As affordability challenges push many American families to their financial limits, the Citi Foundation (the “Foundation”) aims to bolster the financial health of low-income communities. Today, the Foundation announced a $35 million Request for Proposals (RFP) for its 2026 Community Finance Initiative, recognizing the important role that community organizations play in helping households navigate these financial pressures. Through this iteration of the initiative, 70 nonprofits will each receive $500,000 to advance the financial resilience of households across the U.S.
Surveys from the Pew Research Center note that only 20% of low-income Americans say their personal finances are in excellent or good shape. The Financial Health Network highlights that less than half of low-income Americans have enough savings to cover at least three months of expenses, and less than a third are confident they are on track to meet long-term financial goals. In response, the Foundation will support community-based organizations that are helping these households manage today, build for tomorrow and protect what they have worked hard to achieve. This can include helping to address immediate challenges that may arise as basic necessities, like housing, food or childcare, become more costly — or helping to strengthen and preserve assets, so that households are better able to weather future economic shocks and seize financial opportunities.
The 2026 Community Finance Initiative grants will focus on three specific areas:
- Stabilize: Supporting low-income households in regaining everyday balance during moments of financial stress, including through financial coaching, support navigating public assistance programs and debt counseling.
- Strengthen: Helping low-income households build credit and short- and long-term financial assets, through efforts such as emergency-fund programs, credit repair and first-time homebuyer education.
- Safeguard: Protecting low-income households from financial harm and future setbacks through programs focused on fraud and scam awareness and prevention, identity protection and recovery, and safe use of digital financial tools.
“While policymakers address macro issues of affordability, we believe there is an important role for community-based organizations delivering financial health-focused programming,” explained Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation and Head of Community Investing and Development at Citi. “The Citi Foundation is committed to helping families and individuals find more financial stability, safety and a stronger footing so they can keep moving forward on their financial paths. Through this initiative, we hope to build financial resilience throughout our communities, ensuring everyone has an opportunity to thrive.”
This is the 2026 iteration of the Foundation’s Community Finance Initiative, which invests in a range of solutions that advance financial inclusion and financial health for low-income communities across the U.S. Today’s announcement also builds on Citi’s track record of volunteerism and community engagement in the places where we live and work, including through community workshops that deliver financial education on savings and setting financial goals.
The deadline to submit is 12pm (noon) New York Time (Eastern Time) on February 18, 2026. For more information on this opportunity, please visit: www.citifoundation.com/rfp.
