We used to teach budgeting. Then we noticed who it wasn't working for.

Where the name comes from

Mini Money started as a household game. Lorne Jenkins's mother made it up to teach him budgeting, saving and spending with real-world situations; his father nicknamed the kids "Mini Money Managers". Two decades later, that game became an organization that has reached 4,000+ students since 2019, mostly through workshops in Colorado schools.

What changed

Financial education is necessary and it is not enough. A young person with no income to manage doesn't need a better spreadsheet — they need a way to earn. In 2025 we got our side hustle programming off the ground. Now the centre of Mini Money is the Side Hustle Incubator: ages 14–24, twice a week, $25 a session to build something of their own, seed funding for the ones who keep showing up, and a Launchpad every month where they sell it.

What we believe

• A shift in wealth is a shift in power.
• Start with what a young person is already good at. Confidence first, business model second.
• Pay them. Most programs ask teenagers to give up paid hours; ours pays them to build.
• Money skills stick when there's real money on the table.