ACT for Alexandria was selected by Citi Foundation as a recipient of the Community Progress Makers initiative, which supports visionary organizations across the U.S. that are working to connect low-income communities and communities of color to greater social and economic opportunity. As a Community Progress Maker, ACT for Alexandria will receive an unrestricted grant of $500,000 and access to technical assistance and a supportive learning community from 2022 – 2023.
Through Citi Foundation’s support, ACT will use our position as a community foundation to accelerate Alexandria’s goals around equity and economic opportunity. We will expand their racial equity programs, build community power and voice, and address the biggest disparities in the Alexandria community: economic success, affordable housing and educational attainment. Key Programs and Initiatives will include:
- Alexandria Resilience Fund
- Childcare Stabilization Grants
- Child Tax Credit Outreach & Emergency Support Grants
- Community Fellows
- Guaranteed Income Pilot
- Racial Equity Fund
- Racial Equity IMPACT Forum
- Youth Council
- Youth Support Network
The newest cohort of Community Progress Makers includes 50 leading nonprofit organizations selected through a competitive Request for Proposals process, with a strong track record of supporting underserved communities across six U.S. cities: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, D.C. The Citi Foundation will provide a supportive learning community through which grantees can connect to share best practices and strengthen their work as social change agents. Technical assistance will also be provided by the Urban Institute to help measure the cohort’s impact and progress.
“Six years ago, the Citi Foundation launched Community Progress Makers with a vision of empowering community leaders to grow their transformative impact through unrestricted, trust-based funding,” said Brandee McHale, Head of Community Investing and Development and President of the Citi Foundation. “This kind of approach and support is more important than ever as the U.S. continues to address the root causes and impacts of income and wealth inequality. Through the Community Progress Makers initiative, these social innovators and advocates can continue to look for new ways of addressing long-standing societal challenges at scale.”
From 2015 to 2019, the Citi Foundation has provided $40 million in multi-year, unrestricted funding to 72 Community Progress Makers, helping to place over 45,000 people in affordable housing, train over 33,000 people for employment, save over $10 million in energy costs, and expand over 12,000 small businesses.
Below is a full list of 2021 Community Progress Makers.
Washington, D.C.
- ACT for Alexandria, A Community Foundation
- Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development
- Homefree USA
- La Cocina VA
- Tzedek DC
- United Way or National Capital Area
Chicago
- Elevate
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago
- Proviso Leyden Council For Community Action, Inc.
- Urban Growers Collective
- Working Credit
Los Angeles
- A Place Called Home
- Central City Neighborhood Partners
- CHIRLA
- Clifford Beers Housing
- Enterprise Community Partners
- Little Tokyo Service Center
- PARS Equality Center Los Angeles
- Puente Learning Center
- Vermont Slauson Local Development Corporation
Miami
- aire ventures
- Community Justice Project
- Health Foundation of South Florida
- Miami Workers Center
- Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida
- Solar and Energy Loan Fund, Inc. (SELF)
- YWCA of Greater Miami Dade
New York City
- America on Tech
- Ariva, Inc
- Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
- Bridge Street Development Corporation
- Community League of the Heights
- El Puente
- Fifth Avenue Committee
- Graham-Windham
- Habitat for Humanity of New York City and Westchester County
- Harlem Stage
- Korean-American Community Foundation
- Solar One
- South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SoBro)
- The Knowledge House
- YMCA of Greater New York
San Francisco Bay Area
- Centro Community Partners (Centro)
- Chinatown Community Development Center
- Community Housing Development Corporation
- Homeless Children’s Network
- Juma Ventures
- Old Skool Café
- Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services
- Rising Sun Center for Opportunity
About the 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.