$20,000 Grant Bolsters ‘Piranha Tank’ Youth Program, Additional Affordable Housing Grant Also Open
April 23, 2026
Apr 28, 2026, 10:12 AM
Folsom, North and South Sacramento, Calif. –(April 23, 2026) – Young cohorts from two Sacramento neighborhoods will soon learn how businesses get off the ground by jumping into the treacherous waters of a “Piranha Tank.”
Like the popular show “Shark Tank,” Sacramento-area nonprofit Mutual Housing California’s “Piranha Tank” immerses young minds into a simulated entrepreneurship program where they create and pitch their own ideas to business professionals to compete for seed money, often with real-world applications.
The credit union recently awarded Mutual Housing California with its 2026 Financial Literacy Grant award of $20,000 to support the program serving residents ages 14-20 in the North Sacramento areas of Norwood, Victory/Dixie Anne, and South Sacramento’s Sky Park area.
“If you’ve ever watched 'Shark Tank' then you know how this similar Mutual Housing California 'Piranha Tank' program can impactfully introduce lifelong entrepreneurial and money management skills to its participants,” says Community Impact Manager Lauren LeBov. “SAFE is incredibly proud to support such an innovative nonprofit that is at the forefront of exploring and implementing hands-on and real-world financial literacy learning opportunities like these.”
Following the initial 2026 award, SAFE Credit Union is also now accepting applications for its second 2026 $20,000 grant award, “Affordable Housing Grant,” encouraging Sacramento region organizations who provide resources and access to affordable housing to apply by Monday, May 4 on SAFE’s website.
Mutual Housing California Chief Executive Officer Craig Adelman says SAFE’s Financial Literacy Grant is supporting the “Piranha Tank” program that provides teens and young adults with a glimpse into a “real” entrepreneurial experience.
“We’ve heard from youth who said it showed them, for the first time, what it takes to start a business—and just as importantly, how meaningful it was to have a teammate to collaborate with along the way,” says Adelman. “That combination of skill-building and connection is incredibly powerful.”
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Students participate in Mutual Housing California’s Piranha Tank program at the Mutual Housing Norwood community in North Sacramento.
The program, Adelman says, exposes youth, often living in affordable housing communities, to entrepreneurship as a viable career pathway and to be a driver in promoting “economic mobility and community wealth-building.” The program’s success also lies in bringing the program to where students live, reducing transportation and other cost barriers.
“Piranha Tank started as a safe space for our MVP Youth to show up and just be,” says Marady Seng, Mutual Housing California Financial Capability Program coordinator. “By pitch day, those same kids were standing in front of judges, including a resident from their own community, presenting a real business idea they built themselves. That’s what this program does.”
“This grant means our youth get a space to discover that opportunities are everywhere for them, even here,” adds Seng. “You give young people the tools and the room, and they will find it.”
Mutual Housing California, founded in 1988, develops, manages, and supports sustainable housing for more than 3,900 resident partners in their communities. More than half of the residents in Mutual Housing Communities are children.
Each business quarter, SAFE Credit Union provides funding to local nonprofits through its competitive grant process. Last year, SAFE awarded a total of $80,000 in community nonprofit grants to programs supporting financial education, affordable housing, youth and young adult education as well as workforce development.
_credit-mutual-housing-california.png?sfvrsn=f63a0440_0 "MVP Youth Session 2026 (4)_Credit Mutual Housing California")
A Federal Work-Study student from Sacramento State University reads to kids at the Mutual Housing Spring Lake community room.
For more information email [email protected].
SAFE Credit Union awards Mutual Housing California with its 2026 Financial Literacy Grant award of $20,000 to support its "Piranha Tank" entrepreneurial pitching program serving residents ages 14-20 in the North Sacramento areas of Norwood, Victory/Dixie Anne, and South Sacramento’s Sky Park area.
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About SAFE
SAFE Credit Union has made members an integral part of its vision since 1940. Over the years the credit union has kept the focus on what really matters, putting members first, a formula that has seen SAFE grow into a leading financial
institution in Northern California with $4.3 billion in assets and about 244,000 members. SAFE crafts every cutting-edge product and sterling service with members’ needs foremost in mind. In addition to banking services conveniently
available through online, chat, mobile, or phone options, SAFE offers in-person services for members and small businesses at service centers across the Greater Sacramento region. SAFE is a not-for-profit, state-chartered credit union
with membership open to businesses and individuals living or working in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Sutter, Butte, Nevada, Solano, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Yuba, Amador, and Alameda counties. Equal Housing Opportunity Lender.
Insured by NCUA. www.safecu.org
About Mutual Housing California
Founded in 1988, Mutual Housing California develops, manages and supports sustainable affordable housing where residents are partners in advancing equitable communities. More than 3,900 people – nearly half of them children – live in Mutual Housing communities. Mutual Housing is a member of NeighborWorks America, a congressionally chartered nonprofit organization that supports community development nationwide. www.mutualhousing.com