Money Management International Launches Financial Wellbeing AI Lab, Names Inaugural Advisory Council, and Kicks Off Summer Fellowship with NextLadder Ventures, The MIT Bike Shop and Anthropic

New applied AI lab will work to close the gap between Americans who seek financial counseling and those who successfully connect with help; inaugural projects include a summer fellowship with graduate researchers from MIT and Harvard

STAFFORD, Texas, July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Money Management International (MMI), a national nonprofit dedicated to improving the financial health of all Americans, today announced the launch of the MMI Financial Wellbeing AI Lab, a practical, solutions-driven center focused on generating evidence from the application of technology in real financial counseling environments and translating those insights into best practices for nonprofits and counselors nationwide.

In conjunction with the launch, MMI is announcing the inaugural members of the Lab's 2026–2027 Advisory Council and the kickoff of a 10-week AI for Social Impact Summer Fellowship in partnership with NextLadder Ventures, MIT Bike Shop applied AI lab and Anthropic. The fellowship convenes graduate researchers from MIT and Harvard in San Francisco from June through August, where they will prototype an AI tool to address one of the most stubborn problems in nonprofit financial counseling: the gap between the people who seek help and the people who successfully engage with care solutions.

A Lab Built for Practice, Not Theory

The MMI Financial Wellbeing AI Lab explores how AI can responsibly enhance real-world financial counseling, education, and outreach — so individuals receive timely, trustworthy guidance well before a financial crisis becomes overwhelming. Its mission is to turn emerging technology into trustworthy tools that strengthen financial wellbeing at scale and make it easier to deliver effective, compassionate support.

Through research, testing, and hands-on technical development, MMI’s AI Lab will identify and share what works in practice: how AI can simplify processes, improve guidance, and extend the reach and highest use of human counselors without replacing them.

“AI's role in financial counseling cannot be a theoretical conversation — millions of Americans need help now, and although MMI’s success rates are among the highest in the industry, too many households never make it from the first call into care solutions. The Financial Wellbeing AI Lab is where we will do the practical work of figuring out what actually helps — testing in real counseling environments, learning from people with lived experience, and sharing what we learn. With a Council of leaders and partners advising us, we are positioned to leverage technology successfully and responsibly to support more Americans struggling with debt.”

— Michelle Jones, Chief External Affairs Officer, Money Management International

2026–2027 Advisory Council

The Lab's inaugural Advisory Council brings together leaders across artificial intelligence, banking, behavioral science, financial health research, and disaster recovery to guide the Lab's ethical, technical, and strategic direction. Council members serve as trusted thought partners shaping standards for responsible AI in nonprofit financial counseling and advising on the integration of AI into services that improve access, outcomes, and long-term financial resilience.

The inaugural Council members are:

• Mariel Beasley — Head of Product and Insights, SaverLife
• Upol Ehsan — AI Professor and Lead of Responsible AI Governance & Policy at Northeastern University, Berkman Klein Fellow & Faculty Associate at Harvard University
• Bhargavi Ganesh — Postdoctoral Scholar in AI Governance, Wharton Accountable AI Lab, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania 
• Thea Garon — Director and Lead, Financial Well-Being, Urban Institute
• Paul Nestadt, MD — Medical Director, Center for Suicide Prevention, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Sonali Niswander — Senior Vice President, AI, Cloud and Data Platforms, MetLife
• Carly Perera — Director, AI Strategy, Financial Health Network 
• Amanda Ree — National Recovery Director, Wildfire Long-Term Recovery, American Red Cross
• Rachel Ryan — Vice President, Leadership & Learning, American Express 
• Anna Starikova — Senior Vice President, Collections and Recovery Digital Platform Management, Bank of America
• Bonnie Wallace — Head of Financial Health Philanthropy, Wells Fargo Foundation

Summer Fellowship: Closing the Gap Between Seeking Help and Receiving Care

The Lab's first major project launches this summer through the AI for Social Impact Summer Fellowship — a collaboration with NextLadder Ventures, MIT Bike Shop (an applied AI lab that builds software combining AI and behavioral science to help people navigate complex decisions in high-stakes real-world contexts) and Anthropic. The 10-week program in San Francisco follows a Discovery → Build structure: three weeks of practitioner interviews and problem definition, followed by seven weeks of prototype development and testing, culminating in a Demo Day for practitioners, researchers, and funders.

MMI's project will focus on one of the most consequential problems in nonprofit financial counseling: the significant share of individuals who reach out for counseling and need support, but who never enter care. The Fellows will work alongside MMI counselors and Peer Advocates to understand why people fall away at this critical handoff, and to prototype an AI-enabled approach that closes the gap — without replacing the human counselor at the center of the work.

Meet the 2026 MMI Summer Fellows

Marina Mancoridis is a second-year Computer Science Ph.D. student at MIT, where her research focuses on artificial intelligence, behavioral science, and decision-making. She co-authored “Potemkin Understanding in Large Language Models,” published at ICML 2025, and previously served as a founding engineer at Y Combinator–backed Zage Financial Services.

Michelle Si is a first-year Computer Science Ph.D. student at Harvard University, where she studies AI alignment and behavior in sociopolitical systems. She has interned at Microsoft Research New England and recently published “Internal Pluralism and the Limits of Pairwise Comparisons” at Economics & Computation 2026.

“The counselors at MMI are the reason its outcomes lead the industry, and the interesting question is how far their expertise could reach with the right tools. Our fellows will spend the summer learning from those counselors and building technology that extends what they do best.”

— Laura Blattner, Head of Impact, MIT Bike Shop

About the MMI Financial Wellbeing AI Lab

The MMI Financial Wellbeing AI Lab is a practical, solutions-driven center developed in conjunction with Connexion South, Neovolia, and Future Future, focused on generating evidence from the application of technology in real financial counseling environments and translating those insights into best practices that help nonprofits and their financial counselors use AI successfully to improve access, protect privacy, and strengthen long-term financial resilience. The Lab is part of Money Management International and is guided by an Advisory Council of leaders in AI and technology ethics, financial wellbeing, behavioral science, public policy, and nonprofit innovation.

About Money Management International

For over 65 years, Money Management International (MMI) has been at the forefront of financial health solutions, helping individuals and families break free from debt and build a secure financial future. As a trusted nonprofit leader, MMI is dedicated to transforming how Americans navigate financial challenges by providing expert guidance, innovative programs, and culturally relevant financial education. Recognized by major financial institutions and media outlets with an award-winning network of over 500 Peer Advocates in all 50 US states, DC, and Puerto Rico, MMI's award-winning services and financial wellbeing advocacy support long-term financial stability and success. Learn more at MoneyManagement.org.

Media Contact

Thomas Nitzsche
Money Management International
404.490.2227
Thomas.Nitzsche@MoneyManagement.org

Thomas Nitzsche
Money Management International
404.490.2227
Thomas.Nitzsche@MoneyManagement.org

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