The Citi Foundation, in partnership with America’s Promise, is launching the Youth Workforce Fund, a competitive fund that seeks to make strategic investments in community-based organizations connecting low-income young people, ages 16-24, with workplace skills and employment opportunities. The $4 million Fund will award one-year grants of up to $250,000 to a cohort of grantees across 15 markets in the United States.  Selected grantees will also be provided with networking opportunities and access to Citi volunteers as part of the Fund.

The Youth Workforce Fund is part of the Citi Foundation’s Pathways to Progress initiative aimed at reducing youth unemployment around the world.  Pathways to Progress first launched in 2014 with a $50 million, three-year commitment that helped more than 100,000 young people, ages 16-24, to become career-ready across the United States.  In February 2017, the Citi Foundation announced a global expansion of Pathways led by a $100 million commitment to connect an additional 500,000 young people, ages 16-24, to training and jobs over the next three years.  The expansion also includes a commitment to have 10,000 Citi employees volunteer to serve as mentors, coaches and role models to help young people and support their career progress.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• Applicants need to be non-profit organizations with a 501(C)(3) designation from the I.R.S. and operational for more than 2 years.

• Serve low- and moderate-income youth directly in the following markets: Buffalo, NY; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Delaware; Florence, KY; Jacksonville, FL; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Newark, NJ; New York City, NY; San Francisco, CA; Sioux Falls, SD; Tampa, FL; Tucson, AZ; Washington, D.C.

• Focus on programming that engages youth ages 16-24 and reaches a minimum of 150 low- and moderate-income youth during a one-year grant term.

• Implement strategies to help youth obtain workplace skills (hard and soft skills) and connect them directly with employment opportunities including, but not limited to, full-time jobs, internships and apprenticeships.

• Organizations that applied to and/or received a grant from the 2015 or 2016 Youth Opportunity Fund are eligible to submit a Request for Idea for consideration.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

The application process will be conducted in two rounds:

• Round 1: Request for Ideas (RFI)
  Applicants should submit their ideas through the online portal by June 27, 2017.
• Round 2: Final Application
  Applicants will be notified by late July 2017 if they have been selected to advance to the final application round. The Citi Foundation and America’s Promise reserve the right to ask clarifying questions or request additional information from finalists.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR APPLICANTS

We will host webinars to review the RFI and to answer questions from potential applicants about this funding opportunity (click on a date below to register).

 

           

 

QUESTIONS

Please contact [email protected]

HOW TO APPLY

Visit the grant application portal to apply now!

RESOURCES

• Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT CITI FOUNDATION

The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant cities. The Citi Foundation's "More than Philanthropy" approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more information, visit www.citifoundation.com.