Citi Foundation (“the Foundation”) seeks to provide financial support to community organizations implementing programs that empower low-income households to better manage their financial lives to build greater financial stability and resilience across the United States.

Focus Areas:

The Foundation seeks to support organizations advancing low-income household financial resilience in the United States across three focus areas: 

Stabilize: Programs that help low-income households to build financial skills and confidence to manage daily finances and navigate financial stress. 

• Financial coaching on budgeting, credit, debt reduction and savings strategies. 

• Digital tools offering personalized financial guidance and product navigation. 

• Assistance with public benefits and social safety net programs. 

Strengthen: Programs that help low-income households build and repair credit, as well as short- and long-term financial assets. 

• Financial products or services for credit building and credit repair. 

• Initiatives to increase savings, including emergency funds. 

• Support for homeownership, including readiness, preservation, and long-term stability (e.g., first-time buyer assistance, preventing displacement, and support systems for aging in place resources). 

Safeguard: Programs that protect low-income household financial security by preventing and addressing financial losses. 

• Education and support for the safe and confident use of digital financial tools. 

• Fraud and scam awareness, prevention and recovery initiatives, including protection from identity theft.

• Interventions to help households recover from major financial shocks (e.g., healthcare costs, extended family care, job transitions or natural disasters).

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: 

• The Foundation plans to award 70 $500,000 (USD) grants (to be disbursed over two years) totaling $35 million to community organizations working in select communities where Citi has a presence. 

• The grants will be restricted and are anticipated to be disbursed in two annual payments in 2026 and 2027. Proposed projects should be for a term of 24 months, starting no sooner than August 1, 2026 and ending no later than December 31, 2028.

The grants awarded through this RFP will be restricted to the specific program and expenses for which funding is sought. Eligible programs may seek funding to cover a range of items, including but not limited to, salaries, technology, program materials, trainings, events, research, communications, marketing, evaluation, convenings and overhead.