ABA Foundation and FICO Announce New Partnership Ahead of 2025 Get Smart About Credit Day

The American Bankers Association Foundation, in partnership with analytics software leader FICO and bankers across the country, will celebrate the 2025 Get Smart About Credit Day next week on Thursday, Oct. 16.

Get Smart About Credit, now in its 23rd year, is a year-round campaign that kicks off annually on the third Thursday of October. It is one of three ABA Foundation youth financial education campaigns each year. The national program allows bank employees to share real-world financial knowledge with students and young adults on obstacles facing this demographic, including saving for the unexpected, managing money, paying for college, understanding their FICO® Score, protecting their identity and exploring careers in banking.

This year, 9,055 banker volunteers have committed to providing these and other financial education lessons to more than 221,405 students and young adults in their communities.

“Financial literacy is essential to long-term financial health and Get Smart About Credit Day is a great opportunity for America’s banks to connect with the next generation and impart these critical lessons,” said Lindsay Torrico, executive director of the ABA Foundation. “We’re thrilled to partner with FICO to expand our reach and deepen the impact of this important initiative.”

“Early financial education, especially about credit, is a powerful tool that can help young people make informed financial decisions early on, unlocking opportunities that can help shape their future for years to come,” said Rukiya Kelly, head of corporate impact and engagement at FICO. “We are proud to support Get Smart About Credit Day and do our part to help consumers better understand FICO Scores.”

New to this year’s suite of campaign resources is a teen scam tip sheet, co-branded with FICO, to help young people recognize and avoid common financial scams.

The ABA Foundation provides campaign resources including the lesson plans, in English and Spanish, program materials and real-time customer support entirely free to member and non-member banks to encourage industry participation.

In addition to lesson plans and classroom visits, the ABA Foundation will host a live LinkedIn event at 12 p.m. ET on Oct. 16 featuring Cybersecurity Girl and the FBI, offering students and educators a dynamic conversation about credit and online safety.

Banks interested in learning more about Get Smart About Credit are invited to participate in a webinar on Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. featuring FICO as a guest speaker. Participants will be granted access to a pilot program for a new FICO lesson plan on FICO® Scores, as a part of FICO’s Score A Better Future® Ambassador Program, including a facilitator guide, PowerPoint and “training the trainer” video.

While the ABA Foundation and FICO partnership will launch alongside Get Smart About Credit Day, their collaboration will extend into other financial education efforts throughout 2026.
To register for Get Smart About Credit and access free resources—including lesson plans, presentation materials, and promotional graphics— by the ABA Foundation and FICO, visit aba.com/GetSmart.