The Citi Foundation’s 2026 Community Finance Initiative commits $35 million to support programming that bolsters the financial stability, strength and safety of low-income households in the U.S.
Donor Name: Citi Foundation
State: Selected States
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/18/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Citi 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 Information
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.
Grant Period
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.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organizations must be able to demonstrate that their mission and strategic priorities have a specific focus on serving low-income individuals and/or communities.
- The project must impact one or more of the Foundation’s target geographies and support at least one of the identified focus areas listed above.
- Organizations must be tax-exempt public charities as per Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Please note that projects that require the use of fiscal sponsorship are not eligible for this funding opportunity.
- Organizations must be able to submit externally audited financial statements covering some part of calendar year 2024 or a subsequent year if invited to the full application stage no later than May 2026.
For more information, visit Citi Foundation.
