The Citi Foundation, in partnership with America’s Promise Alliance, has launched a $3 million Youth Opportunity Fund to support scalable programs that help prepare low-income youth for college and career paths.
The fund is part of the Pathways to Progress program that Citi Foundation launched in 2014. Pathways to Progress is a $50 million investment to increase economic opportunities for low income youth and the largest single commitment in the foundation’s history. The program is a targeted investment in ten U.S. cities: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Newark, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.
The Youth Opportunity Fund will award one-year grants of $250,000 to organizations that are expanding college and career opportunities for urban youth, ages 16 to 24.
The fund will award grants to support local nonprofit programs who serve urban youth in the ten designated cities. Grantees also receive technical assistance, communications support, networking with others in the field, and professional development and training opportunities.
The process began in late May with a Request for Ideas. Interested organizations should submit their potential program ideas to America’s Promise. Following the review of RFI’s by a selection committee, selected organizations will proceed to a final application. Final decisions will be made the summer of 2015.
Some examples of projects the fund will support include:
- School and community based projects that include career and entrepreneurship training
- Programs that help youth identify career opportunities and obtain jobs
- Programs that use experiential learning such as volunteerism and internships
Judith Fenlon is the Editor of the Money and Business section for The Imprint.
