Citi Foundation offers 50 grants of $500,000 to nonprofits preparing low-income youth for work shaped by AI
Its fourth Global Innovation Challenge, announced Sept. 9, takes letters of inquiry until noon New York time on Oct. 6. In the United States, only 501(c)(3) public charities whose programs reach listed areas of 10 states, Washington, D.C., or Puerto Rico qualify.
New York. The Citi Foundation, the charitable arm of the bank Citi, opened its fourth Global Innovation Challenge on Sept. 9, offering $25 million to up to 50 nonprofit organizations that prepare low-income young people for jobs in an economy increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Letters of inquiry are due at noon New York time on Oct. 6.
Each grant is $500,000, restricted to the program it pays for and paid in two equal installments in 2027 and 2028, over a 24-month term that starts no sooner than June 1, 2027. The money is meant to pilot or expand projects for young people mainly aged 15 to 24, the foundation says.
What the grants can pay for
The request for proposals names three areas: training in AI, such as prompt engineering and digital content creation, paired with skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking; wider digital access, such as community hubs with shared devices and tools that work offline or on weak connections; and stronger nonprofit programs and networks, for instance by adding AI tools to existing youth employment programs. Salaries, technology, training, evaluation and overhead are among the eligible costs.
Who can apply
The challenge is global: by the Herald's count, the foundation's list covers more than 80 countries and territories besides the United States, and grants to groups based abroad go through Charities Aid Foundation America. In the United States, a program must reach one of these areas, wherever the organization is based: 19 California counties, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Clara; New York City's five boroughs with Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Westchester; Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach in Florida; Cook and five other Illinois counties; Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic in New Jersey; Clark County, Nev.; Montgomery and Prince George's in Maryland; Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Falls Church in Virginia; two planning regions in southwestern Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; and all of South Dakota.
A U.S. applicant must be a 501(c)(3) public charity whose mission focuses on low-income people. Private foundations and organizations that rely on a fiscal sponsor are not eligible, and each organization may send one letter. Those invited to the second round must provide externally audited financial statements covering some part of 2024 or a later year by a deadline expected in early December.
The foundation aims to tell every applicant by the end of November whether it may submit a full application, and to share final decisions by the end of May 2027.
The challenge has run every year since 2023, each time with $25 million for 50 organizations: first for food security, then for homelessness, and in 2025 for youth employability.
About this story
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