Annual Report · 2025–26
Our first
full year.
Published October 2026. One lunchtime workshop at Solis Park School became four Irvine branches, a six-month curriculum, and our first city grant.
18
Workshops delivered
5,000+
Student attendances
4
Irvine branches
$0
Cost to schools
Letter from the founder
In our first full year, Lil Investors grew from one lunchtime workshop at Solis Park School into four elementary branches across Irvine, with more than 5,000 student attendances.
We started with a simple belief: kids learn money from whoever shows up first, and for most kids, nobody shows up at all. California’s AB 2927 will require personal finance in high school starting with the class of 2031. We think the habits start much earlier, so we teach grades 1 through 5.
Every workshop is planned and run by high school students. This year, those students taught 18 workshops, built a six-month curriculum, opened a fourth branch at Woodbury Elementary, and earned our first municipal grant from the City of Irvine.
Thank you to the teachers, PTAs, mentors, and city leaders who made room for us. We are just getting started.
Devin Singh · Founder & Executive Director
Who we are
Lil Investors is a student-led financial literacy program that teaches money skills to elementary students in grades 1 through 5, free of charge.
Mission. Empower kids with money skills, long before high school.
How it works. Once a month, high school volunteers turn a lunch recess into a marketplace, with play money, price lists, pretend credit cards, and games. Sessions run about 20 minutes during lunch, so they never take time from classroom instruction. Students earn a Jolly Rancher for participating, which doubles as our lesson in incentives.
The curriculum
Every branch runs the same six-month sequence, each skill building on the last.
| Month | Skill | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Needs vs. Wants | Sorting game |
| 2 | Income, Taxes & Budgeting | Forest survival simulation |
| 3 | Saving & Delayed Gratification | Prize stations |
| 4 | Credit & Debit | Card simulation |
| 5 | Entrepreneurship | Mini Shark Tank |
| 6 | Investing Basics | Invest or Don't Invest game |
Impact by the numbers
Since our first workshop on May 21, 2025, Lil Investors has logged more than 5,000 student attendances across 18 workshops.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Workshops delivered | 18 |
| Student attendances | 5,000+ |
| Unique students reached (est.) | 2,000–2,500 |
| Typical attendance per lunch session | ~300 |
| Irvine school branches | 4 |
| Additional sites | 1 Kumon learning center; 1 session in Bangkok, Thailand |
| Core student team | 30 |
| Total student volunteers, incl. occasional | 40–50 |
| Cost to schools and families | $0 |
Attendance is counted by the number of Jolly Ranchers handed out per session. Students who attend several months are counted once per workshop, so unique reach is lower than total attendances.
Where we teach
Each Irvine branch is run end to end by its own student manager, from scheduling with the front office to running the stations on workshop day.
| Branch | Status | Branch manager |
|---|---|---|
| Solis Park School | Founding branch, monthly | Monse De Leon |
| Beacon Park School | Monthly, Friday lunch | Viraj Singh |
| Cypress Village Elementary | Monthly | Lachlan Laird |
| Woodbury Elementary | Launches Nov 6, 2026; first Friday monthly | Alina Greenblat |
Beyond our school branches, we ran an after-school session at a Kumon learning center in Irvine, about an hour long for a smaller group, and taught a session in Bangkok, Thailand.
Year in review
The year's biggest milestones were our first city grant, a fourth branch, and a fiscal sponsorship that lets us accept funding before our own 501(c)(3) is filed.
Oct 2026
Woodbury Elementary confirmed as fourth branch.
Oct 2026
Agreed with OneUp Financial Education to co-host a summer camp in Irvine in June 2027.
Oct 2026
Bay Area expansion begins: interest from a student volunteer in Dublin, CA (Murray Elementary).
Sep 2026
Awarded a $500 City of Irvine Community Partnership grant, nominated by Councilmember William Go.
Sep 2026
ABC7 Los Angeles agreed to film a workshop.
Sep 2026
California Council on Economic Education (CCEE) became our fiscal sponsor.
Sep 2026
Launched lilinvestors.org.
Aug 2026
Met with Junior Achievement of Orange County & Inland Empire to explore a partnership.
Jun 2026
Outreach to 61 California schools to recruit new branches.
May 21, 2025
First workshop, Solis Park School.
Partners and supporters
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| California Council on Economic Education (CCEE) | Fiscal sponsor; CEO David Nungaray serves as our mentor |
| City of Irvine, Office of Councilmember William Go | $500 Community Partnership grant |
| Irvine Unified School District | Host schools: Solis Park, Beacon Park, Cypress Village, Woodbury |
| Beacon Park PTA | Workshop support and $150 contribution |
| OneUp Financial Education | Partner on a June 2027 summer camp |
| Junior Achievement of OC & Inland Empire | Partnership under discussion |
| CalCoast Credit Union | Student panel on AB 2927 under discussion |
| CFA Society Orange County | Professional mentorship |
We also thank the offices of Mayor Larry Agran and Councilmembers James Mai, Melinda Liu, and Betty Martinez Franco for taking time to learn about our work.
Financials
Lil Investors runs on a very lean budget: every workshop is free, volunteers are unpaid, and our main recurring cost is candy and printed materials.
| Item | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Beacon Park PTA contribution | $150 | Received |
| City of Irvine Community Partnership grant (via CCEE) | $500 | Awarded; disbursement pending |
| Total support | $650 | |
| Candy and incentives, 15 workshops (approx.) | $225 | Spent |
The City of Irvine grant will cover our 501(c)(3) registration costs (about $330) and fund additional workshop materials. We will file a post-expenditure report with the City once the funds are spent.
Our team
A core team of 30 Portola High School students plans and runs every workshop, supported by 40 to 50 volunteers in total over the year.
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Founder & Executive Director | Devin Singh |
| Co-Founder | Bhuvan Vellamena |
| Co-Founder | Roham Khadiv |
| Chief Operating Officer | Sanjana Palvadi |
| Chief Curriculum Officer | Aditya Meruga |
| Chief Partnerships Officer | Lillian Chehade |
| Chief Marketing Officer | Sruti Allani |
| Advisors | Srikar Kesanam, Shardul Singamsetty |
| Branch managers | Monse De Leon, Viraj Singh, Lachlan Laird, Alina Greenblat |
Team leads. Hiba Laique, Polina Makevetska, Sabrin Minhas, Sufia Rashid, Ansh Gosain, Kyna Khurana, Kaeden Baquir, Darya Janamian, Khiana Antoszek, Rohit Mandal, Enaya Qadir, Nicolas Becerill, Carl Sebali, Jamal Abdelkarim, Srikruthi Kolunapaka, Syler Mercado, and Ayaan Ameeri.
Mentor. David Nungaray, CEO, California Council on Economic Education.
What people say
Three voices from the rooms we teach in.
Lindsey Knittle · School Support TOSA, Cypress Village
- Lil Investors has brought real-world ideas to concepts for our students. They are learning important life skills in an engaging and fun manner. Students always look forward to the Lil Investors team being on campus.
Vanessa Fandino · PTA President, Beacon Park School
- I liked how they had the kids learn the difference between wants vs needs in spending. The Portola students were good at getting the kids engaged in the activity in a fun and practical way. Some of them were even old Beacon Park students, so it was nice to see them come back!
Chad A. Noorani, QKA · Benefit Financial Services Group
- Financial confidence starts with early education. I love to see Lil Investors making important financial concepts approachable and engaging, helping young people build the curiosity, confidence, and decision-making skills that can serve them for a lifetime.
Looking ahead
Next year we will file for 501(c)(3) status, open our first branch outside Orange County, and run our first summer camp.
How to support us.Donate supplies or funds — every dollar goes to workshop materials. Sponsor a school branch for a full six-month curriculum cycle. Or start a branch at your high school; we train every team lead from scratch.