Building a Financial Foundation

Throughout our lives, we make many financial decisions — from buying our first cars to investing in our futures.
Having a foundation of knowledge and confidence to make smart financial choices can be life changing.

Through our Dollars + Sense program, we strive to go beyond the basics and set students up for a lifetime of financial success. 

Financial Education

The ability to understand how money works.

Financial Capability

Instilling knowledge, good habits and confidence when it comes to managing money. 

Financial Well-Being

Financial security and freedom, now and in the future.


Making a Difference

We focus on communities with the greatest need. Using a web-based financial education solution helps us broaden our reach to students of low- to moderate-income families.

In 2021, our Dollars + Sense program had the opportunity to teach students at LA’s Crenshaw High School in an even more impactful way.

We launched the City National Bank Business & Entrepreneurship Learning Lab, through which students use digital media to explore the world of banking and finance.

They became familiar with how banking works to gain a deeper understanding of how money moves through financial systems — as well as through people’s lives.

We hope this knowledge empowers these students not just to make informed financial decisions but also to maybe even consider careers in banking. 

We’re proud to have served
15,544 students in 201 schools 
for a total of 36,292 hours of financial education.

Going Virtual

City National’s commitment to financial education didn’t stop with the COVID-19 pandemic. Though in the past we have offered financial education to our communities through in-person lessons from colleague volunteers, a change was needed in 2021 to keep the COVID-19-era program more distance-friendly.

In April we launched a multifaceted virtual program so we could continue our outreach to adults and youth. We have also been able to adopt these practices with our reading literacy programs, ensuring that they continued throughout the year. 

Learn More About our Dollars + Sense Program

Some Thanks from Jovenes

Jovenes is a local organization that serves communities throughout southeast LA County. It works with unhoused college-age youth (18–25) to end their cycle of homelessness.

We worked with the program assistant and asked colleagues to volunteer and help provide workshops on basic personal finance. The organization passed along thank-yous from participants who found the program to be enlightening. 



"I found all the workshops super helpful. It was hard to pick which one was my favorite and I learned so much.”

"All the presenters did a very good job at presenting the information. All the workshops were really informative and well done.”

“ I just had my identity stolen, so learning about ways to protect myself from it was pretty cool.”

“It’s hard for me to pay attention but the presenters made tough workshops easy to understand and I really enjoyed that.”



And from City National, thank you to the colleagues who took the time to reach out to the community.  

Literacy Initiatives

City National’s literacy initiatives date back to 2002.
They’ve since grown to include Reading is The way up® and back-to-school backpack drives for students in need.
The goal is to help students and educators in our communities get the resources they need
and to connect them with colleagues willing to help.  

Backing Students for Success

In 2019, the LA Unified School District reported that an overwhelming amount of students — more than 17,000 — in LA public schools were experiencing homelessness.

As a result of the pandemic and its intrinsic socioeconomic impact, it is likely that this number has only increased.

With more students than ever living in shelters, motels, cars and on the streets, it was especially important to take action.

1,283,709
total children have benefitted from Reading is The way up®

City National believes every child deserves the opportunity to be set up for success, so we’re doing what we can to help students prepare for the school year.

Overall, City National was able to collect over 3,300 backpacks for students at 28 schools across California, Tennessee, New York, Nevada, Washington, D.C. and Georgia in 2021.

This was the 12th year City National held a back-to-school drive. To date, we’ve donated more than 17,000 backpacks to students. 

Learn More About our Reading is The way up® Program

Our Impact

City National Bank might do the same things other banks do, but the way we do them is different. Since our founding in 1954, our commitment to people and relationships has remained the starting point for everything we do.
We invite you to see some of the other ways we support our community and world.

Environmental Impact

On a global and hyperlocal scale, perhaps nothing has a greater potential impact on people’s lives than the health of our planet.

Food Sustainability Impact

As our population increases, so does the demand for food. It has never been more crucial to produce food as sustainably as possible. 

Housing Impact

City National has made it part of our mission to partner with organizations that help make housing dreams come true.