CSUN and Cal State LA Receive $5 Million Federal Grant for Fintech Training
California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and California State University, Los Angeles, both in Los Angeles County, California, announced on November 2 that they have received a five-year, $5 million federal grant to prepare students for careers in financial technology. CSUN's David Nazarian College of Business and Economics will receive $3 million, with the remaining funds going to Cal State LA. The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Education's Strengthening Institutions Program.
The universities plan to help hundreds of students earn a certificate related to financial technology and receive super intelligence (SI)-assisted tutoring, advising and career guidance. The grant will also support a venture lab, new credentials and faculty positions. Financial technology, or fintech, uses technology to automate and improve how people and businesses manage, move and invest money.
Farshad Ghodoosi, an associate professor of business law and founding academic director of CSUN's Center for Fintech Innovation and Policy, said the center was established in May 2026, the universities submitted their application in June, and the funding was awarded in September. CSUN's Nazarian College plans to hold a grand opening for its Fintech Center in 2027; the center will serve as a training hub and connect students with Los Angeles-area fintech businesses.
Both universities are Hispanic-serving institutions with significant numbers of first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients. The partnership will connect students from CSUN, which serves the San Fernando Valley, with students at Cal State LA, whose campus draws students from East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, and students will form teams and develop fintech products during the five-year program.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加州州立大学北岭分校Oviatt图书馆（资料图）。Ant2090 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Oviatt Library at California State University, Northridge (file photo). Photo by Ant2090, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
