Because of the support of our members, we’re able to empower Californians through financial education and community outreach. In 2025, we continued to create an ecosystem of support that goes beyond giving. From scholarships and grants to financial education and hands-on volunteerism, our goal is simple: help Californians thrive.
Our approach
We don’t just give, we engage. For us, that means understanding where we can have the most impact and rolling up our sleeves and working alongside people in the community. Through partnerships with nonprofits, schools, and other local organizations, we’re able to provide resources that make a real difference for Californians. That’s our commitment to you.
Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished:
Highlights of 2025:
- $1 million in new grants awarded to 42 organizations serving Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood. Combined with ongoing partnerships in the community, Golden 1’s total 2025 investment in Del Paso Heights was $2.1 million. These contributions are part of Golden 1’s multi-year commitment to strengthen community infrastructure, economic stability, and educational opportunities in Del Paso Heights. Learn more here.
- Initiatives that have come out of Golden 1’s Del Paso Heights grant cohort include increased medical care for unhoused residents, housing and eviction counseling, extended youth center hours and mental health services, community health and wellness fairs, and free youth music camps.
- $100,000 donated to California State University student basic needs pantries, addressing food insecurity for thousands of college students, and the first major donation of items to fill Sacramento State’s new state-of-the-art Basic Needs Resource Center.
- $52,000 contributed during cultural heritage months, supporting cultural awareness and inclusion statewide.
- Over 1500 volunteer hours served by Golden 1 employees in communities across the state.
- New Financial Resource Center at Golden 1’s Madera branch— the second of its kind for Golden 1 after the Del Paso Heights branch. The Financial Resource Center branch model offers deeper financial counseling, free financial coaching, and regular financial workshops on a variety of topics.
Bringing financial education to communities
Knowledge is power and everyone deserves access to information that helps answer life’s financial questions. From building credit to smart savings strategies, our branch locations with Financial Resource Centers offer free workshops led by expert facilitators. These workshops are tailored to meet the unique needs of each group and typically last 45–60 minutes, packed with actionable tips you can use right away.
In 2025, we hosted workshops at select branch locations, including Del Paso Heights, Madera, Folsom Ranch, and Land Park, and partnered with schools and nonprofits across the state.
We’ve got numbers to show the kind of support we’ve been able to offer our members:
- From January through December 2025, more than 19,700 individuals took advantage of our financial empowerment programs.
- We conducted more than 575 hours of workshops.
- We provided nearly 189 hours of one-on-one coaching.
More financial education resources
Learning Lab
Visit the Golden 1 Financial Wellness Center where you’ll find a link to Learning Lab: our online financial education hub designed to make financial education simple and, dare we say, fun?
This robust library serves as a dynamic learning resource packed with content covering everything from saving and investing to managing debt.
Here’s what Learning Lab offers:
- Interactive modules that walk you through real-world financial scenarios.
- Videos and tutorials on everything from saving and investing to managing debt.
- Personalized tools to help you set goals, track progress, and build confidence in your financial decisions.
Whether you’re planning for college, buying a home, or just looking for smarter ways to budget, Learning Lab gives you practical, easy-to-use guidance, all in one spot.
Financial Wellness Challenge
How often have you wondered why high school had you doing complex geometry and memorizing random historical dates, but left you largely unprepared to take on real-world financial scenarios and decisions?
Since 2019, Golden 1 has partnered with local High Schools to offer teens and young adults a realistic look at managing money with our Financial Wellness Challenge. Through interactive simulations, we’re shedding light on budgeting, saving, and smart spending. The goal? Arming the next generation with valuable lessons and information to help them navigate real-life financial scenarios.
In 2025 alone, nearly 3,000 students took part in 56 events across high schools and nonprofits.
Our challenges covered:
- Budgeting for essentials like housing, childcare, transportation, and food.
- Balancing income and expenses and resisting the temptation of luxury purchases.
- Discovering the importance of saving and planning ahead.
Here’s what students had to say:
“Gas, registration, insurance, and maintenance on a car is something I overlooked. I never thought of what a car would cost outside of the monthly payment.”
“This activity really makes me think about having kids. Daycare is expensive. How do people afford having 1, 2, 3 kids in daycare!?”
“This taught me the importance of having a savings account. I probably need two—one for my goals and one for my emergencies.”
“I overlooked groceries because I thought they would be cheap, but they ended up being very expensive. I guess my weekly Starbucks has got to go, unless I find a way to budget for it.”
Golden 1 employees making a difference
Our Golden 1 team showed up in amazing ways for California communities and we couldn’t be prouder.
Here’s how the Golden 1 team made an impact:
- Over 1400 volunteer hours in the community
- Donations of 120+ backpacks filled with school supplies to Sacramento Children’s Home
- Hygiene kits assembled during new hire orientations for local nonprofits
- Volunteer support for events like Sacramento Youth Career Fest and garden cleanups for Del Paso Heights Growers’ Alliance
Recognition
Supporting the financial goals of Californians is rewarding enough, but we’re grateful for the recognition we received this year, too. In 2025, Golden 1 received some extraordinary honors for our commitment to community and the workplace culture our employees have built. Among our honors, we were named one of America’s Best Employers for Company Culture by Forbes, we received The EQUITY Award from the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, and we earned a Great Place to Work® Certification. These serve as reminders that when we invest in people, both inside and outside of our office walls, great things happen.
Looking ahead to 2026
We’re proud of every accomplishment and resource we provided in the past year and want to take a moment to recognize our efforts. But we’re not slowing down. Next year, we’ve got big things in the works that we hope will bring even more support to the California communities we love.
Here’s what we’re planning:
- Premiere: A Del Paso Heights documentary to showcase the amazing people, places, projects, and collaborations in the Del Paso Heights community.
- Release a Del Paso Heights impact report in partnership with UC Davis to share Golden 1’s story of impact from its investment in Del Paso Heights.
- Increase employee volunteerism through new engagement programs
- Continued investment in financial equity through education across California
If you’re in need of some financial direction, support, or just want to see what we offer, explore our Financial Wellness Center and let us help you get your money golden. Together, we can make 2026 even stronger.
