This study, the first of two, examines the early part of a Wallace Foundation project to help build the financial muscles of 26 leading afterschool providers in Chicago. Participating organizations received financial management training and peer networking opportunities, using one of two models that differed in intensity and the balance of individual vs. group-based training and support.

This report is based on information from the following sources:

• Baseline and nine-month follow-up surveys of the CEO and lead financial officer (or equivalent) in each of the 26 participating organizations.
• Formal assessments of the financial management practices of each organization, conducted by Fiscal Management Associates (FMA), which provided financial management training and capacity building for the initiative.
• Interviews with the CEOs, lead financial officers and, in some cases, program managers of 12 SFM organizations.
• Interviews with FMA staff and reviews of FMA documents and annual reports.