Announcing the recipients of the 2026 Community Finance Initiative

The Citi Foundation (“the Foundation”) today announced the 70 community organizations across the U.S. receiving $500,000 in grant funding as part of the 2026 Community Finance Initiative to help low-income families navigate increasing affordability challenges and advance their financial resilience.

As many families continue to feel the strain of rising costs, having a place they can go to for trusted guidance and advice is more critical than ever. Local community organizations are there when households need help setting up a budget, when a small businessowner is looking for tools to manage debt, when people are learning how to save to buy their first home and when grandparents want to learn how to protect themselves from scams and fraud. Projects funded through the 2026 Community Finance Initiative include:

• Oakland Promise (California) helps children and families build savings and financial capability from an early age. Through schools, community centers and other trusted local settings, the organization provides financial education and administers children’s savings account programs that help families start building assets.
• True Ground Housing Partners (Washington, D.C. area) helps residents in their communities take meaningful steps towards homeownership, by offering a matched savings program and financial education on topics like reducing debt, creating emergency savings and strengthening credit.
• Rise Now (New York) equips multi-generational households with the skills to avoid scams, particularly as they navigate public benefits, and helps families budget and save, so they are less vulnerable to fraud.
• Branches (Florida) connects households with certified financial coaches to help create financial plans that are tailored to individual needs, whether they need support with day-to-day budgeting, strengthening their credit or building savings.
• Northeast South Dakota Community Action Program (South Dakota) protects older adults in rural areas from financial scams and fraud, helping them learn how to identify exploitation and to set up secure passwords and other digital safeguards.
• Accion Opportunity Fund (National) provides small business owners who have been declined for loans with individualized credit-building support, whether they need help with high utilization or a thin credit file, to strengthen their next application.

“The path towards achieving financial health looks different for everyone — some families may be concerned about emergency costs while others may be thinking about saving for retirement. Community organizations are there, providing trusted guidance, during every step of this journey,” said Brandee McHale, Head of Community Investing and Development at Citi and President of the Citi Foundation. “At a time when many families are feeling stretched, we're proud to support nonprofits that are showing up every day with the tools and support that American households need to pursue economic opportunity. This effort complements the breadth of work from Citi and the Citi Foundation to address the growing affordability crisis in the U.S., including our Blueprint for Housing Opportunity initiative launched earlier this year.”

The 2026 Community Finance Initiative builds on the Foundation's long-standing work to help improve financial resilience and economic mobility in low-income communities across the country. This funding is also part of Citi’s broader commitment to community engagement, including through volunteer-led financial education workshops on topics such as credit scores, saving and budget.

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 communities. 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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260923151902/en/