NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Citi Foundation (“the Foundation”) today announced that nine nonprofits based in Northern California have been selected as part of the fourth cohort of the Community Progress Makers initiative.
First launched in 2015, Community Progress Makers provides unrestricted funding to visionary organizations that work locally to connect low-income communities to greater economic opportunity. With this latest cohort, the Foundation has now committed $115 million in grants to Community Progress Makers since its inception.
The current cohort of Community Progress Makers has been selected through an open request for proposals (RFP) process announced this past fall, which focused on organizations working in the areas of affordable housing and access, economic development, financial health and workforce readiness.
“Unrestricted grant support is in high demand and low supply and we have witnessed how transformational this type of funding can be for community organizations,” said Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation and Head of Citi Community Investing & Development. “This is why we are pleased to support the innovative solutions and deep community work that the organizations in this fourth cohort of Community Progress Makers are leading in Northern California through flexible, trust-based funding.”
“These Northern California-based Community Progress Makers are working at the forefront of pressing local issues, from workforce and economic development to housing and financial health,” said Philip Drury, Head of Global Technology and Communications Banking, Citi. “The flexible philanthropic capital that Citi Foundation is deploying will help these social innovators double down and find new ways to advance their work.”
All recipients will have access to a learning community where they can collaborate and share best practices with a network of Community Progress Makers across the country, as well as receive technical assistance delivered by national experts and leading researchers. Combining their local expertise and track record of community impact with a national network of resources and changemakers, these nonprofits are poised to accelerate their community-based work in Northern California.
“San Francisco’s community organizations have a long history of advocating for and advancing the needs of low-income and underserved communities,” said Mayor of San Francisco London Breed. “Initiatives like Citi Foundation’s Community Progress Makers help to accelerate this deep community work. I look forward to seeing the tangible community impact that results from the innovative work of these San Francisco and Northern California nonprofits.”
These are the community organizations selected to the fourth cohort of Community Progress Makers in Northern California:
- ASIAN, Inc.
- Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation
- ICA Fund
- Mission Asset Fund
- MyPath
- Northern California Land Trust
- Opportunity Junction
- Pacific Community Ventures
- Rubicon Programs
"As an organization working to expand economic mobility for nearly two decades, we've learned that it takes innovation and an adaptive multi-pronged approach to address the needs of underserved communities,” said Margaret Libby, Founder & CEO, MyPath. “That is why the unrestricted support from the Citi Foundation through the Community Progress Makers initiative is so transformational – it puts each nonprofit in the driver’s seat and offers the flexibility and support to maximize impact in our communities.”
For more information, please visit citifoundation.com/cpm and follow the impact these organizations are making at #ProgressMakers on social media.
