50 community organizations to receive a collective $25 million in catalytic funding, building on over a decade of Citi Foundation investment in youth.
The Citi Foundation today issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its 2025 Global Innovation Challenge, which provides philanthropic support for community organizations to pilot or scale solutions to social and economic issues around the world.
Despite recent progress, young people globally continue to experience challenges in their pursuit of employment, including skills mismatch and gaining access to quality jobs. According to the International Labour Organization, 65 million young people globally are unemployed. With this RFP, 50 community organizations will receive $500,000 each in grant support for innovative employment solutions for low-income youth, from upskilling and reskilling efforts to entrepreneurship programming, financial education and more.
The 2025 Global Innovation Challenge builds on Citi and the Citi Foundation’s long-standing investment in youth. This includes an investment of more than $300 million over the last decade alone in programs that supported over one million young people in expanding their skills, experience and networks through its Pathways to Progress initiative.
Citi also provides banking services for clients expanding access to high-quality education and youth entrepreneurship opportunities and invests in solutions for early career professionals. Citi has also financed and facilitated access to education in emerging markets through social finance bonds and other transactions.
Citi employees volunteer year-round, lending their talent and expertise in support of youth employability, including engaging in financial education and career development workshops and mentoring and coaching youth.
“From skills training to job placement programming and more, Citi and the Citi Foundation have long invested in scalable solutions to accelerate youth employability. But it remains a persistent and urgent matter, and we know there is more work to be done,” said Ed Skyler, Citi Head of Enterprise Services & Public Affairs and Chair of the Citi Foundation. “Applying the Global Innovation Challenge model to this issue represents the next step in our funding journey and our continued investment in the young people poised to build thriving and resilient communities.”
“Youth employability remains a pressing issue in the Philippines, with many young Filipinos facing challenges in accessing the skills and opportunities needed to secure sustainable careers. At Citi, we have long been engaging in various initiatives to empower the youth, and we remain committed to this cause. Through this global initiative, we hope to further this commitment and help build a more resilient and future-ready workforce. Investing in the youth is investing in the future of the country. We look forward to seeing the impactful initiatives in this cycle of the Global Innovation Challenge,” said Paul Favila, Citi Philippines CCO and Banking Head.
The deadline for eligible organizations to register to apply is Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. New York Time (Eastern Time) and recipients will be announced later this year. For more information on this opportunity including eligibility requirements and target geographies, please visit www.citifoundation.com/rfp.