Straight answers for students, families, schools, and the donors who make it possible.
Is the $1,000 really mine? +
Yes. The moment you pass The Simple Test, $1,000 is invested in a protected account with you as its one and only beneficiary. It grows in your name, and full ownership transfers to you at age 25. It cannot be taken back — it’s yours alone.
Why is my account held until 25? +
Time is the whole magic of this program. Holding your account through the most unpredictable years protects your head start and lets compounding do the heavy lifting — the earlier you own, the more you own. Starting at 24, you’ll get a personal coaching series so your decision at 25 is a confident, informed one.
How does this relate to the new federal Trump Accounts? +
We’re proud to build alongside them. That landmark initiative is opening seeded investment accounts for America’s newborns — the very idea we’re built on, now embraced nationally. The Ownership Project extends the same opportunity to today’s teenagers, and adds the certified education and years of personal follow-through that help ownership last a lifetime. Our students even help their eligible younger siblings enroll — so one family can be lifted by both.
How are the accounts structured? (For donors doing diligence) +
Each student’s investment is held in a Crummey Trust — a well-established minor’s trust — with the student as sole beneficiary, administered by the program’s financial and legal team. We chose this structure because it holds the account safely to age 25 and provides tax-efficient, long-term capital-gains treatment, making it a natural complement to the national accounts’ age-18 design. Funds are invested in an S&P 500 index fund. At graduation, we also coach every certified student on opening a personal account of their own — so both can grow side by side.
Can family, friends, or employers add to my account? +
Yes — just like the national accounts, yours welcomes gifts. Contributions from family, friends, and employers are invested right alongside your $1,000 and compound the same way. A birthday gift at 17 is still growing at 40.
What does it cost my family? +
Nothing, ever. Your investment and the program are funded entirely by donors, foundations, and corporate sponsors. There are no fees, no obligations, and nothing is ever sold to you or your family. Your data is protected in compliance with FERPA and COPPA.
What is my money invested in? +
An S&P 500 index fund — 500 of America’s leading companies. You own a piece of the American economy. No mainstream investment has built more wealth over the last hundred years: roughly 10% a year on average since 1926, with every 20-year holding period in its history ending in gains. It’s the same simple, proven approach the national children’s accounts use, and the same one we teach in the classroom. No stock-picking, no speculation. Steady, deliberately.
What happens when I turn 25? +
You take the keys — that’s the promise. And we make sure your moment is set up for success: years of quarterly updates so your account is familiar, a personal coaching series at 24, and a dollar-for-dollar match up to $1,000 if you choose to keep your balance invested. We turn a milestone into a launchpad.
What if I don’t pass The Simple Test? +
You can retake it after a structured review with a program advisor. The exam is rigorous enough to mean something — that’s the point — but it is designed so that if you attend and engage, you will earn your certification.
How is a donation used — and is it tax-deductible? +
The Ownership Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so gifts are tax-deductible. $1,000 funds exactly one student’s investment; $50,000 funds all fifty pioneer Owners. Seed capital is held in a restricted fund, separate from operations, and deployed only into student accounts. Sponsors receive updates as their students’ accounts — with permission — grow over time.
