The Foundation for Free Enterprise Education (FFEE) is shaping a stronger future for Pennsylvania by equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to thrive. Through immersive and innovative programs, FFEE helps young people build real world skills, explore career pathways, strengthen financial understanding, and discover meaningful opportunities for lifelong success.
Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW) is the cornerstone of this mission and has transformed the lives of over 54,000 high school juniors and seniors since 1979. Students step into executive roles, work in diverse teams, and tackle real business challenges while building leadership, communication, teamwork, time management, critical thinking, and confidence. Many describe the program as life changing, offering clarity, purpose, and a new belief in their potential. This past summer, PFEW added a Reality Fair, an interactive personal finance simulation that teaches students how to navigate budgeting, expenses, saving, and planning. This hands-on experience equips students with essential financial skills for adulthood and will remain a key part of the PFEW experience moving forward.
FFEE also provides year-round programming that strengthens classroom learning and expands student opportunities. The Speaker Series connects middle and high school students with accomplished professionals across every National Career Cluster and provides powerful tools for educators, including a student workbook, a teacher resource guide, and a statewide directory of youth opportunities. These resources help students explore careers, build employability skills, and understand how their interests align with future pathways. The Stock Market Game brings financial literacy and investing concepts alive to students in grades 4-12, offering teachers ready to use curriculum and support while students develop teamwork, decision making, financial planning, and economic understanding through an interactive investment simulation.
None of this would be possible without the incredible partners who make these programs thrive. Each summer, dedicated professionals, community leaders, and alumni volunteer as Company Advisors, Judges, Speakers and Reality Fair mentors at PFEW, providing students with life changing support and encouragement. Many volunteers describe their week at PFEW as one of the most rewarding and inspiring experiences of their year. Support from local businesses, schools, and community organizations ensures that every student can participate in PFEW regardless of financial circumstances.
To support PFEW or learn more about FFEE programs, visit www.pfew.org or contact VP of Marketing and Development Scott Lee at scott@pfew.org or Program Development Manager Alison Shughart at alison@pfew.org. Together, we create a place where education meets opportunity, and every Pennsylvania student can discover their own path to a brighter future.