Advancing evidence based financial counseling practice
Research is a core pillar of the Center for Excellence in Financial Counseling. CEFC advances applied, collaborative research that informs nonprofit financial counseling practice, education, and policy—strengthening outcomes for individuals and communities navigating financial challenges.
The Center’s research portfolio reflects both its national legacy in rigorous program evaluation and its evolving emphasis on campus and community engaged scholarship that responds to emerging financial challenges.
Contact the Center About Research Opportunities
Current Research Initiatives
Student Financial Wellness Survey
CEFC collaborates with Trellis Strategies and the University of Missouri–St. Louis Community Innovation and Action Center (CIAC) to support UMSL’s participation in the Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS), a nationally administered survey examining the relationship between student finances, basic needs security, mental health, and academic success.
Survey findings provide valuable insights that help:
- Inform campus conversations about student financial well being
- Guide student support strategies and services
- Support data informed institutional planning
CEFC views participation in the SFWS as an ongoing research initiative, with opportunities to share high level insights, explore trends over time, and support future applied research efforts.
Faculty led research and grants
To support interdisciplinary, applied scholarship aligned with its mission, the Center for Excellence in Financial Counseling periodically offers internal research awards to University of Missouri–St. Louis faculty through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
These internal awards are intended to encourage applied inquiry that advances understanding of financial counseling effectiveness, financial well-being, and related policy and practice. Funding opportunities are designed to support projects that may not otherwise be supported through departmental or external funding sources.
Focus of Funded Projects
CEFC has supported faculty research that emphasizes:
- Applied, real world relevance
- Alignment with financial counseling practice, education, or policy
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Opportunities for student research engagement
Funded projects have explored topics such as financial decision making, access to financial services, consumer borrowing, financial education tools, and the lived financial experiences of students and communities.
Research Funding Opportunities
Faculty research awards are offered on a periodic basis, subject to available funding. When CEFC is accepting proposals, detailed information—including eligibility criteria, proposal guidelines, timelines, and reporting expectations—will be made available on the Center’s website.
To support transparency and continuity, information about prior RFP cycles is archived and organized by academic year:
- Let AI Help with Your Personal Finance Management — Dr. Vivek Singh (Ed G. Smith College of Business)
- How Key Decision-Makers Adopt Artificial Intelligence within the Affordable Multifamily Housing Sector — Jeffrey Promnitz (Ed G. Smith College of Business)
- Exploring the Effectiveness and Accessibility of Financial Education Tools via Buy Now, Pay Later Portals — Dr. Colleen Mpofu, Val Joyner (Ed G. Smith College of Business)
- Barriers to Financial Access Using National Data — Dr. Yiuman Tse, Dr. Timothy Dombrowski (Ed G. Smith College of Business)
- Financial Wellness Lab — Glee Schmitt (Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education), Dr. Antionette Sterling (Ed G. Smith College of Business), Dr. Colleen Mpofu (Ed G. Smith College of Business), Dr. Johnna Murray (Ed G. Smith College of Business), Madeline Siener (Office of Inclusive Postsecondary Education)
- Rate-Shopping in the Residential Mortgage Market — Dr. Leonid Pugachev (Ed G. Smith College of Business)
- Assessing the Impact of Financial Literacy Initiatives on Low-Income St. Louis Students — Dr. Gaiyan Zhang (Ed G. Smith College of Business)
- Single Mothers’ Lived Experiences of Financial Barriers and Coping in College — Dr. Agata Freedle (College of Education)