In a world where financial systems often exclude the very people who need them most, Jerry During stands as a firm presence. He is not one for grandstanding. There is no theatrics in his speech, no hand-waving or soundbites. Instead, Jerry offers clarity — the kind that comes from years spent listening, analysing, and doing the work that others often overlook.
He speaks with the precision of a man who understands that justice — real, sustainable justice — is built not in sweeping reforms, but in steady structures. In partnerships. In service.
At the heart of his work is Money A+E, the organisation he co-founded with Greg Ashworth, born out of conversations at Toynbee Hall and rooted in lived experience. It was there, in one of the UK’s oldest poverty-fighting institutions, that the seed for a new kind of financial support service took root — one that recognised that debt is never just about numbers, and money is never just about maths. It’s about dignity. It’s about access. It’s about trust.
Jerry’s own family history — witnessing his father struggle through a period of financial hardship — forms the foundation of his work. For Jerry, stories aren’t told to centre the self. They are told to build systems that ensure others don’t have to walk the same hard roads.
A Steady Hand in an Unsteady System
Money A+E began with a website. A guide. A pointer toward help. But Jerry and his team quickly realised that digital signposts weren’t enough. People needed someone to walk alongside them — especially those who had never been truly seen by traditional financial institutions.
So the model evolved. One-to-one support. Workshops. Outreach work in communities that have long been talked about but rarely spoken with. East London became a hub — not just geographically, but philosophically. A place where the ignored could find not just assistance, but power.
Their model doesn’t rest on charity — it rests on solidarity. Those with lived experience are trained and employed to guide others. The cycle of support becomes a cycle of leadership. And in that, there is transformation.
Power to Prosper: Not a Campaign, but a Continuum
Jerry doesn’t view Power to Prosper as a campaign. He sees it as a necessary evolution — a platform to do what needs to be done at scale and with sharper tools. For Money A+E, it is an opportunity to amplify what they’ve long known: that those closest to the problem are also closest to the solution.
In his words, the aim is clear — not just to help individuals, but to shift systems. To make space for Black, migrant, and minoritised communities not only in the conversation but at the helm of decision-making.
Jerry and the Money A+E team are working to build a lived experience leadership cohort — a group rooted in authenticity and purpose, ready to influence policies and financial practices from the ground up. They are not waiting for change. They are building its infrastructure.
Beyond the Buzzwords
Jerry doesn’t speak in buzzwords. He talks about work, responsibility, and designing solutions that last. He’s not interested in “resilience” narratives that celebrate people for surviving systems that were never meant for them. Instead, he wants to redesign those systems.
And yet, he’s realistic. Community engagement, especially digital outreach, is challenging. There are gaps. But what sets Jerry apart is his refusal to be discouraged. In place of cynicism, he builds. In place of complaints, he constructs action plans.
The Road Ahead
The path forward for Money A+E is one of intention. With Power to Prosper, they plan to refine their messaging, deepen their partnerships, and unlock the next phase of community-driven finance — not through charity, but through justice.
Because Jerry knows this is not just about numbers. It’s about who gets to dream, who gets to rebuild, and who gets to stay standing when the financial winds shift.
And so, with a quiet steadiness and a relentless commitment to his community, Jerry continues — not as a figurehead, but as a foundation. The kind upon which something lasting can finally be built.