opportunities to the communities we serve.
We are proud to be doing work that is not only changing lives, but being recognized for its impact.
Play video: 12 News report: new program aims to teach teens financial literacy skills
Video courtesy of 12 News (KPNX Phoenix), reported by Nohelani Graf.
Flagship Program
The Financial Literacy Experience
An 8-week experience for grades 9 to 12 where students do not just learn about money. They manage it.
This is not a traditional class. In the STAT Bucks simulation system, each student is assigned a real-life financial profile: they live on a weekly income, pay bills, make spending decisions, handle unexpected life events, and learn from real consequences.
The program pairs self-paced digital lessons with a weekly simulation and a small number of high-impact live sessions, featuring Amar’e Stoudemire in recorded lessons and a final-session appearance. A dedicated parent workshop shows families how to reinforce financial habits at home and how to talk to their teens about money.
Who it is for
- Teens in grades 9 to 12
- Arizona ESA families (ESA is a benefit, not a requirement)
- Parents who want real-life money skills for their student
- Students preparing for independence
Live sessions run Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 to 6:30 PM Arizona time. Cohort seats are limited. Next cohort start: September 1, 2026
ASF is an approved Arizona ESA vendor, and the program is open to all Arizona high school students. Families can enroll through private pay or with Arizona ESA funds through ClassWallet. After registration, the team confirms your student’s eligibility and grade level, shares full program details and cohort availability, walks through enrollment and payment options including ESA guidance, and completes onboarding to secure placement. Students finish with a certificate of completion.
ESA families: enroll with S.T.A.T. Kids
S.T.A.T. Kids is designed for Arizona ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Account) families: an approved, education-first curriculum you can fund directly through your ESA. Bundles fit ESA budgets, and live tutoring or mentorship can be added as ESA-billable tutoring services.
Grades K–2
S.T.A.T. Up! The Youth Wealth Builders Series
Stand tall. Stack smart. Shine forever.
What money is, needs vs. wants, first saving habits, and recognizing coins and currency.
Grades 3–5
S.T.A.T. Moves: Money, Mindset & Mentorship
Teaching kids to stand tall in life, money, and purpose.
How mindset shapes money habits, simple goal-setting, and learning from mentors who manage money wisely.
Grades 6–8
S.T.A.T. Kids: Standing Tall in a Wealthy World
Raising leaders who know what to do with money and opportunity.
How banks and digital money work, community roles and money circulation, and budgeting simulations.
Grades 9–10
Visionary Scholar Academy
Small steps today. Tall leaders tomorrow.
Income, expenses, savings, and investment; planning tools; entrepreneurship basics and a first business plan.
Grades 11–12
S.T.A.T. Legacy League
Building young legends through money, mission, and mentorship.
Generational wealth, intro to estate planning and charitable giving, and a personal wealth-vision roadmap.
Bundles built for ESA budgets
Every grade tier offers a Basic Digital Bundle (from $125/student), a Deluxe Bundle with print materials and live sessions (from $225/student), and Premium Institutional Licenses for schools and organizations (up to 30 students). Live tutoring and mentorship add-ons start at $60/month.
Give
Fund a student’s financial education. Your gift underwrites curriculum, mentors, and program access for families beyond the reach of ESA funding.
See this pillar’s campaign on the Campaigns page.
Engage
Educators, tutors, mentors, schools: S.T.A.T. Kids scales through people.
Flagship InitiativeS.T.A.T. Kids
Five grade-level series from S.T.A.T. Up! through the S.T.A.T. Legacy League: financial literacy, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and life skills, with bundles built for ESA budgets and live tutoring add-ons.
Explore S.T.A.T. KidsLive Tutoring & Mentorship
Small-group virtual sessions led by certified educators and mentors, available as program add-ons.
STAT Academy
Founded in 2013 with Rabbi Rosenberg. Education that transfers.
Enroll, teach, or partner
ESA families, tutors, and school partners: tell us where you fit and we’ll follow up. Pillar leads: Nadav Reis and Darryl Johnson. Submissions are received by our Treasurer, Darryl Johnson, and answered within about 5 business days.
Impact
Where this pillar is putting its work right now.
- Philanthropic investment goal$300,000
- Leveraged brand in-kind value$150,000
- Target population2,500 ESA-supported students
- Global Skill Nexus, a distinct initiative in development$500,000 goal
- The Financial Literacy ExperienceEnrolling grades 9 to 12 now
- Next cohortStarts September 1, 2026